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Light vs. Heavy Touch


Jeff Addicott

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Played in the pep band for about 2 hours at the basketball game today, and my fingers are holdining up quite well. Last time we played, my fingers were sore and everything. Now, they're as tough as can be.

 

Playing wise, I felt we grooved harder, but that might be because it's our second game. I think I like this lighter touch deal. Who'd thunk?

In Skynyrd We Trust
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Originally posted by dansouth@yahoo.com:

Gary Willis mentioned in a recent BP that you should play lighter as you play faster. - I'll take Gary's word for it.

I learnt this the hard way. Previous band I was in, we'd play Metallica's Creeping Death. Now, to me this is challenging enough as it is but the drummer always wanted to play it at break-neck speed. So I would dig in harder and harder, with the result of having to cut down on my speed towards the end of the song cos I just could not keep up ...

 

Now, I try to play lighter, and let my equipment do the "cut-through-the-music" thing :D But what do I know ... :confused:

"I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes

 

The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour

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I've settled on the "light touch". Make the amp do all the work, and I can play more economically and have more endurance over a 4 hour set list. I developed it because I started out playing heavy metal, and my bass instructor wouldn't allow me to use a pick (playing triplets and 16ths for an entire song and set list was a challenge). So, I was able to play much faster with a lighter touch. I also think I'm able to get better dynamics with a lighter touch.
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if you can play with a light touch you can dig in as well if need be. let the piece determine if you lay back or buckle down. aside from the fact that yanking away at full force will be torturous on your fingers/wrists/forarms it can mess with your instrument as well. learn how to play lightly and let your amp do the work (why else do you think we all need 42 gazillion watt amps when guitar players get away with 100?). then when you need to be louder play harder. what do you do when you can only play hard and a song breaks down into a mellow bridge?
Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh.
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