Hammond Music

Posts Tagged ‘lead guitar’

What makes Jimi Hendrix’s sound easily recognizable from Carlos Santana? How can you easily tell metal from funk, even if let’s say the metal player and the funk player are playing the same song (very unlikely, but bear with me here)? The answer: guitarists use effects to color their sound and give it a kind of modification suited to the type of music involved.

Normally these effects can be housed separately in small effects pedals, or in multi-effects hardware, or built into amplifiers, or simulated in computer software. They can be used by themselves, or you can turn on combinations of effects to get a particular sound. Let’s try to identify the types of guitar effects available so you know which one is perfect for achieving the sound you want.

Distortion effects are popular in genres like rock, metal, etc. This is what produces the heavy, rough, raw sound you hear in these genres. Distortion effects can be divided into categories like overdrive/distortion (this is the well-known rough sound), fuzz (which is used to copy the sound of a vibrating torn speaker – thus being “fuzzy”), and high-gain (the thick, loud, “chugging” sound used in heavy metal). Almost all rock bands have these as a given, and is a good, basic investment.

Filtering effects are effects which shape the sound by enhancing or minimizing certain frequencies. Here you can find equalizers (similar to how normal equalizers work), and wahs (a foot-operated pedal that lets through increasingly higher or lower frequencies by rocking the pedal). The wah pedal is named because it sounds like a person saying a long “wah” when rocked (the low frequencies are the “w-“ and the high frequencies are the “-ah” part). You can hear this mostly in funky grooves.

Volume effects are just that, they modify the volume in different ways. Examples of these are volume pedals (these are just volume knobs in the shape of a pedal which you can rock back and forth), tremolos (which is used to copy the sound of a volume knob being turned up and down quickly, making the tone “fluctuate”), and compressors (used to preserve a certain volume level as the signal gets louder).

Time-based effects take a sound signal and copy it, making a kind of echoing sound. Delay pedals can change the delay time between the original sound and the copied sound, up to very long delay times, making a rolling echo-like sound (a notable user of delay effects is U2’s The Edge). Reverb pedals, however, copy the sound produced in a large space, where little echoes pile up and decay quickly. Aside from distortion effects, these are also well known, and may be an essential part of your rig.

Modulation effects are effects which actually change how the sound sounds. Examples of these are phase shifters (which makes a sort of whooshing sound by copying the original signal and then putting it out of phase regularly), flangers (which create a kind of speeding-up or slowing-down sound), chorus pedals (copying the sound of several guitarists playing at the same time), and rotary speakers (copying the sound of a signal going through spinning speakers, making a kind of wavy pitch-changing effect). These types of effects are used to create those experimental, space-age-sounds.

Pitch shifters change the pitch of a signal, then combines it with the original sound so that it sounds like two guitars blending together in harmony. It can even be used as a bass guitar if you set it one octave lower than normal, or produce a video-gamey sound if set one octave higher.

You can experiment with combinations of pedals and connect them in chains to figure out what type of sound you want to create. After some time you can hear which effects were used in your favorite songs, and hopefully this article can assist you on the road to creating your own sound, and adding new layers to your musical adventure.

Sure you can be the life of the party or someone who is really adored by music lovers or, the list goes on. You can play exceptional music through the strumming of your guitar. And many fans would shout out “Encore!” That would be really nice isn’t it? Do you like the idea? Well, read on as this article shows you some of the most exciting and fulfilling advantages when you have learned to master the techniques and chords in the world of guitar music.

Advantage #1

Playing a guitar enhances your thought process to work hard and to command your hands on mentally memorizing where to place your finger on a particular fret, pressing on the right chord and learning the right way to strum.

Advantage #2

The pleasure of gratification is satisfied. Thus, your self-esteem is working its way through your personality. A psychological book once said, that man has to satisfy basic needs to be able to advance to the highest level which is the self-realization. Something like that.

Advantage #3

The fact is that a guitar is one of the most convenient instruments there is. You can’t bring your drums wherever you go. It would be exhausting on your part to carry a drum set around your campus and constantly beat it. It can cause so much distraction. Whereas if you have been a full pledged guitarist your whole life, you could play music where you can.

Advantage #4

Being able to take your guitar everywhere, might as well earn something from it. A talent like that would not go on unnoticed. Playing along the streets of the city is not the idea but if you want to try it, then yes, you could try. You could ask some of your friends to back you up.

Advantage #5

You, yourself, is a unique individual. With any given ten people only one becomes a pure musician. And by some luck, that person is a guitarist. Or can be someone with ultra musical talent who can play not only the guitar but many different instruments and even some percussion ones. Some say it is learned but real talent comes from the soul. It is that spirit within you that makes you distinct.

Advantage #6

Nobody can call you a guitarist with no specific talent. Yes, you could flunk all of your exams and miss every graded recitation during class hours but when school or house parties come, you are the star. Even an A+ won’t come close to the recognition you can achieve from being an accomplished artist.

Advantage #7

You are the “it” guy. Everyone can hate you or mess you up. But the moment you have learned to become a master in your own craft, everyone will recognize how good you are. Even those who never or didn’t know you will find an effort to. Everyone will respect you for the talent that you are.

More advantages are viewed just by playing the guitar. Playing is one thing but mastering is another. So if you are still struggling to play such tunes, don’t give up that dream. Although it may be only a hobby or past time, you never know, with skill, it may take you to new heights. Something brighter. Something more intense. Something close to Hollywood.