Post by 4real on Dec 24, 2010 0:29:36 GMT -5
After you have your wiring sorted and gone nutz...you got to play the things...so have been thinking about starting a few threads that we can share a few tips and tricks or discuss some of this stuff...
Plus, been going through a bunch of stuff and vids so reminded of some of these things and how others approach things...
So...Tuning and Intonation
Intonation...without adjusting your intonation as best one can, you can never play the thing in tune so may as well start there...
The length of the string is adjusted by the saddles...the idea is that when ever you fret a note, the string will be bent and stretched a little. This will be different with each string gauge and action...so select a gauge and adjust action first and adjust intonation with any changes.
As a basic intonation adjustment, play the 12th fret harmonic and compare it with the same note fretted on the same fret. If the fretted note is sharp, make the string length longer by moving the saddle back...or visa verse if flat.
Check playing chords and such all over and reach the best 'compromise'....perhaps more on this later, obviously depending on set up strings will stretch differently when fretted on different frets, or not at all if open!
Tuning Techniques
I suppose these days most will just say, use a tuner...and this can be good and necessary...but that is only really a starter IMHO.
I was watching the great Eric Johnson "Total guitar" vid yesterday and he uses 3 tuning techniques to reach the 'compromise' for his guitar and playing.
The traditional way is to compare the fifth fret (4th fret g string) with the open string above...still very useful.
Also, the harmonic 5th fret with the 7th fret on the string above...for the open B string you can use the low E string 7th fret harmonic or the 12th fret open G harmonic with the fretted B string, 8th fret. This is quite good as you have your hands free and can really hear the beating between notes.
Another way is to play 12th fret harmonics with fretted notes on the string above on the 7th fret...adjusted as above for the B string.
There are probably a lot more...
...
Compromise
The guitar is a compromise of a whole heap of things...so knowing how your guitar and technique affects tuning and working around things is important.
Lower fretted notes and open strings are particularly problematic...anything 'sharp' is going to sound sour. An open A chord with the C# on the B string is often problematic for instance...the guitar may well be perfectly in tune...but...
Similarly the open C chord, that B string is tight and if the nut is high you are going to be pushing harder on that than the octave C below on the A string 3rd fret. As these are the same note (C) this is really going to stand out...and sound bad if not careful.
Partly it can be set up, excessively high nut perhaps...but sometimes it is technique...if you use really slinky strings and if you have a heavy handed technique and pushing hard into the fret board...perhaps jumbo frets...you can really bend things sharp...so watch that stuff.
I have my own 'vocabulary' of chord forms that attempt to avoid these things as far as possible and avoid things that might sound 'sour'...
...
As a general rule...I tune to a tuner if one is available or to another instrument so at least they are the same and go from there. Quick check through the harmonics...
Then, I play some octaves so that I am checking not just against an adjacent string but two fretted note 2 or 3 strings apart. If about to play a particular song featuring open chords, going to check those and adjust so they sound good perhaps.
Play a few chords and listen that everything sounds generally ok...all this with a clean sound of course!
I tend only to need to do this once and the guitars stay pretty well in tune even with travel in a case.
Trems
One thing about my playing is I use full floating trems. A lot of this is not so much for the 'effect' as the feel and the ability to lower fretted or open pitches....making a bluesy sweeter intonation rather than a sour sharp intonation.
Additionally, as the strings are suspended on springs, they have a bit of give, so when you fret a note the string is stretched a little, but then so too the bridge is under a little more tension and moves forwards bring things back a little to a more 'perfect' pitch. If that all fails, I can gently wobble a chord around the pitch, perhaps below to get a generally 'sweet' sound and kind of chorus to chords (especially with echo or reverb on it)...
...
So, you might have other tricks...in general and from an early stage I got the idea that it is always going to sound better...therefore I would sound better...if at least the guitar was "in tune" and made a point of always being 'in tune' or as best I could be. This make you more sensitive to things and easier to slightly adjust thing to be in tune as you play before things go right out of whack.
If you only use a tuner, typically you are only tuning unfretted notes...so by necessity as soon as you fret things, something is going to go a little out...so that alone is rarely enough.
Bare in mind that these things though are a compromise too...there are fretting systems and such to adjust things, often moving the nut slightly forward and adjusting everything to suit or weird and wonderful fretting...but even these are a compromise.
You can get a similar 'advanced' tuning from careful attention and use of the guitar as is and staying aware of the quirks of your particular instrument and technique and adjust accordingly.
Also be aware that many instruments have no frets and have to adjust 'tuning' on the fly...things like violin or horns...so why not the guitar be given the same attention to detail?
Plus, been going through a bunch of stuff and vids so reminded of some of these things and how others approach things...
So...Tuning and Intonation
Intonation...without adjusting your intonation as best one can, you can never play the thing in tune so may as well start there...
The length of the string is adjusted by the saddles...the idea is that when ever you fret a note, the string will be bent and stretched a little. This will be different with each string gauge and action...so select a gauge and adjust action first and adjust intonation with any changes.
As a basic intonation adjustment, play the 12th fret harmonic and compare it with the same note fretted on the same fret. If the fretted note is sharp, make the string length longer by moving the saddle back...or visa verse if flat.
Check playing chords and such all over and reach the best 'compromise'....perhaps more on this later, obviously depending on set up strings will stretch differently when fretted on different frets, or not at all if open!
Tuning Techniques
I suppose these days most will just say, use a tuner...and this can be good and necessary...but that is only really a starter IMHO.
I was watching the great Eric Johnson "Total guitar" vid yesterday and he uses 3 tuning techniques to reach the 'compromise' for his guitar and playing.
The traditional way is to compare the fifth fret (4th fret g string) with the open string above...still very useful.
Also, the harmonic 5th fret with the 7th fret on the string above...for the open B string you can use the low E string 7th fret harmonic or the 12th fret open G harmonic with the fretted B string, 8th fret. This is quite good as you have your hands free and can really hear the beating between notes.
Another way is to play 12th fret harmonics with fretted notes on the string above on the 7th fret...adjusted as above for the B string.
There are probably a lot more...
...
Compromise
The guitar is a compromise of a whole heap of things...so knowing how your guitar and technique affects tuning and working around things is important.
Lower fretted notes and open strings are particularly problematic...anything 'sharp' is going to sound sour. An open A chord with the C# on the B string is often problematic for instance...the guitar may well be perfectly in tune...but...
Similarly the open C chord, that B string is tight and if the nut is high you are going to be pushing harder on that than the octave C below on the A string 3rd fret. As these are the same note (C) this is really going to stand out...and sound bad if not careful.
Partly it can be set up, excessively high nut perhaps...but sometimes it is technique...if you use really slinky strings and if you have a heavy handed technique and pushing hard into the fret board...perhaps jumbo frets...you can really bend things sharp...so watch that stuff.
I have my own 'vocabulary' of chord forms that attempt to avoid these things as far as possible and avoid things that might sound 'sour'...
...
As a general rule...I tune to a tuner if one is available or to another instrument so at least they are the same and go from there. Quick check through the harmonics...
Then, I play some octaves so that I am checking not just against an adjacent string but two fretted note 2 or 3 strings apart. If about to play a particular song featuring open chords, going to check those and adjust so they sound good perhaps.
Play a few chords and listen that everything sounds generally ok...all this with a clean sound of course!
I tend only to need to do this once and the guitars stay pretty well in tune even with travel in a case.
Trems
One thing about my playing is I use full floating trems. A lot of this is not so much for the 'effect' as the feel and the ability to lower fretted or open pitches....making a bluesy sweeter intonation rather than a sour sharp intonation.
Additionally, as the strings are suspended on springs, they have a bit of give, so when you fret a note the string is stretched a little, but then so too the bridge is under a little more tension and moves forwards bring things back a little to a more 'perfect' pitch. If that all fails, I can gently wobble a chord around the pitch, perhaps below to get a generally 'sweet' sound and kind of chorus to chords (especially with echo or reverb on it)...
...
So, you might have other tricks...in general and from an early stage I got the idea that it is always going to sound better...therefore I would sound better...if at least the guitar was "in tune" and made a point of always being 'in tune' or as best I could be. This make you more sensitive to things and easier to slightly adjust thing to be in tune as you play before things go right out of whack.
If you only use a tuner, typically you are only tuning unfretted notes...so by necessity as soon as you fret things, something is going to go a little out...so that alone is rarely enough.
Bare in mind that these things though are a compromise too...there are fretting systems and such to adjust things, often moving the nut slightly forward and adjusting everything to suit or weird and wonderful fretting...but even these are a compromise.
You can get a similar 'advanced' tuning from careful attention and use of the guitar as is and staying aware of the quirks of your particular instrument and technique and adjust accordingly.
Also be aware that many instruments have no frets and have to adjust 'tuning' on the fly...things like violin or horns...so why not the guitar be given the same attention to detail?
