from what i know ... when the song kick in ... the volume of the guitar is supposed to be lower than the bass .. so the bass do the main rhytm .. whereas the guitar only a backup rhytm ... but when lead comes in ... boost the guitar so that the volume is slightly higher than the bass ... it works for me ... :wink:
1 guitar band. no back up guitar. how
- Thread starter freddyyc
- Start date
This is the only post in this thread that actually has practical advice.
Get the other instruments to cover up the "emptiness"... simple stuff like, drums doing a little more cymbal-work (easily noticable in many trios/single-gtr bands) or the bassist playing a little more, or using a chorus to thicken up the bass lines...
IMO, the guitarist has to realise that he should do his part to try to fill up space too. Cliches like playing solos with more double stops, using more chords, octaves... can be used. One can also go with efx and use stuff like delay, octavers, chorus, fuzz...
But what do you do when you are covering songs that have multiple gtr parts? Redo the song. Rearrange it. Make it fit your band format and make it rock. I've always thought a great song should sound good even with an acoustic guitar.
KennethC
New member
dan, just a thot...
u may want to refrain from using a pompous statement such as
"this is the only thread with practical advice" , or the like.
There are other posts with practical nuggets, tho I agree with you that a key issue to tackle is how tight the rest of the band plays tog/whether the other instruments can fill in the spaces as well. It's a key thing to do, but not the only thing that can be done to make 3 piece/1 guitar band not sound small/inadequate.
Just EQ bro.
u may want to refrain from using a pompous statement such as
"this is the only thread with practical advice" , or the like.
There are other posts with practical nuggets, tho I agree with you that a key issue to tackle is how tight the rest of the band plays tog/whether the other instruments can fill in the spaces as well. It's a key thing to do, but not the only thing that can be done to make 3 piece/1 guitar band not sound small/inadequate.
Just EQ bro.
Actually KenC, thing is, I really can't find any ... "practical nuggets" in the posts below.
Maybe your post with the suggestion to use an RC-2 was perhaps ... maybe practical if the drummer was really locked in with a metronome and amongst other things.
Practical = to do stuff, can do straightaway... not "go observe xxx band and there you go!"
Maybe your post with the suggestion to use an RC-2 was perhaps ... maybe practical if the drummer was really locked in with a metronome and amongst other things.
Practical = to do stuff, can do straightaway... not "go observe xxx band and there you go!"
KennethC
New member
Hehehe, it's ok bro, you'll find ur way. =)
Anyway the RC-2 can be very practically employed in a live band setting. I know church guitarists that use it to create bigger sounds when they're the only guitarist in the band, and esp when they need to do stuff from Hillsongs and the like, which are recorded with >1 guit. Of course, as you pointed out, the drummer's got to be locked in to a metronome(harder), or just be v adaptable.
Anyway the RC-2 can be very practically employed in a live band setting. I know church guitarists that use it to create bigger sounds when they're the only guitarist in the band, and esp when they need to do stuff from Hillsongs and the like, which are recorded with >1 guit. Of course, as you pointed out, the drummer's got to be locked in to a metronome(harder), or just be v adaptable.
MadWerewolfBoy
New member
less musicians = each do more... it gets tough to sound fuller with lesser people
if each person does what sum1 in a 6 man band does, well hollowness would result...
what u need is... ...TOMMY EMMANUEL!!! haha that guy is 4 person :twisted:
but u can't do that kinda thing with a distorted guitar signal so i think when u start doing solos, make sure i don't suddenly go crazy and fast and all while ur drummer and bassist continue with their normal lines... the contrast would really make ur guitar sound "solo". make sure ur drummer and bassist also cover the rhythm fully and add filling beats/notes.
dun forget to turn up ur delay/reverb pedal also... it can be considered "cheating" but hey... i helps a lil! :wink:
if each person does what sum1 in a 6 man band does, well hollowness would result...
what u need is... ...TOMMY EMMANUEL!!! haha that guy is 4 person :twisted:
but u can't do that kinda thing with a distorted guitar signal so i think when u start doing solos, make sure i don't suddenly go crazy and fast and all while ur drummer and bassist continue with their normal lines... the contrast would really make ur guitar sound "solo". make sure ur drummer and bassist also cover the rhythm fully and add filling beats/notes.
dun forget to turn up ur delay/reverb pedal also... it can be considered "cheating" but hey... i helps a lil! :wink:
JonEthan
New member
Crawldaddy
New member
Hmm.
If your concern is how to sound full while having only 3 instrumentalists in a group (drums, bass, guitar), then as mentioned above, the drummer and bassist both need to do more in order to avoid that empty feeling. However, there's also so much more.
Currently my band covers Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Darkness, The Rolling Stones on top of our own original material and yes we're a 3-piece band. How can we ensure that our sound isn't too empty?
Apart from simply being rather loud (although that said, we seldom exit the jam studio with that bad ringing in our ears), we try and make as much energy come through our instruments without compromising our speed and risking ruining the song. Also the partial re-arranging of songs to suit the instrumentation helps as well.
What's more, the EQ-ing of instruments is very important, with the bass needing to fill out alot of the bottom end and the guitar to fill out the mid-range and higher frequencies. As long as a balance in volume between the instruments is in place and the notes ring out nice and clear, I'm sure the band can sound full.
If your concern is how to sound full while having only 3 instrumentalists in a group (drums, bass, guitar), then as mentioned above, the drummer and bassist both need to do more in order to avoid that empty feeling. However, there's also so much more.
Currently my band covers Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Darkness, The Rolling Stones on top of our own original material and yes we're a 3-piece band. How can we ensure that our sound isn't too empty?
Apart from simply being rather loud (although that said, we seldom exit the jam studio with that bad ringing in our ears), we try and make as much energy come through our instruments without compromising our speed and risking ruining the song. Also the partial re-arranging of songs to suit the instrumentation helps as well.
What's more, the EQ-ing of instruments is very important, with the bass needing to fill out alot of the bottom end and the guitar to fill out the mid-range and higher frequencies. As long as a balance in volume between the instruments is in place and the notes ring out nice and clear, I'm sure the band can sound full.
Several different methods work for different bands. Speaking from playing in a band with only one guitarist before, we used several different things (and reiterating some of Cradaddy's remarks as well):
1. Guitar effects - think U2 (early stuff up till Joshua Tree or Rattle & Hum). The Edge's delay effects cover up a lot of empty space (think Pride, A Sort Of Homecoming). Especially when it comes to solo time, it really does cover up A LOT. Modulation Effects like flangers, tremelo, etc, even Wah, draw attention away from the "empty" space.
2. Music arrangement. If you are a three-instrument band but want to play songs by bands with four or five instrument, you can't do a copy cat and play the songs as is. You should always rearrange the material to suit your capabilities wherever possible. So that means you must change your style of playing maybe? Change the way the song runs?
3. Rhythm section Playing. Power trios like Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Police, often relying on bassists & drummers to fill up the space, either by using a lot of cymbal work, fill-ins, etc. Double Trouble (Chris Layton & Tommy Shannon), Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker, John Enwistle & Keith Moon are three examples of great rhythm sections that provide such a big base the guitarist and wail and soar without problems. Again with the U2 reference, Adam Clayton's bass playing may be basic, but it's effective in covering up a lot of space as well. Larry Mullen's drumming is very pounding, providing a lot of boom to the sound.
4. Tone. Basically you want to fill up the musical frequency spectrum. Drums and bass should stay as low as possible (meaning bassist don't EQ your bass like Flea - hi and sharp - unless you are doing RHCP songs), while the guitar should be in the hi-mid range (my previous set up).
Anyway, my own experiences. Hope this helps you (or anybody else).
1. Guitar effects - think U2 (early stuff up till Joshua Tree or Rattle & Hum). The Edge's delay effects cover up a lot of empty space (think Pride, A Sort Of Homecoming). Especially when it comes to solo time, it really does cover up A LOT. Modulation Effects like flangers, tremelo, etc, even Wah, draw attention away from the "empty" space.
2. Music arrangement. If you are a three-instrument band but want to play songs by bands with four or five instrument, you can't do a copy cat and play the songs as is. You should always rearrange the material to suit your capabilities wherever possible. So that means you must change your style of playing maybe? Change the way the song runs?
3. Rhythm section Playing. Power trios like Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Police, often relying on bassists & drummers to fill up the space, either by using a lot of cymbal work, fill-ins, etc. Double Trouble (Chris Layton & Tommy Shannon), Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker, John Enwistle & Keith Moon are three examples of great rhythm sections that provide such a big base the guitarist and wail and soar without problems. Again with the U2 reference, Adam Clayton's bass playing may be basic, but it's effective in covering up a lot of space as well. Larry Mullen's drumming is very pounding, providing a lot of boom to the sound.
4. Tone. Basically you want to fill up the musical frequency spectrum. Drums and bass should stay as low as possible (meaning bassist don't EQ your bass like Flea - hi and sharp - unless you are doing RHCP songs), while the guitar should be in the hi-mid range (my previous set up).
Anyway, my own experiences. Hope this helps you (or anybody else).