# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/381 "2010-05-11T11:20:14Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Hey, I just got around to this. Nice article! I’m not sure I’d describe it as “Hendrix singing punk”, but definitely a very unexpected sound for 1974. The drums have a really nice dialog with the guitar & bass going, really powerful. The vocals are angry, especially in “Rock n’ Roll Victim”, spitting out the lyrics in a “screw you” way – pretty punk. > > Re the recording - definitely crude. I hear multitracking (hand claps, two guitars, etc) in those recordings, so it wasn’t like it was just a mic in a room where the band played. Was it really just the three brothers? Were there other members? > > Anyway, cool coverage on a band nobody ever heard of that was really ahead of their time. Thanks! Thank you sir. I haven’t read about any track breakdowns of the demo, but I assume they have guitars on at least 2 - 3 tracks in most songs. I assumed it was just David multi-tracking…pretty common even back then… ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/382 "2010-05-11T12:02:47Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] Folks tell me I am throwing in a modal approach [/QUOTE] > [@Tom Lehrer](#): > > Which means I play a wrong note now and then > [@](#): > > You already lost me 😉 Modes are really very simple, but the starting point to understanding them is the major scale which doesn’t get much action in rock or blues\*\*\*\*\* You can see the basis of modes using pentatonics if you compare the major and major pentatonic, they’re exactly the same notes, A minor = C major - which one you are currently using depends on the context (what the bass player is doing 🆒). \*\*\*\*\* the Mixolydian\*\*\*\*\*\* does but do we really want to go there 🙂 \*\*\*\*\*\* The Dorian crops up a bit, IIRC \*No Quarter \*and \*Any Colour You Like \*(off Dark Side…) are both D Dorian. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/383 "2010-05-11T12:18:25Z")
> [@Small\_Clanger](#): > > Modes are really very simple, but the starting point to understanding them is the major scale which doesn’t get much action in rock or blues\*\*\*\*\* You can see the basis of modes using pentatonics if you compare the major and major pentatonic, they’re exactly the same notes, A minor = C major - which one you are currently using depends on the context (what the bass player is doing 🆒). > > \*\*\*\*\* the Mixolydian\*\*\*\*\*\* does but do we really want to go there 🙂 > > \*\*\*\*\*\* The Dorian crops up a bit, IIRC \*No Quarter \*and \*Any Colour You Like \*(off Dark Side…) are both D Dorian. **Small Clanger** , you have such an engineer’s mindset. 😉 You break down the problem into its component parts, process it and understand the whole better. I have come to realize over the years that I play guitar for one reason: the flow. Getting into that zone where time slows down, the groove feels easy and I am fully in the moment. Coming at music from a theory standpoint, for me, is not conducive to flow. I wish I could explain it better - I learn by getting into the flow and then trying new stuff - new notes/phrasing, a different chord, a different rhythmic approach - within that context. If it doesn’t make sense to me that way, I can’t pull it into my playing. I try out the Theory columns in the guitar magazines and while I “get” them - I can’t integrate them into my playing until I fit them into the flow… ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/384 "2010-05-11T16:09:04Z")
A thread on guitar picks > **[What kind of guitar pick do you use? Why to you like it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=562764)** > > Subject says it all. Guitar picks are relatively new to me since I only recently switched from nylon string to electric. I have more or less settled on this fat little 1.5mm pick by Cool. It’s a jazz pick, thick and stubby. I love the feel it... A thread on how many strings in your bass > **[Q for Bassists. How many strings in your bass?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=562728)** > > Simple question. How many strings does you bass have? If you have more than one bass answer for the one you use the most. Mine: 4. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/385 "2010-05-11T23:32:03Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I may try recording one and you can all tell me how I’m doing. I’ve suffered my art, now it’s your turn. [Me.](http://www.muppetlabs.com/~eric/jamica_farewell.mp3) Be gentle. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/386 "2010-05-12T13:42:06Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve suffered my art, now it’s your turn. > > [Me.](http://www.muppetlabs.com/~eric/jamica_farewell.mp3) > > Be gentle. Cool! Clean and accurate and in the groove - well done. You’re playing a Strat, right? Sounded very Stratty. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/387 "2010-05-12T17:38:14Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Cool! Clean and accurate and in the groove - well done. Thanks. I feel like I could get it a little cleaner if was willing to record a few more takes. > [@](#): > > You’re playing a Strat, right? Sounded very Stratty. I’m surprised you can tell. That little effects box I use sounds okay when I’m practicing, but now that I’ve had a chance to hear it in isolation, the jazz setting (for the lead track) sounds a little sterile. The accoustic setting on the rhythm track still sounds okay, but probably doesn’t hold a candle to the real thing. I don’t know if I’d want to perform with either of them, but I can tell when I’m getting the technique right, which is all I need for the moment. And it’s cheaper than two guitars. ---
**Author:** ![BigShooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f07891/32.png) [@BigShooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigShooter)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/388 "2010-05-12T23:54:48Z")
Since we’re posting samples of our playing - 😃 - and I just happened to have these two videos lying around that I recorded for my nieces: Catfish Blues: [http://www.vimeo.com/11697752](http://www.vimeo.com/11697752) Little Wing (SRV version): [http://www.vimeo.com/11697810](http://www.vimeo.com/11697810) There’s a couple of clams here and there, but it’s the blues man…🆒 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/389 "2010-05-13T14:58:04Z")
> [@BigShooter](#): > > Catfish Blues: > > [http://www.vimeo.com/11697752](http://www.vimeo.com/11697752) Hey - that sounds great! Nice groove you get goin’ there. Hard to keep the flow when you move between rhythm and lead. Like your homebrew with the copper pickguard, too. You are going with a very clean tone - I have my Rat on, like, full time. I always promise myself I am going to explore the clean channel more, but I never end up doing it 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BigShooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f07891/32.png) [@BigShooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigShooter)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/390 "2010-05-13T15:36:47Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Hey - that sounds great! Nice groove you get goin’ there. Hard to keep the flow when you move between rhythm and lead. Like your homebrew with the copper pickguard, too. You are going with a very clean tone - I have my Rat on, like, full time. I always promise myself I am going to explore the clean channel more, but I never end up doing it 😉 Thanks. “Keeping the flow” is something I learned early in my teen years. There was this little segment of a Stephen King movie called Maximum Overdrive where the soundtrack had Angus Young just chunking away in A and throwing these tasty licks over the top of it - totally in the zone. I thought it sounded beyond cool, so I sat in front of the TV with my guitar and rewound the tape about two million times and learned it by ear. That was my initiation to “flow”…😃 What do you know - I found it on youtube. Around the 7:28 mark: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTWpR8p7lY4&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTWpR8p7lY4&feature=related) By the way, I’m not always clean. In that second video, you can see my Marshall behind me in the closet.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/391 "2010-05-13T21:48:57Z")
I just spotted this pedal and had to share with everyone. Why didn’t Boss come out with [this](http://www.muziekhuisdacapo.nl/producten_detail.asp?productId=1195&groepId=6&subGroepId=21) years ago? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/392 "2010-05-14T03:03:55Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I just spotted this pedal and had to share with everyone. Why didn’t Boss come out with [this](http://www.muziekhuisdacapo.nl/producten_detail.asp?productId=1195&groepId=6&subGroepId=21) years ago? Ha! That’s pretty funny. I’d use that pedal, but I’m far too modest. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/393 "2010-05-14T11:45:25Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I just spotted this pedal and had to share with everyone. Why didn’t Boss come out with [this](http://www.muziekhuisdacapo.nl/producten_detail.asp?productId=1195&groepId=6&subGroepId=21) years ago? That is freakin’ hilarious - already shared it with a bunch of guitar friends… ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/394 "2010-05-14T15:14:40Z")
So I can actually see the day when I can play Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” sometime in the not too distant future! Just working on getting the lead together. And I’m making progress on “Eruption,” heh. It’s just a trick, but it’s fun anyhow. Anyway, mostly I popped in here for a couple of pick related questions. First: what’s the basic thinking on picks? What I mean is that while there’s definitely a level on which it’s just a matter of personal preference, looking at the guitar pick thread it seemed as if “everybody knew” that certain styles/materials/thicknesses of pick were associated with jazz or country or rock or a certain tone or whatever. Me, I like a medium thickness pick, but it’s just because I like how it feels sure and concrete against the strings vs. the thinner picks I started with. Second, and less important: In addition to the familiar fretting calluses, I’ve also got a callus on my picking thumb. Is that just from holding a pick, or do I just have a coincidental completely un-guitar-related callus going on? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/395 "2010-05-14T15:18:35Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Second, and less important: In addition to the familiar fretting calluses, I’ve also got a callus on my picking thumb. Is that just from holding a pick, or do I just have a coincidental completely un-guitar-related callus going on? Obligatory _Kindergarten Cop_ reference: “Maybe it’s a tumor!” “It’s naht a tumah!” That does sound rather odd; I’m not sure how you’d build up a callus by holding a pick, unless you were somehow generating a lot of friction there. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/396 "2010-05-14T15:40:06Z")
Typically folks start with Fender Mediums - or Thins if they are very strum-oriented - and then, a few years in, go through a big Pick Quest™ where they try the ones made from petrified mammoth tusk and Illodium Q-36 and the like…and they typically end up with a basic shape - often either Fender or Dunlop - that is easy to buy in bulk and gets them what they need. I wouldn’t overthink it. As for calluses on your picking hand - well, I have one on the side of my index finger, the part that holds the pick along with the pad of my thumb… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/397 "2010-05-14T19:34:36Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Second, and less important: In addition to the familiar fretting calluses, I’ve also got a callus on my picking thumb. Is that just from holding a pick, or do I just have a coincidental completely un-guitar-related callus going on? Sounds like you’re probably brushing the strings with your thumb when you choke up on the pick. If I’m doing heavily strummed barre chord work, the side of my thumb tends to brush inaudibly against the strings just a bit on upstrokes, maybe you’re doing the same sort of thing. This is neither good nor bad technique, just something to be aware of. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/398 "2010-05-14T19:39:04Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Typically folks start with Fender Mediums - or Thins if they are very strum-oriented - and then, a few years in, go through a big Pick Quest™ where they try the ones made from petrified mammoth tusk and Illodium Q-36 and the like…and they typically end up with a basic shape - often either Fender or Dunlop - that is easy to buy in bulk and gets them what they need. I wouldn’t overthink it. Don’t get me wrong–I’m not devoting much thought to it. I’m perfectly happy with my Dunlop Tortex yellow or blue, or the Fender medium that I lost somewhere in the basement the other day. But some of the talk in the pick thread made it sound as if certain styles or thicknesses of pick were naturally associated with certain styles of music or playing. E.g., “Well, I’m a jazz player, so naturally I use Anaesthesia Brand picks for that super-smooth mellow sound.” Dunno what’s up with my thumb callus–might be I just noticed it when I started playing. I’m still mildly fascinated by my hard fingertips. Oh, also… _d&r from all the jazz players_ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/399 "2010-05-14T19:40:23Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > This is neither good nor bad technique, just something to be aware of. Nice observation \*\*squeegee \*\*- if that is what \*\*LM \*\*is doing, then you’re correct when it comes to standard strumming. When it comes to lead playing, though, you are describing a specific technique - pinch harmonics. Thats when you pick a note but have enough thumb-flesh brushing the string when you pick it that you change the character of the note. Very ZZ Top - most of Billy Gibbons’ leads involve a bit of pinching - and very metal - that squealing note you hear in metal leads is obtained that way… ETA - just saw your reply LM - well, sure, there are certain “truths” or stereotypes: - folks who mostly strum tend to go with Thin picks - jazz cats tend to use very small, thick picks because they need super-fast maneuverability and tend not to do big strumming - some folks turn their standard-sized picks and use one of the rounder corner - especially if they do rock lead work without a ton of switching between lead and rhythm work ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/400 "2010-05-14T19:55:42Z")
> [@](#): > > ETA - just saw your reply LM - well, sure, there are certain “truths” or stereotypes:[…]- jazz cats tend to use very small, thick picks because they need super-fast maneuverability and tend not to do big strumming It also doesn’t help that those small picks are commonly called "jazz picks"and Dunlop brands theirs as “Jazz III” or similar. Really, you can use any type of pick for any style of playing if that works for you. That Dunlop M pick isn’t holding you back from your jazz calling, **LawMonkey** , but it is worth just buying one of every weight & style of cheap picks and experimenting. I hear thumb picks are quite useful, go try one! > [@WordMan](#): > > Nice observation \*\*squeegee \*\*- if that is what \*\*LM \*\*is doing, then you’re correct when it comes to standard strumming. When it comes to lead playing, though, you are describing a specific technique - pinch harmonics. Thats when you pick a note but have enough thumb-flesh brushing the string when you pick it that you change the character of the note. Very ZZ Top - most of Billy Gibbons’ leads involve a bit of pinching - and very metal - that squealing note you hear in metal leads is obtained that way… I meant when strumming, though my “choking up” comment probably could have been taken to mean lead/single note playing. I think I learned LaGrange when I was 17 (very long ago), and figured out the pinch harmonics by trial and error. But, yeah, I meant while strumming, not pinching. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=21)