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Can someone help me figure out how to do this? (Modest Mouse content)


hosebeast

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Ever since I first heard this song, I've been trying to figure out how to play the part, or at least get the tone that exists, from 3:15 in Mechanical Birds. It's not a pitch shifter, it's not a slide I don't think. I'm stumped.

 

Here it is:

 

[video=youtube;WZT10-S_KtU]

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true... but there is to much goin on in the track. there is a octave pattern (riff sounds like g, d, e, dunno) with some wierd c, d, notes on the higer strings on top/behind... maybe on the g string... i also hear half steps in on of the guitar voices in the same riff... dunno that is just crazy :D

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I've talked to Isaac about that sound from Mechanical Birds. He bends the high E over the edge of the fret board toward the back side of the neck then slides down the string. You can add some whammy bar or vibrato with your finger and/or sliding. He said it often cuts his fingers up to do, thus doesn't play it live. I've tried it, and the sound is dead on, but it is unpleasant to do. Other stuff is pinched harmonics and a whammy bar.

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I've talked to Isaac about that sound from Mechanical Birds. He bends the high E over the edge of the fret board toward the back side of the neck then slides down the string. You can add some whammy bar or vibrato with your finger and/or sliding. He said it often cuts his fingers up to do, thus doesn't play it live. I've tried it, and the sound is dead on, but it is unpleasant to do. Other stuff is pinched harmonics and a whammy bar.

 

Ah that makes sense. I used to bend the high E over the edge of the neck similar to that but down around the 5th fret. I used to do it just to annoy my other guitar player. :)

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I've talked to Isaac about that sound from Mechanical Birds. He bends the high E over the edge of the fret board toward the back side of the neck then slides down the string. You can add some whammy bar or vibrato with your finger and/or sliding. He said it often cuts his fingers up to do, thus doesn't play it live. I've tried it, and the sound is dead on, but it is unpleasant to do. Other stuff is pinched harmonics and a whammy bar.

 

 

Oh man, I don't wanna sound like a dummy here, but what? I don't get it. I just tried to do what this sounds like to me and it just didn't sound like anything; no change in the note. Also, it just slides back onto the fretboard. Just to make sure I understand you -you're saying like, my index finger is on the high E, 12th fret, i just pull the string down to where it's touching the part of the neck that my palm is touching?

 

This is stupid important to me. Literally my holy grail for guitar tone.

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Oh man, I don't wanna sound like a dummy here, but what? I don't get it. I just tried to do what this sounds like to me and it just didn't sound like anything; no change in the note. Also, it just slides back onto the fretboard. Just to make sure I understand you -you're saying like, my index finger is on the high E, 12th fret, i just pull the string down to where it's touching the part of the neck that my palm is touching?


This is stupid important to me. Literally my holy grail for guitar tone.

 

 

That really squeally guitar part is not just harmonics and whammy, as king rat says. Yes, put your fretting hand somewhere around the 12th fret, pull the high E around toward the back of the fret board just past your fret markers. You have to pull the string hard to get it around the edge, and a down tuning obviously helps give you some slack in the string to do it. Once there, you have to pick, shake your finger that is "fretting" the string for that vibrato effect, then slide down as the notes progress down.

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dude that is literally just regular harmonics and some serious whammy bar abuse.. tbh. no effect there.. except the maybe some light drive and compression.

 

 

Weird, I didn't think it sounded like harmonics in the slightest.

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