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Tips on Playing Guitar in a Three- Piece?


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Originally posted by ThomasH



:thu:

As I was reading through the responses I was starting to form my post in my head. Amazingly I don't even need to type it now because you already posted it to a T.


To top it off I am actually listening to The Police right now. I especially like their first records. It's amazing how much they get out of so little. And they really understand the meaning of space in a song. You (the original poster) should try listening to some of it. Even though it might be your cup of tea you will be able to get some good inspiration from picking their stuff apart.

 

:D :D

 

I think I'm going to listen to The Police, also. It's a Zenyatta kind of morning!

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Originally posted by JacieFB



:D
:D


I think I'm going to listen to The Police, also. It's a Zenyatta kind of morning!

 

Strangely enough, that was the album I was listening to when I posted yesterday. I'm not making it up. And it's not even my favourite album by them.

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Originally posted by Lee Flier

I've now been in my 3 piece band for 4 years, but it was my first trio and I did have to adapt some. Luckily my style was already such that I usually don't play "chords during rhythm parts and single notes during solos," which helps. I play a lot of passing notes in my rhythm parts and a lot of double stops and such in solos, and it helps to pay special attention to your timing/rhythmic accuracy during leads. I also use an Echoplex sometimes, and I find that a good delay helps fill things out.


Also, don't assume the guitar player is the only one who has to adapt to a trio! I get a LOT of help from the rhythm section in "compensating" for not having two guitars. During a solo our drummer will whale away on the ride cymbal or even ride a crash to fill things out, etc. And having a super solid bass player who's aware of what's happening in the song will really help you feel like you can switch between rhythm and lead without feeling like you're jumping off a cliff. They both also play a bit "busier" than they have in previous bands with 2 guitars. So don't feel like the responsibility is all on your shoulders - the whole band needs to play a bit differently in a trio but it's a lot of fun, and everybody really gets their own "sonic space."

 

 

props on the awesome post :]

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Well, its been about a week since I first made this post, and my band has practiced about 3 times in our new format.

 

You see, our bassist became too much of a hassle, and a major drag-down to our growth. At the same time, our rythm guitarist has become infatuated with bass, and he's progressed greatly. It was almost natural to just switch the 2 out.

 

I must say, I have never thought as highly of our music as I do now. We're coming up with ideas left and right, and not only do I have a mad drummer, but now I have an insane bassist. We are just as heavy a band as we were as a 4-piece.

 

I'm really listening back to bands like Hendrix Experience, Cream, Rush, Motorhead, and I hope to listen to more of the Police, as you guys have suggested. Thanks for all your input, Power Trios rock!

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For the last couple of months, my band has been a three piece group, since our other guitarist left. Since our keyboard player doubles on hand or pedal bass, the change hasn't really been a problem for us, the keyboards help fill the void.

I've been in three piece groups before, bass/drums/guitar, and the best way to work in this format for me was to play full chords mostly for backup, adding a little chorus to fatten things up and playing LOUD during solos! :D

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Originally posted by Lee Flier



It was the precursor to modern day delay boxes. Delay actually used to be an effect that was achieved by going through a reel to reel tape deck. The delay time was the distance between the record head on the tape deck, and the playback head. The Echoplex was born out of guitarists' and vocalists' desire to have a tape deck that was portable, could be looped, and the delay time be variable. So, the Echoplex actually IS a real tape deck, but it uses little cartridges of tape and you can loop it, or vary the delay time by moving a needle which moves the playback head.


Here are some pictures of one:

http://www.loopers-delight.com/tools/oldechoplex/tube_echoplex_pic1.html


Nowadays there are digital equivalents of course, like the Line 6 Modeling Delay and similar (there are quite a few different recommendations on the looper's delight site I linked to above). They're a heck of a lot easier to maintain than the original Echoplexes! But, I've had my original 'plex forever, and IMO there's nothing like the sound of real tape. A lot of the really wack delay sounds you hear on classic Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream et al were done with an Echoplex.
:)
But you can do all the same things with the digital loopers, they let you loop on the fly, change the delay time with your hand while tapping or doing hammerons, and other "goofy Echoplex tricks."

 

:thu:

 

Don't forget Eric Johnson!

 

:)

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