TUNING UP
“Aha!”-Moment Redemption BY SHAWN HAMMOND
Part of me wonders whether anyone could possibly
think I’ve got wisdom to proffer
after last month’s embarrassing confessional [“What Was
I Thinking?” April 2011], but
enough PG fans have responded
with similar stories that I felt
it wouldn’t hurt to share a
few lightbulb-over-the-head
moments this month. Consider
it the faith-renewing sequel to
last month’s tragicomedy.
Unlocking. I’m all for gear
that makes life easier and less
painful, but I used to think
every guitar had to have locking
tuners to stay in tune reliably,
as well as an aftermarket strap-securing system to escape certain
destruction. But applying pencil
graphite or something like Big
Bends Nut Sauce to the nut slots
keeps every one of my guitars in
tune quite well (although if you
play hard like I do, you’ll probably still have to tune between
songs). Similarly, although not
having strap locks requires keeping a closer watch on things, I’ve
never had an axe fall off going
the old-school route.
Power-Tube Revelations.
I’ve owned amps with myriad
power-tube types—and I love
what other players have done
with all types—but I eventually
realized I usually sound better
through amps powered by 6V6s,
6L6s, or something else with a
rounder, fatter tone—something
that doesn’t sound spiky and
harsh with my heavy attack and
heavy strings (.011s). That said,
tube type alone doesn’t determine tone—and I’ll still give
any amp a fair shake—but this
epiphany has helped my ears
search for the type of tone that
works best for my style.
Volume-Knob No-Can-
Dos. Another big breakthrough
came when I realized any guitar
with a Volume knob placed
forward of the bridge saddles is
bad news—my energetic way
of banging out chords always
ends up gradually lowering the
volume till the tone is neutered.
Now, anytime I consider buying
a guitar, I look at it horizontally
and draw an imaginary line
straight down from the saddles.
If the Volume knob crosses that
line toward the neck, the axe is
out of the question.
interested in creating your own
(hopefully) unique art than
playing covers, you may find
that you come closer to that
goal when you refrain from putting your heroes’ licks under a
microscope and instead let their
vibes seep into your playing—
however they filter through your
brain’s synapses to your fingers.
I’m not saying never check out
the tablature to your idol’s most
amazing songs, but I believe
minimizing that and instead
reading about his or her philos-ophies on technique, phrasing,
theory, and inspiration will help
you capture some of their mojo
without sounding like you’re
copying them. It’ll take longer
that way, but it’ll be worth it.
The items above aren’t necessarily truisms for everyone in
the same sense that everything I
admitted to last month is a glaring example of what to avoid.
Many of them are more like
epiphanies about what works for
me and my playing, but hopefully they’ll help you find your own
epiphanies or remind you of ones
you’ve already had. Either way,
we hope you’ll share your “Aha!”
moments with us via email
( shawn@premierguitar.com) or
in the comments section of the
online version of this article.
Later!
Shawn Hammond
shawn@premierguitar.com
8 PREMIER GUITAR MAY 2011
premierguitar.com
