good tone increases ability to play?

[Davey]

I find, that when i play though a good rig, with awesome tone, which suits me, i somehow play better. whereas when the tone sucks i cannot get anything out but a couple of scrawny power chords.

is something similar happening to you guys too?

like when i play unplugged, it's ok, but when i plug in and turn it up, it's like i achieved another level of playing (pretty sloppy, but that's beside the point) i can play things that i am unable to do when i'm not plugged in or if my tone sucks. is it cos i hear my playing better and can react to it? or something else?

discuss =)

 

[Jimbojsr]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I find that it depends what kind of music I play. Sometimes, my music doesn't translate well from acoustic to electric - other times it does. Actually, I'd go the otehr way around and say that good playing can make the crummiest setup sound good.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I tend to lose interest pretty quick if I can't get at least a decent tone from it. And when I become uninspired, my playing goes from bad to worse.

 

[Davey]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I find that it depends what kind of music I play. Sometimes, my music doesn't translate well from acoustic to electric - other times it does. Actually, I'd go the otehr way around and say that good playing can make the crummiest setup sound good.

that wasnt my point

why i am trying to say is, not that only a good sound makes me sound good, but it makes me a better player. if you get my meaning.. i dont know if you get what i mean from my poor wording =/

simple form:
If the tone is better i PLAY better (not sound better, which is a nobrainer really ); but there has to be a certain amount of dB to it too.. cos if it's silent it doesnt help me at all

 

[Frantic_Rock]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

YES!!

When I play Robben Ford's Help The Poor solo - I have to nail the tone as well. I usually use my telecaster on the bridge Broadcaster pickup. And when I start nailing the tone, I get into the playing a lot too, and I start making mean faces - and using kicka$$ vibrato!!

Can't really play good van halen without the van halen sound either - So i never play van halen at home, just at the jams where we have a JCM 900 or something similar.

Same with jazz - if you don't get that mellow tone, or if your treble sinks as u roll the volume down, then you pay too much attention to the tone, trying to get it right. And you don't think about the playing. Then you play worse, than if you had perfect tone for jazz...

 

[Mincer]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I think if it makes you feel better, you play better.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I find, that when i play though a good rig, with awesome tone, which suits me, i somehow play better. whereas when the tone sucks i cannot get anything out but a couple of scrawny power chords.

is something similar happening to you guys too?

like when i play unplugged, it's ok, but when i plug in and turn it up, it's like i achieved another level of playing (pretty sloppy, but that's beside the point) i can play things that i am unable to do when i'm not plugged in or if my tone sucks. is it cos i hear my playing better and can react to it? or something else?

discuss =)

I got the same thing. Typically when I'm at home or at pratice I'm a much better player, but get me into a music store with unfamiliar equipment and I'm lost.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

Good tone motivates me more, so I play better.

I remember reading from MI or GUI, that if you can't find a tone you're satisfied, you're better off practicing unplugged.

 

[Guitarist]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

For me, it's totally true.

I have my main gigging amp at my drummer's place and tune it accordingly. If we do a venue and the smallest thing is different, it'll alter my tone and sometimes for the better - sometimes for the worse.

When it sounds good, I know it sounds good, and I really get into my playing. If something's just not there tonewise, I can easily get upset and then I start focusing on the sound too much and lose sense that I'm still playing a guitar onstage. Bad news.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

yeah, sometimes when my gear starts sounding crappy i just can't play right.

The last two jams i've had with my band have been awesome, and my bandmaster has been putting out well, but when the tubes were overheating a few months ago, i couldnt stand it and i pulled the chassis on the spot and turned down the bias. That's why im simply going to grab a twin RI with warranty so i can crank it and play it, it sounds great, and i dont need to worry about things crapping out.

 

[gordon_39422]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

Yup, same here... I am especially fond of the tone I get when my tubes and guitar are working together... At that point where they are singing harmony... The sustain is just riff-inspiring... I have never set out for the EXACT tone of anyone, but I cant stand that cliche where "tone is in the fingers"... Yeah, Van Halen through a Crate GFX15 will sound like Van Halen, but that amps tone will still suck...

I have dialed in tone that was so righteous, I literally lost track of time and played for nearly 2 hours... I was supposed to be somewhere in 30 minutes, but blew that one.... I get more into the mood with good tones...

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I play unplugged 90% of the time ... and there is nothing, NOTHING, like turning on a full stack, cranking it, and letting it fly ...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

Let that concept be a lesson to ALWAYS bring your own amp to a gig! Sure, it's a pain, but it's worth it.

I'll never forget the time I showed up at a gig, where the band only got 3 songs onstage at the Roxy in Hollywood......like 12 bands playing that night. I figured, "oh well, I'm sure the house amp will be fine!" WRONG! The house amp was a solid state Yamaha amp from the 80's, and was the worst piece of sh!t you can imagine!
There I am, standing in front of 1000 people trying to get my overdrive pedal to compensate for the lack of tone or sustain.....that sucked!!! You definitely play better when the tone is right. I winged it, but wasn't that happy.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I definitely play better when my sound is happening.

 

[Hellion]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I'm like Twilight Odyssey, I'm unplugged about 90-95% of the time that I actually spend playing guitar. I haven't found the tone that I happen to be getting to affect my playing, but it does seem to affect the amount of inspiration that I derive from the tone. Does that make sense?

 

[B2D]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

The more I like my tone, the easier it is for me to play and execute ideas. I KNOW its good when the guitar/amp almost seem to play themselves.

If I have bad tone then its like nothing I play sounds good and its very uninspiring and makes me want to turn off.

 

[fusion101]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I change the way i play towards the tone. I dont necceraly play any worse bbut if i'm i playing a guitar that sustains i'll play santa style and if i'm playing a acoustic with ****ty strings i'll play blues and hit the srtrings hard as hell to get all the tone i can

 

[SwedeNuck]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

It certainly effects my touch I find, when the sustain is flowing and everything's at that perfect point of saturation, not drowning, but thick, I get inspired. Without inspiration I can play the same thing for about 2 minutes and be ready to fling my guitar across the room, but when I get inspired by good tone I can seriously ride the same groove by myself for hours. Sometimes though what's coming out of the amp can sound like **** and I'll get the inspiration from somewhere else, it works out that way.

 

[rinse_master]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

My theory is if you have good tone, it inspires you to play more and better, so you can hear more of the good tone.

 

[Stringmachine]

Re: good tone increases ability to play?

I get more inspired when I got a tone I like and that sure increases my ability to play.