"Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

[Voxman]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Hmm, my pro drummer friend (real pro, not bar band pro like myself) was trying to explain how to "pull" the tone out of a drum when hitting it. Being a guitarist, I understand, but don't "get it". Anyone who thinks that tone only comes from the guitar and amp is sadly mistaken. Even one note played through the same guitar and rig by 2 different players will have some different qualities. Depending on the 2 players, the differences may be extremely subtle and hard to notice, or they may be very blatant and noticeable.

I also agree that all tone doesn't from the fingers, that is equally ridiculous. Tone encompasses it all, Brad Paisley doesn't play through a Dual Recto and Slayer isn't going to record their next disc with Fender Twins, both for good reasons. Every piece in the chain has an affect on tone, from the pick (yes, the pick) and fingers to the cables, to the amps, and ending at the speakers, or if you are recording, the mics, pres, etc... in the recording chain.

I don't think you can mutually exclude anything here, which is why I find an arguement on either side of the fence to be equally asinine.

FWIW, I didn't read all the posts, it started getting long winded.

Do not mix up personall sound and tone !!

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

What's next?

Tone is in the pick???

We're way ahead of you on that one. And the answer is...


...YES.

 

[firebirdV]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Who cares?

This whole thread is based on semantics. The way you play changes how you sound, no question about it. What's tone? What's sound? I don't care, I've got better things to do than differentiate between the two.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Conversation and arguing are always good.

 

[devastone]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Do not mix up personall sound and tone !!

I'm not, everything contributes to good, or bad, tone.

 

[greco]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

There is an old story (maybe known to most in this forum)about a guitarist who takes his amp and guitar into a music store and trades it all in for different/new gear because he couldn't get the tone he was searching for from his original gear.

When he was leaving the store, he heard the tone he that he had been looking for. He went rushing back into the store to find out what gear was being used to produce this great tone...........

















someone was playing the amp and guitar he had just traded in.:smack:


Cool story, if nothing else.


Dave

 

[Voxman]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

I'm not, everything contributes to good, or bad, tone.

Sure,i know what you mean Nothing wrong with that,we just have different views on this subject. The most important thing is to do what you do ...GOOD
I guess we`re all right to a certain point.....end of my involvement here

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Uhh, let me give you an example:

Marty Friedman sounds... like Marty Friedman, no matter what amp/guitar he plugs into. The tone changes, but his signature feel it's still there. No matter if he's plugging his old Jacksons into a Marshall, or his Ibanez into his crazy ass 300W Crate amp. And he's a guitar ---> amp kind of guy. No racks, no pedals, not even a wah.

Do you really think he's bad because of that? He certainly has no problem on his fingers... :eek13:

I know what Jazzer is trying to get at !

I know a muso's sig feel is comming from his hands - it's true - just look at that guy with a painfull expressions on his face . . . we know him as Carlos Santana !

Man, that guy can play one note, and we all ( i hope ) will immediatly know it is a Santana tune, ' BUT ' his 'sound' (...or 'tone' if you will) WILL sound way diff if he is playinfg with a $150.00 Tele-clone into a Marshall MG100DFX, than say, an Ibanez Steve Via sig. JEM, into a 5150, or a Zakk Wylde sig. LP into a Bassman LTD !

The TONE/SOUND will be very diff. from the three senario's, but, his signiture FEEL will still be 100% Carlos Santana !


SO :

. . . i feel that the term is being used incorrectly !

Tone, IMHO, is greated by the items tat produce sound, or help to shape the sound, i.e. guitar/strings/pu's/FX-pedals/amps, and the fingers is 100% FEEL, NOT TONE !


My 2cents

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Would it help if I used Duane Allman, Tony Iommi, James Hetfield, Dimebag Darrel, Kerry King, Andreas Kisser, Carlos Santana, etc.... as an example?

I cant believe somebody threw out andreas kisser
under a pale grey sky we shall arise

 

[Martian]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

I just can't get these two phrases out of my head:

"Round and round and round we go, where it stops, nobody knows."

And:

"Much ado about nothing."

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

I don't believe tone is so much "in the fingers" as in who you are as a person.

The personality of the individual determines your tone.

I guess hand strength, flexability and size would contribute somewhat...and guys who are left handed and take a righty guitar and turn it upside down so that the high E is on top (like Albert King) would be pulling down when they bend strings...so they'd be able to bend further and thier tone would be differant from those of us who bend up.

But mostly, it's who we are as unique personalities that determines our tone.

Lew