How to Train Your Guitar Player
ScrapeMySky
Posts: 426
Ok, don't take this too seriously. I know what kind of a question this is.
Let me explain the situation: I consider the guitar player in my band an overall pretty good player. My tiny little problem is that he uses the wrong picks. sounds like a petty problem but it affects his sound and his playing more than you might think. He plays a thinline tele through a Fender Amp. This is already a pretty -to put it mildly- 'twangy' combination. But on top of that he uses the thinnest Dunlop Nylon(!) picks he could find (i think they're .60s). This makes for a really harsh and unfocused sound (because these pics further enhance his -again, to put it mildly- extravagant strumming). I've tried to gently steer him in the 'right' direction but he seems to really love the darn things and really wants to stick to them. He seems to be pretty ok with his guitar sound, but I like to think it's because he doesn't know better.
So my question would be: How would you deal with the situation? Would you try to make the best of it? Would you try to get him to rethink things? How would you do that?
Let me explain the situation: I consider the guitar player in my band an overall pretty good player. My tiny little problem is that he uses the wrong picks. sounds like a petty problem but it affects his sound and his playing more than you might think. He plays a thinline tele through a Fender Amp. This is already a pretty -to put it mildly- 'twangy' combination. But on top of that he uses the thinnest Dunlop Nylon(!) picks he could find (i think they're .60s). This makes for a really harsh and unfocused sound (because these pics further enhance his -again, to put it mildly- extravagant strumming). I've tried to gently steer him in the 'right' direction but he seems to really love the darn things and really wants to stick to them. He seems to be pretty ok with his guitar sound, but I like to think it's because he doesn't know better.
So my question would be: How would you deal with the situation? Would you try to make the best of it? Would you try to get him to rethink things? How would you do that?
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I think what I was going for with my post was more along the lines of what you might do when someone in your band makes an equipment choice that you really can't understand and whether or not you ever had that happen to you. I'm guilty of it myself. Lord knows I got some weird looks when I brought my synthesizer to a rehearsal. That thing really didn't get any love at all and I'm still trying to get the guys to like it.
Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
BTW, I'm a huge fan of the Dunlop nylon picks, mostly because the textured grip is easy to hold on to. If you really wanna provide a viable alternative, get him a few picks with enhanced grip, and see if that works.
If it's an issue with flexibility, there's nothing that will replace nylon and be flexible, and that comes down to technique. And just like you don't tell your girlfriend she's got a fat butt, you don't criticize another guitar player's technique.
Correct I go really light for guitar when I strum chords (0.46 mm). If I'm picking out notes I go slightly heavier (.60 mm) but not to much heavier. Now with an acoustic strumming I will use a 0.60 mm, but I typically play with heavier strings on the acoustic.
Now my reason for a really light picks are because I tend to strum hard. To hard actually. I have many bad habits when I play guitar. And I'm to hard headed to change.
Bass when I use a pick I stick with .73 mm or even a .88 mm depending on the tone needed.
Now in all I"m a die-hard Nylon fan. I like the flex.
Now dealing with other band members over the years, I've learn that it all depends on the player. Some take suggestions as creative criticism and take it well, and give things a shot. Others are instantly offended. Been down both roads. I hope it works out for you.
Maybe if you guys can record something, and have him do it both ways. Maybe that's all he needs to hear?
Crap I ramble....
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We're very good freinds so I can talk to him about things like that and I have in the past. His playing is nothing that I couldn't live with or even really dislike, otherwise we wouldn't be in an band together. And as it's nothing too serious, I'm not going to make this an issue between us. I'll probably just let it slide and maybe just go on teasing him about it every once in a while.
Interestingly, in the studio stuff like that was never really a problem, because there we'd all really try to find the best compromise of feel and sound. So we would all end up trying out equipment and approaches that might help the end result but weren't necessarily our personal first choice. I'm very glad that that works for us.