Guitars and Sounds

Last weekend I was in a trio that played at Romeoville for services. Trios are such a different approach to play as a guitarist from any other setup. I played in a real good one about 7-8 years ago called Trailer Park Palace. On guitar, it is you and only you covering those melodies and chord arrangements. I love that. It really forces you to stretch as a musician. As the only guitar, you learn to fill spaces. One thing to pay attention to is in the equipment you use. It depends on the music but I think certain guitars and amps work better than others (unless it is a punk band then all bets are off!). For example, my Martin electric is far better for that arrangement than my Charvel. It just has a fatter sound when needed but also can go very clean. It is quite vesatile: I can cover metal and jazz in one set if need be (although that would be one weird set!). I play a little faster on the Charvel - it has a faster neck. But the Martin can get me any sound. I used the Charvel Saturday night and the Martin on Sunday and it was a noticeable difference. I know we had different venues but the type of guitar used did make an impact. It ended up being a more full sound. Versatility is a must for a trio. It allows you to be more creative.

Also, when you are the only guitar, it would be good to use your effects wisely. Note I said 'wisely' and not 'abundantly'! Effects can really get overused. Back in the 80's, the chorus was used to death (of which I was a guilty party for a while!). Nowadays, the delays are really used heavily. None of that stuff is bad. They can provide quite interesting sounds. Just use them in the right places: have your play dictate your sound and not the other way around! It gives you control over your creativity. That being said, when you are in a trio, effects can fill gaps in sound where need be. I personally like to go to the chorus, phase, and delay to help create a more complete sound. Last weekend, on a song that originally had a Leslie organ and acoustic, I kept a slightly overdriven electric with a rotary effect to simulate the Leslie. It seemed to have turned out quite right!

Trios will of course affect how I play. Unless it is a metal or punk rocker, I will often add various arpeggio patterns in my rhythm arrangements and forego any lead fills that might originally have appeared in the song (although one can do that in metal too). Anyone who knows me would agree that I love soloing with the best of them! However, you need to pay attention to how the song goes, and how it is being executed by your band. Sometimes restraining from going to that solo bit is a better idea for the song to sound good to your audience! Then, when you play "Cliffs of Dover" or "Satch Boogie" you can let loose!

So that is my guitar article for the week!