The awesome tricks thread!

[m0jo]

Time to share! Let's make a thread filled with small little tips and tricks to make your playing or song more awesome. So not entire music theory, but little snippets of what can you do to make your stuff more interesting ... from "try combining this and that scale" to "hit a harmonic and wank the wammy bar".
I'll start it off:

1.
Change key when the solo begins. This creates a dramatic shift in the song and can make the solo really hit home.

2.
Different picks sound different. A thin pick will have a warmer, looser tone, thick picks will be more edgy and have more balls. Different materials differ too! (Dunlop Ultex 1.0 or 1.44 are good stuff for rocking hard!)

3.
Want even more balls? Try thicker strings. Still want to solo like a beast? Try skinny top, heavy bottom sets. These have 3 thicker strings (say 032, 042, 052) and thinner top strings (010, 013, 017), basically merging a 010 and 011 set. There's some fear about weaker necks twisting so don't try this on a cheap guitar, anything properly built can easily handle it though.

4.
Hold a high note ... tap really fast with your pick a 3rd or 5th above ... awesome. Do that real quick in the middle of a riff to blow heads clean off!

Now you! Go!

 

[VitaminG]

1.
Change key when the solo begins. This creates a dramatic shift in the song and can make the solo really hit home.

you sure about this? My bandmates didn't seem very happy when I did it at the gig on Saturday night. Maybe because they didn't know it was going to happen (I sure didn't). They accused me of forgetting the key of the song - I told them I was playing "outside" and they just don't have the harmonic sophistication to appreciate it. :lol:

 

[cold Machine]

1.
Change key when the solo begins. This creates a dramatic shift in the song and can make the solo really hit home.

you sure about this? My bandmates didn't seem very happy when I did it at the gig on Saturday night. Maybe because they didn't know it was going to happen (I sure didn't). They accused me of forgetting the key of the song - I told them I was playing "outside" and they just don't have the harmonic sophistication to appreciate it. :lol:

Stuff 'em, some people have no artistic sense at all. :wink:

 

[cold Machine]

Time to share! Let's make a thread filled with small little tips and tricks to make your playing or song more awesome. So not entire music theory, but little snippets of what can you do to make your stuff more interesting ... from "try combining this and that scale" to "hit a harmonic and wank the wammy bar".
I'll start it off:

1.
Change key when the solo begins. This creates a dramatic shift in the song and can make the solo really hit home.

2.
Different picks sound different. A thin pick will have a warmer, looser tone, thick picks will be more edgy and have more balls. Different materials differ too! (Dunlop Ultex 1.0 or 1.44 are good stuff for rocking hard!)

3.
Want even more balls? Try thicker strings. Still want to solo like a beast? Try skinny top, heavy bottom sets. These have 3 thicker strings (say 032, 042, 052) and thinner top strings (010, 013, 017), basically merging a 010 and 011 set. There's some fear about weaker necks twisting so don't try this on a cheap guitar, anything properly built can easily handle it though.

4.
Hold a high note ... tap really fast with your pick a 3rd or 5th above ... awesome. Do that real quick in the middle of a riff to blow heads clean off!

Now you! Go!

Excellent idea mojo.
My contribution: Sweep picking is under rated. It's one of those things you should have available whether you use it much or not. It opens up tons of musical directions and can be very musical...not just flashy.

 

[m0jo]

Haha a new one then:

1. Lock in with your band. The total sound is only the sum of it's parts, there is no I in band. This can be achieved by practicing your songs a lot, but freely jamming will work better. You will understand eachother's musical mannerisms and be able to really lock into eachother.

2. During practice: make sure everybody can hear everybody. This probably means turning down certain instruments (*cough* bass *cough* guitars).

3. Have a guitar with a floyd? Go high-gain, hit a harmonic on two or more strings, push the whammy bar down slowly.

4. Instant old skool lead tone:
Marshallish module + Tube screamer (minimal gain, max volume) + around 250ms delay

 

[GtrGeorge!]

tricks?
Tapping
Hammering and pulling off as you go up the G string
Work the vol knob while you pluck and do violin sounds
change pickups for the solo diff tone = different [perspective on what''ll work

...and dont forget tp play GOOD notes,ok?

GtrGeorge

 

[m0jo]

Good stuff!

I found a new one:
Play a note where there's a harmonic like the 5th fret (play it normally though) and slap with your right index finger on the string on the 12th fret .. voila, harmonic!
Looks and sounds cool, but can be a little try-hard

 

[VitaminG]

nice one, mojo. You don't have to restrict your fretting hand to the harmonic node points either. What makes the tap harmonic work isn't the note you're fretting, but the number of frets above it that you tap. So fret on the 3rd, try tapping on the 15th, 10th or 8th. Cool stuff.

For a good application of that technique (and some other cool tricks) check out the Beat It solo.

Starts with a nice deep whammy scoop, hammer on to the 2nd fret and bend; slide up to the 7th fret, tap harmonic at the 14th (7 frets higher); slide fretting hand to the 9th, tap harmonic at the 14th again (now 5 frets higher). It's a great opening sequence and only one picked note in it.

 

[wesarvin]

Nothing against the 4th, but it's a bit boring. Replace it with a b5, aka blue note whenever soloing in pentatonic scales. Try it with intervalic riffs in fourths and watch sax players and/or jazz guys twist their head at your harmonic sophistication. Thanks Paul Gilbert for that one...

 

[m0jo]

nice one, mojo. You don't have to restrict your fretting hand to the harmonic node points either. What makes the tap harmonic work isn't the note you're fretting, but the number of frets above it that you tap. So fret on the 3rd, try tapping on the 15th, 10th or 8th. Cool stuff.

For a good application of that technique (and some other cool tricks) check out the Beat It solo.

Starts with a nice deep whammy scoop, hammer on to the 2nd fret and bend; slide up to the 7th fret, tap harmonic at the 14th (7 frets higher); slide fretting hand to the 9th, tap harmonic at the 14th again (now 5 frets higher). It's a great opening sequence and only one picked note in it.

Ah that makes sense! Thanks!

wesarvin.. and Zakk Wylde and Lynch haha (that's where I got it )
If you want more of those, check out some Lynch vids, he does a lot of those "extra" notes that make his playing so special.

 

[Nightdare]

Pull your High E off the fretboard just enough that it doesn't mute for weird bend effects

 

[Shinozoku]

Pull your High E off the fretboard just enough that it doesn't mute for weird bend effects

Master of Puppets solo was done with this trick. True story.

 

[Jaymzrock]

When playing power/barre chords rooted on the A string, add in the 5th on the Low E for a thicker, growlier sound. Basically hold the same fret on the E that you're using on the A for the chord.

Hit the harmonics on the 3rd or 5th frets on all three high strings during a pause or just before a break for a nice dynamic. (pairs well with the "I'm in excruciating pain from pure metal" face)