I just had a thought.
I’m trying to learn a new song. It has a somewhat distorted guitar in it. The song is an electric guitar song.
But when I’m trying to learn it. I find myself going to do the learning on a acoustic guitar.
The song I’m doing I find hard to do and has at least one new to me chord in it. So I find that chord hard to grab at this point.
If I learn it on acoustic. All errors seem more exposed for me to hear where the error is at. Whether it’s muted strings that should be muted, or miss grabbed chords or other errors. The acoustic brings that to light more easy for me.
Does anyone else have a similar experience?
Do you learn your perspective song using distortion or effects as you learn the song?
Just wondering.
Maybe there’s a better way for me to learn a particular song that I’m not aware of.
I just find effects and distortion somewhat concealing as to how I’m playing a song. Hence I resort to acoustic to find the errors of my ways. The acoustic don’t lie.
In the end, after I’ve learned said song and it sounds good on acoustic. Then I’ll transfer over to elec. and start using effects. Plus, I personally find my acoustic harder to fret chords on. If I learn on my acoustic, when I transfer to elec. the song seems easier to play.
Just wondering and looking for further insight if there’s some better ways to be had for learning any song in general.
Wow Jim I am not sure I can help you there, but I get where you are coming from I remember only having an acoustic and when I played my friend’s electric it was always easier and it sounded better. so there is something about it Cheers Hec
Interesting question, Jim. Being an “advancing beginner” (I love that phrase!), I can’t offer insight on other/better ways of learning. I’m interested to see what others offer.
Like you, I often (maybe usually) start learning a new piece that I plan to play on electric, using my acoustic. I find playing on acoustic physically more demanding, and figure if I can get something under my fingers there, it’ll be much easier when I move to the electric. But: I’ve found especially when playing up the neck that some acoustics can present unnecessary challenges - again assuming the song will be played on an electric. Try forming a triad on frets 14 and 15 on an acoustic without a cutaway!
Easier I understand, better… Perhaps more like the song in question maybe since it’s an elec. song to start with.
I guess I’m wondering if your song sounded better because the effects were covering up errors, or because that’s the way the song was supposed to sound with the effects (distortion in my case) was supposed to sound. I’m thinking, if I can make it sound good on acoustic, it will sound stellar when I transfer to elec.
fwiw, I’m learning baby blue, badfinger.
straight up all barre chords. No open chords.
Strange ways of playing E chord (not really strange, just different than I’m used to). Basically a barred D up 2 frets above a D chord, with the rest of the C chord shape added. It is a good sounding chord.
The new chord is F#. Played up 2 frets above the strange E chord, but not playing the high E string. + adding C# on the A string, and F# on the D string. The other two notes are C# on the G string and F# on the B string. D shape, up 4 frets above D. This shape seems to yield a F# minus the third of the chord.
Agreed, acoustic I find more demanding too. That’s a good way to put it.
As for the 14 and 15th frets triads. For whatever reason I don’t generally get up that far. But, if I do. I’m fortunate. I got a cut away acoustic… If I ever get another acoustic, a cutaway will be a prefered. I got a 12 string that’s not cutaway. After playing both, I prefer the cutaway generally speaking. Whether I’m playing up that far on the fretboard or not.
Hi Paul,
Interesting.
I may have to give your idea a try.
But, while I generally play clean (or slight edge of breakup) elec. guitar, I near always have the reverb on. Not washed away, just subtle on.
When I play elec. I tend to use both pups. Then I dial away whatever I don’t want to hear either via vol. pots or tone pots, or both. I near never play with my tone at 10 on either pup. Not to say that I never play with tone on 10 though… I play a casino mostly for my electric and having the pups have separate vol./tone pots is something I desire on my elec. As opposed to one vol. one tone controlling both pups at the same time. I got a Reverand that has them type controls. While I like that guitar, I like the controls on the casino better.
I think the reason for me using the acoustic is that fact that it’s more challenging to play for me. I feel I have to be more accurate for lack of a better term.
I also don’t play at volume. Even when I’m home alone where there’s no one to care if I turn it up. I still play at generally reasonable volume. Can’t say I never turn it up, but surely not when I’m learning a song. Playing bad/poorly and loud are not a good mix for me… Then I don’t even want to hear it…
I will give your suggestion a try though with this new song I’m learning.
The distortion in this song to me is more slight tube overdrive than straight up distortion.
Thanks for your insight.
depends what it is for me. some songs, I will only play on my acoustic. some songs only on my electric, and some songs I’ll go either way. I do tend to keep my electric pretty clean most of the time, especially when I’m learning, so I can hear any mistakes more easily. once I know the song and want to make adjustments to make it sound better, then I’ll start using effects.
I learn just about everything on acoustic first because it’s easier to grab it and play while in front of my computer, which is where I tend to be 99.9% of the time when learning a new song.
I could grab the electric, but it’s not as convenient, nor as audible unplugged. I don’t usually turn the amp on until I am ready to practice the song, i.e. after figuring out whichever part(s) I’m wanting to learn.
I hear ya, acoustic is grab and play and I like that too.
:), that’s where I sit too.
All my guitars are cased. I get whatever one I want to play today out in the morning (a choice of 3) and that’s what I play that day.
But, while I don’t find many advantages of a small house, there is one. My amps are right around my desk. Heck my largest one is under the desk (obviously it’s not the biggest amp or it wouldn’t fit under my desk), right in ft. of my knees. Very easy to turn that one on. The other two are just left of the one under my desk, so they ain’t to far away either.
I still like to learn on the acoustic, but I do go back and forth when learning. Don’t know if I learn a song any better on the acoustic or the elec. but I do feel going back and forth offers the plain fact that they play different. So when I’m leaning a song I get the benefit of trying it on different guitars. I’ve no idea if I learn a song better doing that, but I do get a different feel from one to the other doing that.
They offer different things, and the best one to use depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
Acoustic (for me) is grab and go, and the convenience is why I use it for just about all of my transcribing and random play/practice.
Electric, on the other hand, really forces me to pay close attention to my string-muting chops if I don’t want to have a bunch of random string noise when I have the gain turned up, and certain techniques such as string tapping are much better suited to being played on an electric.
At the end of the day, as long as you are playing, practicing, and having fun, I don’t think it makes much of a difference which guitar you grab.
I this works for you, then all is great. I’m not sure I agree on all of your points though… Here are my 2c
Playing with distortion is a skill in itself. Correct muting and “noise control” is a lot more demanding with a distorted tone than on an acoustic. Things that ring out cleanly on an acoustic might sound like a noisy mess when you add distortion
(related to the above). In rock music / playing with a distorted tone you don’t always want every note in a chord to ring out. A lot of rock is using palm muting or partially muted strings
Playing on an acoustic might teach you to press down way too hard on the strings, leading to poorly intonated chords on an electric, potential problems with your hands (injuries!) and you’ll have a very hard time playing fast and smooth
Lead/solo playing is obviously difficult on an acoustic.
Playing with proper technique has a lot to do with being relaxed, light handed and precise (minimizing motion with both hands). Don’t make it harder for yourself than it has to be
ALL the above being said - I get where you’re coming from. I often learn new stuff and practice with an unplugged electric guitar. Mostly due to laziness and not waiting the noise. And to a certain degree (when done sparingly) it DOES have the effect you mention wrt playing clean. But I’m trying to push myself to playing more with a distorted tone… it will help with my technique, and is closer to the actual playing situation I need the most (playing with my band).
If I ever get another acoustic, a cutaway will be a prefered. I got a 12 string that’s not cutaway. After playing both, I prefer the cutaway generally speaking. Whether I’m playing up that far on the fretboard or not.