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Topic: Unwanted harmonics with bar slants |
Deirdre Higgins
From:
Connecticut, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 12:29 pm |
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When doing bar slants and picking only the first 2 strings and moving up the fretboard I am getting bad harmonics coming from the unused strings and it sounds awful. (These chords according to the practice exercise are to be played without muting)
If I pick up on the rear of the bar some the sound then is true. Another thing I've tried is to curl under my middle and index finger and rest them on the strings I don't want to hear, but it messes up my picking.
What am I doing wrong?
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Jerry Byrd Fan |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 12:46 pm
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| Sounds like the other strings are not being silenced with your remaining fingers behind the bar. Proper bar/hand placement from the start allows for all the good without the bad and why hands on with a qualified teacher is so important. |
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 12:58 pm
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i think this is another one of those...keep working at it & it will come
when i started playing i had all kinds of unwanted noise and it drove me nuts, but you know - you just stick with it & start eliminating the unwanted stuff little by little.
you gradually get better with controlling the bar / pressure - along with, imo, better picking tech (not harder, but with more "authority") if i know i am picking split strings and sliding, just a tad bit more "umph" will sometimes override the unplayed strings when you slide the bar.
this is more noticeable on the wound strings - i dont hear it that much on the plain treble strings.
its just a bunch of little subtle adjustments + experience.
i agree with Ron & others - 15mins with a good teacher can fix a lot of issues, i know, i was lucky to have someone like Clyde Mattocks share 50 yrs of acquired knowledge.
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'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2014 9:09 am Re: Unwanted harmonics with bar slants
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| Deirdre Higgins wrote: |
I am getting bad harmonics coming from the unused strings and it sounds awful.
What am I doing wrong? |
My initial thought is that you may not be effectively blocking behind the bar with your left hand. For everything besides special effects, you really need to mute all the strings, both the ones you're playing and the ones you're not, both with the outside of your left palm, and your three fingers behind the bar.
Have you taken your free lesson from Doug yet? He'll set you on the right track. |
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Paul DiMaggio
From:
Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 30 Apr 2014 3:18 pm
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| If this is an adjacent 2 string forward slant and you are using your thumb to push the bar towards the palm of your hand to the slant position , your thumb should be covering the next couple of strings ahead of the bar. If you are turning your whole hand to get to the slant position, stop doing it that way. Lorene Ruymar has a very good video on slants on YouTube. Sometimes slants on the top strings have a tendency to "whine" especially when you are moving the bar up or down. The cure is usually a change in downward pressure along the bar. If you can find someone to give you a lesson that is the best bet. I struggled with this instrument ( and still do) but when I finally found someone to give me a few lessons it opened up many doors. Don't get discouraged , it won't be long before it gets to be fun! |
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Deirdre Higgins
From:
Connecticut, USA
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Posted 30 Apr 2014 6:58 pm
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| Paul DiMaggio wrote: |
| If this is an adjacent 2 string forward slant and you are using your thumb to push the bar towards the palm of your hand to the slant position , your thumb should be covering the next couple of strings ahead of the bar. If you are turning your whole hand to get to the slant position, stop doing it that way. |
That is exactly it, I am playing the first two adjacent strings getting that whine. This guitar has pretty sensitive pickups and just sliding the bar up and down on the strings produces quite a bit of sound. I always keep the fingers behind the bar on the strings but haven't been blocking ahead of the bar with my thumb like you suggest, I'll have to try that tomorrow.
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Jerry Byrd Fan |
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