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Topic: Practicing without Reverb? |
Baron Collins-Hill
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 8 Mar 2018 8:40 am |
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I've been doing some practicing without reverb, especially for blocking exercises. It seems like a good way to keep me honest with the sound I am getting and allowing me to get a feel for nice crisp blocking by not letting the reverb make things sound better then they are.
Does anyone else do this, or is this a bad habit I am getting into that will make it harder for me to get a good sound with reverb on? It seems like doing some of both shouldn't hurt things, but just wanted to run it by more experienced players.
Thanks,
Baron
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Bill C. Buntin
From:
Cleburne TX
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Posted 8 Mar 2018 9:17 am
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Baron, I practiced the different blocking styles with and without FX years ago and seriously never realized much difference in either of the types of blocking one way or another. When Maurice gave my beginning lessons, he used reverb in the practice amp. I suppose reverb could possibly mask or cover up mistakes in blocking but, more likely, consider pick blocking for example....Pick blocking done badly should be more easily discovered when using reverb. Personally, I believe blocking (no matter the type) just becomes "second nature". Whatever you do, be consistent until you develop the technique desired. Hope that makes sense.
~Bill~ |
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Allan Haley
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 8 Mar 2018 9:20 am
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| I practice without reverb or any effects. Every mistake comes out loud and clear. The truth is painful, but it is the truth. |
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Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2018 11:03 am
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| If you can make it sound good without effects, you've trained your hands to do all the right things. Add reverb back in and you're gold. |
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Rich Upright
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2018 6:57 pm
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I like to practice WITH reverb & delay, because I want to know exactly how it's gonna sound onstage. And, the sound I get affects how I play, so yes. Gotta have that echo.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 9 Mar 2018 6:34 am
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The reverb from the previous note helps me to get the next one in tune. In my trombone playing days my colleagues and I would repair to the gents' toilet to warm up (which raised a few eyebrows) but arpeggios performed in a tiled bathroom have to be in tune or they hurt.
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Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 9 Mar 2018 7:10 am
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I practice both steel and 6-string w/o any effects. A trusty old Princeton Reverb sits down on the floor to my right with its revrrb off. I remember Pete Anderson recommended it decades ago. No masking of bad technique.
After all these years, I think a Princeton Reverb from the 60's to early 70's is the desert island amp to have. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 9 Mar 2018 9:59 am
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I have an old Silvertone 1482. Doesn't have reverb. I often noodle on guitar with it. I'm working on a cab split for a friend of mine's combo bass amp. After I finished the head, I tried it out with guitar.
It's surprising how quick you can get used to not having reverb.
Jazzers, and especially really early guitar players did not have or use reverb or any other effects except for room characteristics. Some of those old recordings are the best.
That's fine for me for noodling and practice for guitar and lap steel, acoustics etc. It's a glaring omission on pedal steel though. I think what you're doing is going to be a big aid to you. Also makes you really appreciate the sparkle and bloom that comes from tasteful use of effects later on. |
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Mike Wilson
From:
Mansfield, Ohio, USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2018 8:36 am
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| What Allen Haley said. Practice without any effects. That's the way I was taught many years ago and I teach the same way. You want to hear what you are really playing and how you really sound. The truth hurts sometimes, but it makes you go back and do it till it's right. Perfect practice makes practice make perfect. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2018 10:23 am
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When I practice with backing tracks, I set the reverb right where it would be if I was with the band at a gig. The tracks keep me honest.
With headphones on, practicing scales or technique, always have at least a little ambient reverb. It sounds more realistic to me, like an acoustic guitar body. Also, I want to know how the technique interacts with the effect. I would definitely not use any kind of sound enhancement on a gig without first practicing with it. |
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Greg Lambert
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2018 10:33 am
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I had a problem that I overlooked for a long time. That was to much bass and mids when playing out. I found this when I recorded live , so I re-adjusted my amp and the results are great.
I always turn off FX when I learn a new song. this really helps clean up the steel parts. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2018 10:53 am
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| Greg Lambert wrote: |
| I had a problem that I overlooked for a long time. That was to much bass and mids when playing out. I found this when I recorded live , so I re-adjusted my amp and the results are great. |
Good point, Greg.
I have noticed this with a lot of players who are after that “fat” tone. It might sound great in the practice room, but in a full band context it sounds like an elephant yawning. And definitely turn the effects off when making tone/eq changes. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2018 5:58 pm
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FWIW I don't use reverb at all - only as a "studio effect". IMO amp spring reverb generally washes out the tone. with loss of clarity and string separation. Amp reverb is also generally voiced for treble, with a resulting "tinny" effect. Reverb pedals cause the same problems IMO as they're designed to duplicate combo spring reverb.
I either play without any "delay" or use analog (not digital) delay. If I want a "reverb-like" effect I use two analog delays set for different intensity, time, and repeats The settings are VERY subtle and provide the same kind of "spaciousness" as reverb without the "washout".
My one "reverb exception" is the Fender-style outboard tube/spring reverb that plugs into the amp *input* and also acts as a unity-gain preamp. These units have a completely different sound with far more clarity and richness. There is also a smaller, solid-state unit called a "Sole Mate" that is a "front end" reverb like the Fender units. It's the only non-tube system I've found that gets pretty darned close.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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T. C. Furlong
From:
Lake County, Illinois, USA
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Posted 1 Apr 2018 8:27 am
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| I might be in the minority here but I think practicing without reverb/effects is just not all that appealing. Getting a good representation from the sound can help to practice blending notes as you would on stage or in a recording situation. If I want to work on technique, I play with a little less reverb/delay. You can totally hear through the effects. I've been told that I play fairly dry compared to most. |
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Ron Pruter
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 3 Apr 2018 9:58 pm
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IMO, Use the reverb. You'll sound better and that will lead to you practicing LONGER.
_________________
Emmons SKH Le Grande, '73 Fender P/J bass, Tick tack bass, Regal high strung, USA Nashville 112. |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 4 Apr 2018 12:18 am
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| Practicing or otherwise; if I can hear the reverb while playing, I turn it lower. Usually not entirely off though. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 4 Apr 2018 1:37 am
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while there is no right or wrong, one shoe does not fit all.
What is true is that we should always practice with any effects we use, even for a short time. IF we don't, when we show up on a gig we are not rehearsed, effects ADD to our emotions, style etc...They are not PLUG em in turn em on and go...They are part of our performance. We should learn how to use them to fit our specific style and execution.
_________________
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jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 6 Apr 2018 10:36 am
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Going bare... gets you there...it may be ugly at times, but it's honest.
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Lawyers are done: Emmons SD-10, 3 Dekleys including a D10, NV400, and lots of effects units to cover my clams... |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 6 Apr 2018 11:43 am
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A lot of sense spoken on both sides. I do find a little reverb necessary when practising with headphones, or else it feels as though the guitar has somehow got lodged in my skull.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Jeff Harbour
From:
Western Ohio, USA
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Posted 6 Apr 2018 11:48 am
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I practice as much as I can with NO effects...
However, if I go a long period without playing out in public, I will occasionally practice with effects for a few days just to make sure it's not a 'shock to my system' when I hear reverb and delay. |
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