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Topic: lost in hughey land |
Thornton Lewis
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2019 4:04 pm |
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| I'm practicing up in Hugheyland (above the 15th fret) and I find going up no problem, but going down I'm often off pitch by the time I get back down to the 12th fret or so. Any hints on how to improve this? I'm using a drone backup which at least makes the problem apparent, but doesn't offer a solution. Thanks |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 17 Jul 2019 6:02 pm
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My best guess is practice. I find that I need to find, and remember, visual ques for stuff like where chimes lay, and some high register playing. As I have been playing more I find that I'm in better tune. Play against songs with headphones, as well as using the drone. Be patient.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 17 Jul 2019 9:23 pm
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Going up is easier than coming back all over the instrument. It's just more critical as the frets get closer together. The ear is more tolerant of landing flat and correcting than landing sharp, as it fits the idiom and could be intentional 
_________________
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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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 18 Jul 2019 12:03 am
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Practice is obviously the main thing. But also I find that going down the neck from up high works best for me when I don't try to make large jumps. I look for the positions that are only one or two frets down. By doing that I can usually make corrections without it being too obvious.
Mistakes will be made, but when you hit it just right it can be pretty impressive.
_________________
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 18 Jul 2019 11:28 am
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| Practice is the key to getting it right. Unfortunately, your bar hand restricts your vision for accuracy. You must then rely on your hearing and muscle memory as to where you're going. Again, practice is paramount in learning how to do it correctly. It's not easy to do, but, so rewarding when you get it right. |
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Thornton Lewis
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 18 Jul 2019 11:47 am
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| OK, thanks. Butt back to seat; see you in a couple of months. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 18 Jul 2019 3:57 pm
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That's the spirit!
_________________
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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Bengt Erlandsen
From:
Brekstad, NORWAY
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Posted 19 Jul 2019 12:12 am
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Practise slow enough so you can make the "down the neck" 100% accurate all the time. You need get the feel into the muscle memory rather than doing guesswork. Even do some run-throughs w eyes closed and just listen and feel from one position to another.
IF you gonna look at the neck then always look where you are going(heading for a final destination) instead of looking where you are !!!!!!!!! Think ahead and let your ears do the final finetuning.
If there are like 4 or 5 intermediate stops on the way down, practise each step separately for accuracy and then put em all together and chk if it flows nicely in tune.
B.Erlandsen |
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 19 Jul 2019 4:40 am Lost in Hugheyland
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| It helped me a lot by going to a smaller 3/4" bar. I can just see where I am at better. Also, play real slow until you have it right. Stop and look over at the end of the bar to make sure you're centered on the fret and listen to the sound to hear it you are on pitch. You may have to be slightly off center to be on pitch. Also, when you go way up on the neck you have to bend your wrist to keep the bar 9O degrees to the strings and straight across the fret. You have to do it really, really slow to begin with until your brain gets it. Your hand will then be controlled by your brain and will act accordingly. It takes a lot of practice every single day before your brain will get it. |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Steve Knight
From:
NC
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Posted 19 Jul 2019 6:22 am
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| The fact that you can hear you're out of tune; and, you're willing to head back to the woodshed to work on it, is great. Your "see you in a couple of months" comment is spot on. You'll get it down. I'm sure that's what the masters all did. Man, I need to work on this, too. Good luck! |
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Bill Miller
From:
Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 19 Jul 2019 7:42 am
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| You can use vibrato to zero in on the precise pitch. Start with a slightly wider vibrato and tighten it in as you find the exact spot..which, with practice, you will recognize by ear. In other words think of your vibrato in terms of brackets on each side of the note you are looking for. You won't sound as noticeably off pitch while employing vibrato within those brackets and it will give you the time you need to zero in. Hope that makes sense. |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2019 7:58 am
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| I find it extremely hard to see fret markers up there. When I'm practicing up there is about the only time I turn my L-Frets on, as I tend to use them more as a tool and try not to get dependent on them. - More practice! absolutely! |
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Franklin
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Posted 21 Jul 2019 9:59 am
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| Bill Miller wrote: |
| You can use vibrato to zero in on the precise pitch. Start with a slightly wider vibrato and tighten it in as you find the exact spot..which, with practice, you will recognize by ear. In other words think of your vibrato in terms of brackets on each side of the note you are looking for. You won't sound as noticeably off pitch while employing vibrato within those brackets and it will give you the time you need to zero in. Hope that makes sense. |
Bill, using vibrato when one is trying to train themselves for accuracy is a mistake.....Without vibrato, practicing painfully slow and accurate all the way up and down is the only way to teach the muscle memory where pitch is. |
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Dylan Schorer
From:
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 11:54 am
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| I find it helps me to shift my eyes and spot the target fret ahead of making a move up or down the fretboard. Don't wait until you're making your move. Shift your gaze and lock your eyes on the destination then make the shift. I found that focusing a few notes ahead helped my intonation a lot. |
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Bill Terry
From:
Bastrop, TX
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Posted 23 Jul 2019 12:53 pm
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I agree with 'looking ahead', but I keep all the fingers on my bar hand together except the index which is on top, so it's hard to see the 'target' on short moves, i.e. down just a short jump, when in that area of the fretboard.
I started spreading the fingers on my left hand a bit when I know I'm about to go down just a fret or two, and I can 'peek' between the fingers before I move. It sounds awkward, but for me it just became habit, and it isn't at all. Not a substitute for good muscle memory I suppose, you have to have that as well, but it sure helps me.
Wasn't it Buddy who practiced in the dark?? I tried that once, but didn't have the patience to last through the 'hideous' phase.. I could see months or more before it got better. LOL.. |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2019 2:49 am
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What Dylan and Bill just said...
Spreading your fingers out does help you get a better idea of where you are. I keep my index finger on top of the bar, some guys have it dangling over the right side of the bar, and that further obscures your view of the frets. And focus on your target fret, not your bar hand.
_________________
E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net |
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Bob Cox
From:
Buckeye State
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Posted 24 Jul 2019 5:17 pm frett
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Use your c6 neck below for visual help on e9 it works
to get you close |
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Charles Kurck
From:
Living in Arkansas but Heaven is home
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Curt Trisko
From:
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 25 Jul 2019 6:26 am
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| Ian Rae wrote: |
| The ear is more tolerant of landing flat and correcting than landing sharp, as it fits the idiom and could be intentional |
Bingo! Training yourself to err on the side of landing flat and sliding up is not complete solution, but it might be enough to make it among the lesser flaws in your playing.  |
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Bill Miller
From:
Gaspe, Quebec, Canada
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 5:20 am
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| Quote: |
| Bill, using vibrato when one is trying to train themselves for accuracy is a mistake.....Without vibrato, practicing painfully slow and accurate all the way up and down is the only way to teach the muscle memory where pitch is. |
I would have to agree with that Paul. I wasn't thinking so much in terms of "training" as in a live music situation. I used to find that when I made a slide, especially to a target fret high on the neck, I'd use vibrato that way to camouflage my mistake if I was slightly off on arrival. Over time that became less necessary but every so often I still use that technique. It sounds better than letting a sour note hang. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 6:55 am
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Yes, what Paul said.
For me, Hugheyland is all about the ear. Once I’m past the 17th fret, especially descending one or two frets on the treble strings, I might as well be blind. I use Paul’s bar control exercise on the treble strings all the way up to the 24th for practice. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 2:37 pm
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Check out Hal Ruggs left hand. He does this splaying out of his fingers thing that might help you with muscle memory. Other than that zero in on the exact spots where you are weak and practice super slow till you get it. You may want to watch out for the dreaded "fish tailing ". Lots of guys do it when they move down the neck and it never sounds right.
_________________
Bob |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 4:54 pm
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I’ll check that out, Bob, thanks.
Most of the gigs I play the lighting is terrible. There is either too much or not enough. I really do have to rely on my ears more often than not. Eyeballing just gets me in the right zip code. I am appreciating more and more the Buddy Emmons method of practicing in the dark. |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 27 Jul 2019 7:08 pm
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| Bob Hoffnar wrote: |
| Check out Hal Ruggs left hand. He does this splaying out of his fingers thing that might help you with muscle memory. Other than that zero in on the exact spots where you are weak and practice super slow till you get it. You may want to watch out for the dreaded "fish tailing ". Lots of guys do it when they move down the neck and it never sounds right. |
I'll second Bob on his "fishtailing" note. It takes an amount of attention to the bar just for the sake of keeping it square with the strings.
As to low lighting: I'm a fan of white fretboards. ANY light is enough to get by with.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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