Posts by KD

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    @Nikos Well put! I think you explained well what I was trying to say. I guess we could say you explained the importance of details..in details! :D


    But a big ringing YES - most of us are told as kids we can only do the things we have "talent" for. And that's probably the first and worst lie we're exposed to. Ken Robinson explains this much better than I can ( https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_…s_schools_kill_creativity ) .


    If you have a big passion for something and are willing to live with it day and day out, dissect the details and are not be afraid to question old truths (and don't be afraid to re-learn if needed). Then the world will be open to you - and your DNA will have little importance.


    I am happy to see my thesis has support here. Let's not carry on the old bullsh*t lies to future generations - so that our kids can become what they choose to and not what is expected from them.

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?


    Is this really the "same old debate"? :) I often see people discuss where tone comes from, but they don't often discuss the tiny technical playing details that affect tone. Just like like tweaking the amp block paramaters on your KPA.


    Most of the time I get the impression people think it goes down to DNA - ie what hands you were born with. To me that is just a lousy excuse for people who are not able to break down and analyse what is actually happening. Have any of you seen the great videos by Troy Grady ("Cracking the code" etc)? To me this a great example of how sophisticated techniques can be broken down and analysed - just to show mastering them does not require specific DNA but rather understanding for several different physical mechanisms.

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    Quote from tylerhb

    I think the term "the tone is in the fingers" is a little too general. It very much depends on the style of music, the amount of gain and the wheter you are talking melody or rhythm playing. There is a huge difference between a nice blues solo and metal high gain riffing. Have decent two players perform a mellow blues track with a mild crunch tone and the results will be completely different. Have two decent players perform a metal rhythm track, and the results might be exactly the same.


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    Yes to a certain extent I agree with this.


    When you add more distortion/compression into the equation the finger paramater is not quite as important. But even with a high gain sound differences in picking dynamics will affect the tone, inspite of the compression effect.


    Another thing to consider is hand sync, which has a big impact on tone. I didn't mention it in the video but I personally prefer when the left hand not only hits the note slightly before the picking hand (as it should be) - but I actually like the left hand to produce a note, a split second before the right hand picks the string. This creates a doubling effect impossible to achieve via software/delay - and I think most people are unaware of this phenomenon. I believe this is part of the secret of Eric Johnson's tone.


    This is (a really old!) lesson that showcases how to practice it (please bare in mind the effect is completely exaggerated for practicing purposes). So to clarify: the doubling effect you hear is NOT achieved with delay:
    http://www.guitarmasterclass.n…itar/fake-picking-lesson/

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    Quote from mattt67


    I agree with all your tips (playing slowly, with pauses, building a climax etc...) but these are easier to apply to a slow "emotional" backing track, than to high speed death metal, what do you think?^^


    Yes the advice is def more geared towards the kind of playing in the video. Some of it you can apply on any genre though.


    Quote from mattt67

    On a side note, if tone is in the fingers, and great players will sound the same with different equipment, we don't need kempers, do we? ^^


    We need it because it responds so well to what our fingers are doing :) Thanks for the kind comment btw!

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?


    Nice! Also, please note I have pure cabinet set on 5.4 for this rig.

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    Quote from waraba

    Brilliant vid Kris :) It took me more than 10 years to figure what you resumed in the vid ... Slow playing , having a goal, never play without vibrato , slides and hammer / PO , singing the lead in your head ... Pretty well summed and strangely it also applies to love :thumbup: You did not mention the hybrid picking you're using here , I think It's also a great part of your tone, not to be neglected IMHO.


    Same for me - this experience is hard earned under a long period!


    Hybrid picking definitely offers different tonal qualities - and I guess it could be classified as yet a technique to generate different picking dynamics / tonalities. Thanks again! :D

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    Quote from Booyah

    Great lesson and really slick playing! Only thing I would add is palm muting techniques. Wish I could add it but I rarely analyze what I do, I know I use them a lot in solos as well as rythym. You got me thinking now, thank you!


    For sure palm muting is very useful! It could be classified as picking dynamics though - as it can be used to play really softly. Thanks! :D

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    Quote from rothko61


    Have a look to this recent interview to Paul Gilbert, begging pardon for his old music when he tried just to be fast, without any feeling and "out" of music:

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    Yes Paul certainly has made a journey from his shredding days! I guess many of us do that, the only difference is that he does everything extremely well..! (may it be shredding or writing pop songs)


    Thanks again for the kind words!

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?


    Quote from Raoul23

    I agree with the tone is in the fingers, I know a lot of my guitar playing buddys sound the way they do through any guitar and any amp. I know I sound the same also. I read on here where Eddie Van Halen was trying out Steve Vai's guitar gear and Steve Vai though Eddie had changed his settings coz he sounded like Eddie :)


    I don't doubt tone lies in the fingers. But it can be tweaked just like a profile - although this is not often discussed. So that's why I recorded the instructional content along with the profile demo!

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    Quote from waraba


    I'll update the humbucker pack with this one ASAP, but it's another variation of the Lead.70's profile , my best lead profile so far. The dynamics of this profile made it my main reference when comparing to other new profiles, it's really something. FI Same qualities are fount in the HB.clean.main and SC.clean.full.


    Agreed - it is my favorite profile so far without a doubt!


    Quote from rothko61

    Beautiful video and amazing jamming.
    Tone is 90% in the fingers... and you have great fingers! :thumbup:
    Is your secret in that brown wool sleeve that you wear in your left arm? :wacko:


    Hehe the secret is my wife's leg warmer (shh still not sure she noticed I stole it from her). It seems to help me relax and stay warmed up. Thanks! :D

  • So you say tone is in the fingers?

    I have been having a lot of fun with a killer commercial profile from Valve Theory. Waraba told me he wanted to include my tweaked version in his profile pack - and then it struck me:


    If tone is in the fingers - then why don't people explain what their fingers are actually doing? Why does it have to be a mystery?


    So that is what I tried to do here. In other words: if you follow my advice in the video, and use the same profile, hopefully it will get you as close as possible to this tone.


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    P.S. if most of the tone lies in the fingers, then maybe you don't even need to use the same profile..? Either way, I hope you enjoy the video :)


    EDIT: This rig is now on the Rig Exchange: ATM.HB.drive.KrisD.RG6

  • NEW demo rigs from my Humbucker and single coil pack

    Thanks for digging! :D Feel free to use the video if needed!


    Yes this rig has some mojo/compression in the low midrange which makes it easy to play, and probably covers up for playing mistakes as well (to a certain extent - hehe!). Gives your runs a more even/fluid sound.


    I would love to try (and possibly demo) the other rigs, and I am a big Sco fan. I couldn't figure out PMing here, could you please contact me through facebook?


    https://www.facebook.com/kristofer.dahl