Technique doesn’t change the sound!

[sunbeast]

Years of playing in loud bands through tube heads (lots of natural compression) had me playing hard most of the time to keep a certain thunder under the guitars and over the drums. It sounded great, but not particularly dynamic and the amps often rounded off what could sound pretty ugly (clanky) through a more sterile/even rig. In recent years I've been playing mostly clean through solid-state rigs and finally spending time developing nuance- there is a lot to be said for playing through a rig and in a band where you can play with lots of headroom and get lots of different tonal color from how you attack the strings. Of course it is also a lot easier to sound "off" when you play dynamically, so I've had to learn a lot more control!

 

[Shenron]

Now that I have you looking, at my gig Wednesday night, we have a song that I miss the same note every time thru. One of the singers plays bass also. I handed him my bass asked him to show me how he plays it. My bass sounded so different. It sounded deep and smooth. Where it’s more clanky when I play. I am more of a “down player” where he plays more “across” the strings. I always knew how I play affects the sound. I finally heard it on just my bass. Any others experience the same situation?

If you think about it, it happens all the time also without changing the player That's why we keep talking about varying our techniques depending on the song e.g. playing close to the neck vs bridge. It is also definitely different between players, both because of technique and physical differences of hands and fingers.

 

[pepj]

The goal is...imv...to get enough attack variables and dynamics into your playing as possible

Its a very common miss.

 

[Michedelic]

Not to mention where you are at when you play. Close to the amp, usually. Listening, much farther away will get the full real sound. Something you don't get to do when you are playing. It will sound different the farther you are from things.

There’s much to be learned from that; even if it’s not used all the time, a wireless unit comes in handy to allow you to roam around the room at soundcheck and get a sense of what the audience might be hearing(even though that will change when people occupy the room). I’ve even used one to walk around outside the house during rehearsal, still playing, just to hear if the band is detectable or too loud.

There’s another aspect… it might be how sounds resonate in your head. Similar to when you hear a recording of your voice, it’s often shockingly different from what you’re used to.

 

[Swerve]

The few times I’ve heard anyone play my gear its usually buzz city. I guess I keep my action pretty low compared to most.

One of the best guitarist’s I know keeps his strings rusty and a mile off the fretboard. I tried playing his guitar once and it felt so bad I’d probably give up music if I was forced to play with it. Yet he makes it sing.

 

[pepj]

Technique defintely changes the sound.

 

[JimmyM]

Asking someone else who knows the song better than you is always the right thing to do. And learning different techniques is key to developing your own style, but don’t get too hung up on it. I might suggest finding somewhere else on the neck to play something that gives me trouble. Not always possible but usually it is.

 

[Geri O]

I notice the same piano sounding different with different pianists.

In fact, many years ago, I was quite taken aback at just how much difference I hear between two pianists on the same piano.

(Being a piano tuner/tech, I'm supposed to be aware of such things with pianos...)