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#1
01-30-2018, 07:52 AM
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Fingerpicking amped, with drummer
Hello,
Just found this forum! : YaY : So, I fingerpick acoustic. Recently, I started jamming with a drummer in a concrete basement. I have really struggled with the sound... I find I have to play really hard in order to even hear myself with the drums - and I don't like the sound so much that I can't focus. I am a light player, with a light touch... when I play hard, it messes me all up. If I push my acoustic/electric, it feedbacks... I have no effects on the guitar, just a standard low, mid and high. Same for the amp. Any thoughts? 
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#2
01-30-2018, 10:48 AM
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You're trying to do something that's challenging. Even when you solve the amplification issues getting typical fingerpicking meshing with typical drumming just on a musical level is tough. When it works: very rewarding.
A drummer that plays more quietly is a big asset, but finding drummers is hard enough. First things to try would be a "feedback buster" rubber plug in your soundhole and an electronic feedback buster in your amp/PA circuit. You could also just consider a different guitar altogether. Some pickup systems (soundboard and bridge plate transducers, microphones) have a greater susceptibility to feedback. You could try a magnetic soundhole pickup, and it's even possible to fit the feedback buster soundhole plug to allow them. Many of the things that make an acoustic sound great unplugged (like lightly braced, responsive tops) make them feedback prone. If "looking acoustic" is important, you could combine an magnetic pickup with a laminated top acoustic, even an inexpensive one. Smaller body designs may also help a bit. Or you could play the same thing on an electric guitar as you play on an acoustic. No it won't sound the same, but it can sound good.
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----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
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#3
01-30-2018, 11:55 AM
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It would be useful to know what kind of pickup and what kind of amp you're using. EQ can be a big help--especially an EQ with a notch filter for cutting the specific frequencies that are giving you the trouble. Amp placement in relation to the body and especially the top of the guitar is also key. Try and keep the top and the body in general out of the dirt path of the sound coming out of the amp. You might also want to elevate the amp and to keep it away from wall and especially corners.
Another factor is probably just the space in which you're playing. If you haven't already, put a rug of some kind down on the floor--especially under the drums. Hang some kind of cloth or other sound absorbing material on the walls and perhaps the ceiling as well. Get the drummer to play with quiet sensitivity! Louis
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#4
01-30-2018, 11:58 AM
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Quote:
At the very least, you probably need a preamp with a notch filter. The biggest single problem with feedback on acoustic guitars body resonance, which is usually around the note G#, and is pretty easy to notch out. This can happen at pretty low volumes, so is probably your problem. Many mid-level acoustic amps have a notch filter for this very reason. Amp placement also matters a lot. For example, putting your amp across the room, or putting your body between the amp and guitar, will probably help. In a small, reverberant space, that may not be enough, but it can help.
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#5
01-30-2018, 06:45 PM
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Quote:
1; Drummer 2; Concrete Basement You can add wood, foam, curtains and lot's of things to improve the sound of the basement. However, there is nothing you can do with a drummer. 
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#6
01-30-2018, 10:51 PM
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Yep. Damp what you can in the room, do some eq to fatten up your tone, and use something like a baby PA rather than an amp. Remember that fingerpickers are also creating rhythms, so working with a drummer requires some give and take in both your parts to figure out what works. Listening is important and less is more.
Here is a recording or two where percussion and guitar work together well.... David Lindley and Wally Ingram: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NPa9ltSbnzM Edward Gerhard, Promised Land: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SPgVBwa80MU Martin Jones, Crusher: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rx0FGR7NwOQ
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#7
01-31-2018, 05:36 PM
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Ideally, the drummer would use electronic drums, so volume can be better controlled. Failing that, the drummer can use a drum shield which functions like isolation panels, and could use Hot Rod drumsticks.
If the drummer can't or won't reduce his or her volume, the burden is on you to get louder, and that won't end well. If nothing else, you should wear earplugs in that environment, to protect your hearing.
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| Tags |
| drummer, fingerpicking, jam |
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