Quote:
Originally Posted by Ty Ford
Let's see if this works better, PLAY SOFTER!!
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Here, here!
I play with a flatpick, mostly strumming or alternating strumming with bass notes here and there. I personally have an issue when playing live where I get amped up and start playing too hard. I don't ever have this issue when recording, and it's taken me awhile to get my head around it. Some of it is adrenaline. Some of it is my ability to hear myself. Some of it is an attempt to build a dynamic after the songs start, without giving consideration to that in the first place. The result is that I'm heavy-handed from the get-go, and build from there. Bad idea.
This ultimately results in all sorts of trouble. For me, I often then end up rushing the song, etc, etc. It can also make it hard to keep up with vocally (both because of tempo and volume). I get a sense that your sense of timing is a fair bit better than mine, so it may just be a volume issue for you.
The main thing, though, is, when it comes to amplifying acoustic guitars...hard playing almost always sounds worse. Electronics in acoustics just don't deal with a super-heavy attack really well, from what I can hear.
Anyway, for me, the solution is to actually consciously think "mellow" before starting each song. It doesn't have to be a mellow song, but I want to just mentally mellow out before each song. Sounds goofy, I know. The result is that I tend to overplay yes, tend to rush the song less and tend to better maintain tempo. At the best, I hit the nail on the head, and the song comes together, with room to build toward certain parts, if the song calls for it. At the worst, I end up playing an overly-mellow version of the song, which almost always works for acoustic music - sometimes even better than the way I intended.
I'm really trying to develop a better "touch" with the instrument so I don't have to be so deliberate about things, but, for now, it's helping.