Arrg…I can’t hear myself!

[hbflyer]

Hey all, I’m continuing my guitar musical journey and the I’m amazed about all the issues that come up besides the playing technique! The latest one is not being able to hear myself play in a group setting.

At this month’s blue grass congregation, we had an excellent 5-piece group that came and put on a nice show and also joined some of use regulars almost as a backup. It was a lot of fun with some great moments, but I wish I could prepare better and have a redo. With 6 players I just could not hear my guitar and I just did not think I could play well enough to participate. There was no amplification, so I could not turn myself up or move closer to the amp! I did enjoy singing only standing with my guitar but lost my voice as the show progressed since I had to really belt it out…that’s another new issue!

Is being able to hear yourself by filtering out your instrument from the overlapping sound part of being an accomplished player? Do you just play and have confidence that you are sounding OK? I know performers wear monitor systems in big venues…I may need to investigate that.

[Paddy1951]

I don't play Bluegrass. But I do play it's root music. Irish Traditional music. Oh, OK and Scottish trad.

I have been in sessions that were huge. Orchestras, if you will. Big, strong, musical events where I cannot hear myself, specifically, or others specifically.

This may not be exactly the same. I say just play, it is all you can do. And just so I am clear, some of these sessions had very fine professional musicians, so they were not just a bunch of slop.

Trust yourself. Play.

[Goodallboy]

Unless I can hear myself in the mix, there’s no way I can contribute to the song. I can play, but there’s a vast difference in making a sound and making the right sound.

[simpl man]

The right instrument really helps in this context.

Doesn't have to be the best sounding or even the loudest one, but a different "timbre" helps gain some separation.

[Mr. Jelly]

I won't play if I can't hear myself. When I have that option. There's been more than once I have set the guitar down and called it a night. It's less frustrating. Little by little I learned what situations not to put myself in over the years. And like most things I learned just a little to late.

[rokdog49]

Maybe I'm selfish...if I can't hear myself, that is either going to get fixed or I'm not playing in that situation any more.

[RedJoker]

Originally Posted by simpl man

The right instrument really helps in this context.

Doesn't have to be the best sounding or even the loudest one, but a different "timbre" helps gain some separation.

I agree with this. When everyone else is strumming along with open chords, I'll play barre chords up the neck. In fact, this was the BEST practice for me to learn how to barre. If I screw up, who cares because most of the others are correct and you can barely hear me anyway.

These days, I use these types of events to work on my improvising, fills, licks, etc. If I can barely hear myself, no one else can hear me so I'm not screwing up the jam.

Once, I had a guy get mad at me because I wasn't doing what everyone else was doing. I asked what he thought I was doing and his response was "I don't know for sure because I couldn't hear you."

[Denny B]

Playing in a group setting that's so loud I can't hear myself play and hurting my throat trying to be heard singing doesn't sound like a good time to me...

And can't be doing my hearing any good either...

Include me out...

[L20A]

Playing in an acoustic jam, especially a Bluegrass jam can be challenging.
This is why so many guitar players in Bluegrass settings play big Dreadnought
Martin guitars.

One of the problems is ego.
People like to show off and play over the top.
That isn't cool except when it's your turn to do a lead.
However that doesn't stop some people from doing it.
Like you, they may not be able to hear themselves, so they play louder. This starts a chain reaction because every one else has to now play louder to hear themselves.

I know people that come and go at these kinds of jams as they get frustrated.
You have a few options.

Try to sit where you can hear yourself the best.
Not next to the banjo player for instance.

You can try heavier strings and a thicker pick.
Or get a louder guitar.

At some of the jams that I have attended, there are a set of rules called the 10 commandments of jam session etiquette.
These rules include things like playing soft enough that you can hear the other instruments.

The sad fact is that some people choose to ignore the rules and play as loud as they can.
All you can do then is accept it or leave.

[Bax Burgess]

Ask someone you trust to open a soundport, or maybe two. Pairing that with the aforementioned playing higher up the neck seems promising.

[zhunter]

Practice not hearing or barely hearing yourself. It is a learned skill. Not my preference but sometimes it is the nature of the situation with several acoustic instruments at work. And sometimes it is exactly what is needed for the material.

Sit in the mix.

hunter

[superbitterdave]

‘Not next to the banjo player’ always good advice . . .

[Osage]

Originally Posted by zhunter

Practice not hearing or barely hearing yourself. It is a learned skill. Not my preference but sometimes it is the nature of the situation with several acoustic instruments at work. And sometimes it is exactly what is needed for the material.

Sit in the mix.

hunter

This is excellent advice. Sometimes you're playing in a great room and can hear everything perfectly, sometimes all you can hear is noise or the bass player or whatever. I've played countless gigs where i could barely hear myself, not from lack of a good instrument or proper playing but simply because I was in a bad spot in a bad room.

We had 2 gigs this summer in front of 3000 people at a theatre. Biggest crowd I've ever played in front of. Soundcheck sounded great and then when we took the stage, first song, I couldn't hear my guitar at all and I'm the only guitar player in the band. I motioned to the monitor guy that I needed more of myself and by the second song, I could at least make out what I was doing but that was about it. I made it through the gig because I've played and practiced in this type of situation so many times that, although not ideal and certainly not as much fun, I can do it if I have to. The second night at sound check I changed where I was standing a bit and moved my monitors and had a talk with the sound guy and could actually hear myself pretty well.

[simpl man]

Originally Posted by RedJoker

I agree with this. When everyone else is strumming along with open chords, I'll play barre chords up the neck. In fact, this was the BEST practice for me to learn how to barre. If I screw up, who cares because most of the others are correct and you can barely hear me anyway.

These days, I use these types of events to work on my improvising, fills, licks, etc. If I can barely hear myself, no one else can hear me so I'm not screwing up the jam.

Once, I had a guy get mad at me because I wasn't doing what everyone else was doing. I asked what he thought I was doing and his response was "I don't know for sure because I couldn't hear you."

^ Yes, exactly. Take the opportunity to try something different!

[Mandobart]

I'm primarily a bluegrass mandolin player. Every bluegrass band or jam needs a guitar, but guitar is just about the quietest BG instrument there is. Fiddles, dobros, mandos and especially banjos just drown out almost any guitar (my Altamira gypsy jazz box is a notable exception). Jam ettiquet is lost on many people. I've been playing with the same musicians for the past 10 years, and we have a few rules for a good jam:

1. Tune early, tune often.
2. If you arrive after the jam starts, tune up quietly in the hallway. Come in and join the circle at the end of the song.
3. Only play at full volume when its your turn to take a break. The rest of the time, if you can't hear the other players or the singer, you're playing too loud.
4. If you insist on playing very softly, you may see everyone else just about stop playing. You may want to practice playing with a thicker pick, heavier strings, or take up a new genre.
5. When its your turn to lead a tune, let everyone know the song and the key. Give the guitars, dobros and banjos a chance to adjust their capos.
6. A bluegrass circle jam is not the place to bring out obscure or original songs that no one else knows (jambusters). Maybe you should consider a solo gig if that's what you want.

Any group jam with more than about 6 people can becom a cacophony where no one can hear themselves (except the fiddlers). Then you just have to make sure you're tuned up and trust your skill, or leave the jam. Sometimes the answer is to break the group into two smaller jams.