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Post by nkforster on May 1, 2018 23:36:47 GMT
Ian and Tom playing an old(ish) Model C-HO long scale (27") in DADGAD. Both musicians play the same guitar, in the same DADGAD guitar tuning, in the same session in the same room. All that changes is the musician and the playing style. Ian plays with a pick, Tom with his fingers. Which do you prefer? Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com
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Post by scripsit on May 2, 2018 0:41:04 GMT
Nigel
Your demonstration videos normally use a flat pick/hybrid player. I find it difficult to tell what the innate qualities of a guitar are when a plectrum is used, because so much of the tone seems to come from the thickness of the pick and the angle and attack technique.
Disclaimer: these days I only play fingerstyle (with a thumb pick), so I think I've trained myself to appreciate a certain sound. My own early experience when I swapped to acoustic guitar after many years of playing electrics exclusively, was that the flat pick provides a range of signature sounds which is different from those possible with fingers and nails. That's why I gave up on hybrid picking.
The weakness in my argument, of course, is that I still use a thumb pick, for which I blame Martin Simpson.
Kym
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Post by oustudent on May 2, 2018 5:58:06 GMT
Tough call, but I would have to go 50/50 they both sound pleasant to my ears.
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Post by robmc on May 2, 2018 6:21:36 GMT
Fingerstyle, incredible.
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Post by RodB on May 2, 2018 7:17:43 GMT
I preferred the sound of the guitar in the finger-picking example, which sounded more complex, sweeter to me, but liked the other as well....both stunning sounds.
Listening blind I would have been convinced it was a different guitar. Just shows the influence of the player and chosen technique, as Kym says, plectrum thickness is a big influence, and the guitar would no doubt sound different again if played with flesh/short nails as I use. It underlines how caution one has to be to evaluate a guitar's attributes based on sound clips...
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Post by andyhowell on May 2, 2018 8:51:33 GMT
I think they are both fine, fine players, and I enjoy listening to both of them.
I think the fingerstyle arrangement gave a little better opportunity to hear the full range of the instrument but Ian's playing isa sublime and as understated as ever.
One things Tom not only played with a thumb pick but with artificial nails by the look of it. This makes for a very percussive sound and in some ways it is not dissimilar to using a pick. It would be interesting hearing this played by somebody using just fingers.
But I guess the point of this is the guitar. It sounds fabulous.
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Post by andyhowell on May 2, 2018 8:54:30 GMT
Nigel Your demonstration videos normally use a flat pick/hybrid player. I find it difficult to tell what the innate qualities of a guitar are when a plectrum is used, because so much of the tone seems to come from the thickness of the pick and the angle and attack technique. Disclaimer: these days I only play fingerstyle (with a thumb pick), so I think I've trained myself to appreciate a certain sound. My own early experience when I swapped to acoustic guitar after many years of playing electrics exclusively, was that the flat pick provides a range of signature sounds which is different from those possible with fingers and nails. That's why I gave up on hybrid picking. The weakness in my argument, of course, is that I still use a thumb pick, for which I blame Martin Simpson. Kym I use a thumb pick as well. I've tried to leave it behind a number of times over the years but keep coming back to it. In my case i blame Ralph McTell.
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Post by nkforster on May 2, 2018 9:21:28 GMT
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Post by Riverman on May 2, 2018 9:40:42 GMT
I prefer the fingerstyle, but that might just be because fingerstyle’s my thang generally. Though I do think it shows off the tonal depth of the guitar better. Either way, the guitar sounds fab.
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Post by malcolm on May 2, 2018 12:58:51 GMT
I prefer the plectrum playing, when played fingerstyle, Irish music quickly becomes less like Irish music.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 13:28:15 GMT
Like asking me to say whether I prefer Cornish Yarg or Cornish Brie- both equally delicious in my opinion.
Am intrigued as to why you have gone for such an enormously long scale for dadgad? Do you have to put very light strings on? 27” in in serious baritone territory.
Robbie
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Post by ocarolan on May 2, 2018 14:14:07 GMT
Do I prefer plain chocolate Hobnobs or plain chocolate digestives? Love 'em both, obvs. Keith ...and well made, Nige!
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Post by Phil Taylor on May 2, 2018 15:22:45 GMT
Ian's is good but the fingerstyle is better even with a thumbpick and false nails which to my ear can sometimes sound cold and brittle. This is coming from a flesh/short nails player of course so I am always looking for a warm sound.
Phil
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Post by minorkey on May 2, 2018 15:39:55 GMT
Both are great, but the second one has more presence. I cant get away with a plectrum, and I've never tried finger picks. (I have a thumb pick somewhere but I dont think I get away with that either) I was expecting the second video to just feature unadorned fingers, which is how i prefer to play.
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Post by nkforster on May 2, 2018 22:57:03 GMT
Like asking me to say whether I prefer Cornish Yarg or Cornish Brie- both equally delicious in my opinion. Am intrigued as to why you have gone for such an enormously long scale for dadgad? Do you have to put very light strings on? 27” in in serious baritone territory. Robbie Two ways to look at the 27" scale - a baritone - you can tune this down to A if you get your gauges right. The other way is the Sobel "Guitar in D" way - Take a regular guitar, add two frets to the nut end and you get a D guitar. Tune it to D. Add a capo to the second fret - you've got a regular guitar. Best, n www.nkforsterguitars.com
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