Will "plug in and play" make you a better player?

[maxguitars]

I have heard that if you really want to get good at guitar, ditch all the goodies and just plug in and play. The theory behind it is simple: just playing will uncover bad habits and or flaws in your game and you will hear it thus leading to a better ear and feel versus plugging to Ax FX or similar and chugging on through.

I tried this for several days and I hate to admit but it makes sense. It's like I don't dig what I am hearing not because of the tone or 8000 tones I could have with the Ax but because of me and now I can rework my "feel" and hit the groove I want.

What are your thoughts?

 

[rottingcorpse]

All of the effects cover up your sloppy technique. So does gain.

Yes, if you wanna find your weaknesses just plug in and play. Quit tweaking everything for the perfect tone. Spend that time playing to a metronome.

 

[chunktone]

Yes

 

[marvcus]

To really optimize your playing, not only plug in with no effects, but record yourself. That is one of the great equalizers right there.

 

[glassjaw7]

Yes and no..depends how you look at it. It's easy to get lost in effects and not really practice your instrument. But on the other hand, if a player like Dave Gilmour would've "ditched the goodies", he wouldn't be the legendary influence of a billion other guitarists and have made such awesome sounding records. Just one example.

I play unplugged often or plug in and use a pretty clean tone to practice sometimes. But other days I wanna dig into the tonal palette and create music. It's all good.

 

[prsplayer86]

I hate it, but playing clean(with a click) is best for working on chops. I work on licks and transitions between them clean and then work on tone for my drive channel.

 

[maxguitars]

Yes and no..depends how you look at it. It's easy to get lost in effects and not really practice your instrument. But on the other hand, if a player like Dave Gilmour would've "ditched the goodies", he wouldn't be the legendary influence of a billion other guitarists and have made such awesome sounding records. Just one example.

I play unplugged often or plug in and use a pretty clean tone to practice sometimes. But other days I wanna dig into the tonal palette and create music. It's all good.

I agree totally, I am just talking about the feel aspect, once you get better go in and record and tweak away. The real work though is done on the "practice field".

 

[nnajar]

when you're practicing it's good to not even plug in. Then you really have a sense of the control you have on the instrument.

Someone on Facebook the other day posted a clip of EVH playing with Paul Schaffer's band on letterman in the mid eighties. Eddie had a single marshall head and 4x12. nothing on the floor, nothing else. It was surprisingly low gain. And he sounded just like Eddie. All the control and sustain we associate with him.

Think about it, 2 handed tapping is easy with gobs and gobs of gain. but can you get the instrument to sound like that with the amp off? I know eddie can.

 

[severinsteel]

I think 'plug and practice' will make you a better player

 

[Spaceboy]

I think playing period makes you better. I get inspired by the things I plug into. I play differently, not better or worse, when there's delay, phaser, whatever instead of dry amp. I don't believe anything is being covered up.

 

[Classic]

When I want to get really into a part and get it right I'lol learn it on the acoustic first the transfer it to the electric. If a song works on acoustic it'll work on the electric. It doesn't necessarily work the other way round.

 

[Badronald]

No and yes.

If you dedicate time to playing it will help.

 

[anomaly]

No, but Burger will

 

[Zachman]

I have heard that if you really want to get good at guitar, ditch all the goodies and just plug in and play. The theory behind it is simple: just playing will uncover bad habits and or flaws in your game and you will hear it thus leading to a better ear and feel versus plugging to Ax FX or similar and chugging on through.

I tried this for several days and I hate to admit but it makes sense. It's like I don't dig what I am hearing not because of the tone or 8000 tones I could have with the Ax but because of me and now I can rework my "feel" and hit the groove I want.

What are your thoughts?

Maybe, but like guys who only learn to play acoustic guitar, they sometimes have a difficult time w/ the techniques to control feedback etc., and to interactively utilize effects-- as with electric guitar.

My $.02

 

[Bob Savage]

Nothing wrong with seeing how it feels and learning what you sound like without effects.

But, just play and whatever you do, don't swing your guitar behind your back on stage because you might crack your singer in the face.

 

[Zachman]

Nothing wrong with seeing how it feels and learning what you sound like without effects.

But, just play and whatever you do, don't swing your guitar behind your back on stage because you might crack your singer in the face.

 

[ChadVanHalen]

Both... I've played with dudes who play mainly clean and when they get on stage they don't know how to control amp feedback or turn the volume down when not playing and that, to me as a gigging guy primarily, is much worse than covering up a few mistakes with an effect here or there

 

[jsp]

I disagree with a lot here, I think it's harder to play cleanly with more gain. Your playing has to be tight in order to sound clear and not mushy, to not have extra ringing strings, etc. It's good to practice with some gain, but not so much that you lose dynamics in your playing.

The biggest thing I've found to help for practicing is to record yourself and listen back. There were so many times where how I thought I sounded was pretty off from how I actually sounded.

 

[Zachman]

I disagree with a lot here, I think it's harder to play cleanly with more gain. Your playing has to be tight in order to sound clear and not mushy, to not have extra ringing strings, etc. It's good to practice with some gain, but not so much that you lose dynamics in your playing.

The biggest thing I've found to help for practicing is to record yourself and listen back. There were so many times where how I thought I sounded was pretty off from how I actually sounded.

Playing guitar is cool, because it's hard.

Playing 'well'-- with or without effects requires focus. Those who would be easily distracted because they have fx choices, likely lack focus, or the ability to concentrate on what they're doing, or have no clue as to what gear to select, how to route it, set it, and/or blend it, or don't have access to the gear they want, in order to get the result(s) they're after-- as the reason.

A good craftsman understands how to use the tools of their trade. If not in their own private rig, as an engineer recording their own music, or doing session work for others as a player and/or as an engineer. Also, knowing how to use gear beyond a guitar and an instrument cable directly into an amp comes in handy when you need to tell a sound man what is going on, in a live situation.

Just a note: Just because someone has a ton of gear, it doesn't mean it has to ALL be running all the time, and/or without any subtlety. Also, it's way more convenient to have more and not need it, than it is to need more and not have it. Of course, the guys who have a ton of stuff, usually have the ability to have more than one rig, for all occasions-- and take smaller gear for smaller gigs, but hopefully take the appropriate gear, no matter the gig.

 

[Bob Savage]

Just because someone has a ton of gear, it doesn't mean it has to ALL be running all the time

I disagree, completely.