My Blog

Playing live or being a live band...

Long time I didn't write my blog....I am kinda lazy... but recently I went to uglymen's gigs for couple times, I saw other bands perform beside uglymen...

I found out most of them really didn't reliase how important the
"balancing" of the sound is... "balancing" means that your guitar, bass, drum, keyboard or vocal must be balance when you go up stage and play the song. This is a very common mistake that most of the local bands here made; their instrument louder then others and making the whole song collapses; especially guitar player, they are not aware of their distortion too heavy and making the audience's ears hurts. Or when solo they are not loud enough and making the solo cannot stand up and the whole things not intersting;

Also, by observing their playing they seems not taking the sound check seriously; have a thought like "got sound" its enough already; but they did't realize they are playing and this is represent them; playing live if you have a great band but in live couldn't express out the feel, soul, in the music from your band's playing; its totally shameful; and this will making the band's reputation down. More importantly is that the song's soul, feel, texture, cannot be expressed out from the live.

Also, certain bands their playablitiy is good; but when come to work with their own gear, like gadget they do not know how or why... For example, single coil and hambacker pickups; they do not know why or how or when to apply; or drummer, their own gear like crashes, tom and etc etc; I can feel that they just pick it up and play, most of them didn't go deep and understanding their gear; as well as fixing the amp, the low, mid, high, and etc the knobs either bass or guitar player what I had seen so far they do not know how to do the setting, optimize by tune with those knobs in order to have the best tone they could get from the amp; this need to read up a lot and experienments by self's expose. Or ask friends who really know and willing to share with you.

I had raise a lot of questions about guitar tone to AngKong Suan(formal uglymen's guitarist now its the band's drummer). He shares a lot of things with me about how to get the guitar tone from an amp or your playing. He is angkong(means god) also he is very kind and not selfish type; you juz walk up to him and ask the questions you will be very grad and share with you.

Why AngKong know so much? becoz' when he do things he must gain the understanding; for instance, when AngKong playing guitar's time, he read up a lot of guitar from the zine; then when switch to drumming, he is spending a lot of money and time buy the zine, DVD(for drumming) and read, watch and learn... I am very repect this guy becoz' he really is a man. I had better do not praise him so much...

Anyway, I will continue writting my blog as I love band sound so much...and happy reading!! and rock ON!

regards,

beh

Guitar_6

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Today, I am free and dunno what to write about guitar; err what about how to stable the tune of your double locking system or termolo locking system guitar??? Myself, I love termolo locking system guitar so much!!!...And when I attend many live gigs I saw many of the guitar player can play very well but do not know how to stable the termolo locking system guitar's tunning and many of my friends who own termolo locking system have trouble when changing their strings or put on new set of strings into their locking system guitar; even one time I went to the guitar shop the tech there do not know how to tune my guitar, I end up myself have to teach him and bring back and redo the things all by myself.

Before going into the double locking system guitar(termolo locking system)...let me brief what is double locking system guitar??? Why some people like me love it so much???

Double locking system guitar, once they set the tuning they locked up the strings with the nuts from the guitar; the guitar player play with the term arm will have more excitements, can bend all the away with the term arm yet back with fine tunning...and with double locking system guitar, guitar player can make the guitar scream more, like Vai, Joe Satriani and others. That's what I love about double locking system guitar!!!

When you change the strings or put one new set of strings on your double locking system guitar you either can change one string by one (recommand for person who new in this type of guitar) or take it all off and put on the new one.

If you change one string by string, one string at a time, you will be safe from balancing up the term bridge; if you take out all strings at once and clean it and put on new set of strings, first you have to balance the term bridge. You could find some paper cardboard to stuck under the term bridge, secure and balance the term bridge, then put on the strings one by one. CAUTION do not put on the strings without secure or balance the term bridge!!! If you do that you will be end up with never get the fine tune of your double locking system guitar.

After you secure and balance up the term bridge and finish up putting new set of strings, you have to be very patience to pull strings by strings tight; then go for tunning, you must remember that at first time you will not get the fine tune, you have to tune to close to the note then move to other strings then back tune again. after each of the strings get to closest tune then you play the guitar, pull, bend the strings and play with the term arm back and forward, then tune again, by repeating this till you get fine tunning. For my s-series, I repeat this process about 3~5 times then lock the nuts (do not lock the nut too tight/strong, enough force) then tune again. The bridge have tunner as well, when you losen up the strings you will put the bridge tunner into middle position, becoz' you will need to tune again when you lock the strings; then play the guitar again, with bend the term arm back and forwards and bend the strings then tune again. This need alot of patience and time after you secure the tune you will get a very stable tune with double locking system guitar and Have Fun with it!!!!

tips --- I personally strong you guys use 0.10 instead of 0.09, 0.10 will have more stable tune, richer tone, longer lasting life compare to 0.09's.

Rockon!!

regards,

beh

Guitar_5

Hello, Everyone Merry X'mas and happy new year to you all!!! I am very lazy and stop writting for about month...Let's continue..

The 5 Ts in guitar playing, provided from Mr.Ong Tai Suan (Uglymen band leader - formal guitarist/current drummer).

Tuning - First, the basic, and the most important. Guitar must in tune.

Timing - Constant.

Technique - Hammer on, pull offs, speed, slide, sweep pick, strumming everythings deal with techniques.

Tone - combination of
1) Fingers
2) guitar
3) amp
4) gadget

Taste - After definding tone then move toward taste, when you got into taste you already definding your own signature, own sound everything you own..CONGRAT!!! if you had reach to the fifth T-aste!!


He explain a success guitar player must move from top to bottom.
He also give me some example, great guitar players like SRV, Satriani, Jimi hendrix, John Pettrucci, already reach to the fifth T..their playing have their own taste...

PPL like Yngwie Malsteen only reach to the forth T..Yngwie got TONE but TASTE... that's juz an example...

rock on! c ya next time. Njoy your holiday! bye!

Guitar_4

When buying the guitar, actually we are buying the neck. Do you know who told me this? OngTaiSuan(uglymen's drummer) told me this...I am quite agree with it. We are playing the guitar, and if the guitar neck is not suit our hand while we play it without the comfort then we will lost our interests or play well with it.

Guitar neck is very important for any guitar player out there. Out there got ton of different type of neck, there have C, D, V neck and more. Personally I haven't try out the V neck so I cannot give you command here.

I got C and D neck in my collection. I am preffer more I call then, Thin and Thick neck = Round Neck. I own ESP KH-2 Vintage, Ibanez S-540ltd and Headless; All of these three are Thin and super thin neck. Those Thin neck are for speed; Where I also own a Gibson Joe Perry Les Paul, this one is Round or Thick neck; that for more bluesy, feel type of neck.

Thin or Super Thin neck Vs Round or Thick Neck

I am into more Thin or Super Thin neck as I believe most ppl do; becoz' they are more comfort to play with, specially while you pick with high speed. For player like Kirk Hammett, Vai, Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbirt and etc etc they are playing with this type of neck. I seldom play with my gibson becoz' the round neck I cannot get the comfort when my finger moving around the finger board... So I lost the interests in picking it up and play.

Next, Neck also got neckthru and bolt on. Most of the guitar structure are bolt on. My Headless and ESP are neck thru, means you won't see any nuts to hold the guitar neck and the body, it's one piece. Where my Ibanez is a bolt on you will see the for nuts is locked the neck to the guitar body. Neckthru structure can give you more sustain when you bend, or do the vibreto things. I personally preffer neck thru sturcutre's guitar but it will cost you more.

Then on guitar neck it has the lenght, means some with 24 frets, 22 frets, 21 frets, 20 frets and 19 frets (of coz' out will have 34 frets guitar but it's rare and custome made). The shorter leght will give you more tone. For tone master like Eric Johnson he will play with 22 frets or less...I never see him play 24 frets guitar. Yngwie play at 21 frets, Joe Satriani play with 22 frets.

When I play my 24 frets guitar, the tone will be less if I play with my 22 frets. You can hear it and feel it with you touch or bend the strings of these two types of freting guitars.

So when choosing the guitar, you have to know about what kind of guitar you want to get. If you are new to guitar, do not worry so much, juz grab the guitar and play it, feel it, it can give you the comfort then bring it home. For an expert guitar player, please do look at the guitar can give you the sound and drive you while you are rocking with it. I won't recommand guitar player go for signature guitar series unless you are guitar collector like me.

next.... will share with you what OngTaiSuan had shared with me about the 5 Ts in guitar playing...stay tune!!

rockon!

beh

Guitar_3

Back from the Penang AsianBeat final compitition... A bit tired but still want to write...

We stop at guitar pick_ups last post...

I will straight to the points now..

Single coil - A single coil pickup it sound more clear and clean, I am NOT a big fans of single coil pick up; as it is more suitable for less aggresive type of music. You guys know the funk strummin?? I dunno the name of this type of style, with wah wah..single coil best suit of this type of sound, becoz' it's clean & clear tone. For Heavy metal or more aggresive type of sound next pick_up is more suit.

Hambuckerz - its made up with two single coil pick_ups, so it has more power then single coil since it's double up. For power chords riffing, Hambuckerz is best suit, and hambucker sound more aggresive. More powerful can give more...

In pick_ups it has active and pasive.

Active pick_ups with a battery to power up; if the battery is weaker or low batt then it will not sound properly. But with an Active pick_up and the battery is good, you can get more from those active Pick_ups. The reason is Active pick_up is the magnatifield is power up by the batter so it provide you a more efficency magnatifield so that the sound is more sensitive and powerful. But the drawback is you have to take care of the battery. If the battery is going flat and you are playing live, you are in trouble becoz' it will sound flat as well.

Pasive pick_ups, you no need a battery, but in the long run the magnatifield will be weaker and weaker. Some brand X cheap pasive pick_up after using for couple years the quality will be drop. But it less complexity since it doesn't have battery to power it and it's easy to use, less worry and careless if compare to active pick_ups. Some ppl like it more then an active pick_ups.

Okie...now come to conclusion, which pick_up suit me the most??? Out there got dozen of brand, plus active and pasive, you will ask yourself, which one suit me??? how can I choose??

Well, you no need to worry now if you are beginner. But if you are guitar player that definding your own sounding and tone...Pick Up is very important to you.

But how are you going to choose one that suit you the most? You have to know what type of sound you want to get in the very first place. And you have to read up a lot stuff regard about pick_up sound, the reviews and etc etc etc... and look up refferences. For example, like myself I am really into getting Metallica's powerchord riffing sound plus kirk hammett wah wah solo sound..so I deep into Metallica's gear, they are using EMGs, EMG 60 for james and EMG81 for Kirk Hammett. EMG is an active pick_ups....

I replace EMGs with my Ibanez S-series, with EMG81 on neck, S1 on middle and EMG85 on bridge. It sounds totally different, it was like different guitar to me becoz' it sound totally different. Previous pick_ups was Duncan(I dunno the model) it was an pasive pick_up... Why I choose 81 and 85 and not 81 both? becoz' when I replaced the pick_up the shop owner ask me to try out 85 as 85 got more out put and do not follow kirk 100% juz try out with different approach and learn more about EMGs' sound..I am grad that I did it becoz' yes I learn more.

Its so powerful! sensitive! and can give me the sound I wanted from long time. A lot of ppl doesn't know it. Pick_up is the key for an electric guitar. This is great knowledge and expensive investment, again back to the basic theory, you got to try it out and feel it and search for the SOUND you want. Do not go follow trend; you can take some band as refference but not to follow them 100%ly.... Try to defind you own Trademark, Signature, Identity in sound, tone. This need a lot of times and trying out. Do not simply like I like Metallica and simply juz buy ESP for not knowing what type of sound you like except you are a guitar collector. Love to collect guitar with artist name on it, the signature series guitar. Those guitar will cost you a lot; if you are to defind you own sound for your band do not go for signature series guitar. Like KH-2 cost about RM7000.00, with this kind of money I can get a customize guitar from ESP or other guitar company. Do not follow trend, try to find yourself the sound you want that my advise to you.

Next I will write more about electronic and electric guitar stuff...

Tips...

Did you know buying guitar actually we are buying the neck??? do you know what it means? next I will write ...

rockON!

beh

guitar_2

I juz got back from my trip...sitll blur blur...where am I???

I need to reffer back my last post...oh...ya...guitar types..

Out there got dozen of guitars...Majority, two types the accoustic and electric guitar. An accoustic guitar got many sub-types, like steel, nylon strings, got cutting body non-cutting body. I am not very understanding of accoustic guitar but I can share with you all here, the nylon string guitar mostly is for classical stuff an classical guitar. In guitar price range, classical guitar is the most expensive guitar; it can cost for a classical guitar @ the price of RM50k or more. when you look at the shape, look it does not attract you much but when you hear the price, you will be shock....and have to wait at least 3 years to get it to your hand. Its custume made guitar from some freak and they will put their own name on the guitar for it. They are not mess production and very limited quantity yet each guitar sound different and got its own character. Which is why they are mostly very costly. My teach own few of them, each of them cost at min RM30k ~ RM50k and above... Why they are so expensive, first they are hand made, second the wood is very good wood for guitar, third take a lot of times in making them...

Other accoustic guitar like taylor, martin..and others they are in mess production with good wood...also very costly... If you want to get an unplug gig, I would suggest you get a taylor guitar. Myself preffer more taylor guitar, they have various types of model, different design, different wood type.

Now move to electric guitar. For an electric guitar they are not depend on the "wood" more if compare to accoustic guitar. They are depend more on their "pick-up"....hardware like some eletronic chips and the amp.

Electric guitar, majority got type of sound...sound from single coil and hambacker pick-ups. Those are the major defferences sound becoz' of the different pick-ups.

I will stop rite here, and take some rest will be back for electic guitar pick-up in the next post...sorry very blur..tired..so please for give my inccorrect spelling and mistake I am making here now...

tips.....

so how am I going to choose the guitar, since so many type out there???  I would suggest do not go for BRAND, do not go for shape, do not go for LOOKs... GRAB the guitar play it and feel it....if you feel very comfort in playing it...and like its sound juz bring it home..and yes, set a budget and whithin the budget range pick the one the suit you the most....

For example, I want to spend RM500 ~ RM2000's electric guitar..Forget about Gibson, PRS, ESP....Those expensive brand type's guitar...juz pick the best one within the price range...

will write more...next time...

rockON!

beh

p/s: Any command are welcome, some time I do need your sharing...Do not worry I will get angry..or ...becoz' learning never ending process...I am still learning...and thanks for your support!!! thank you!!

Guitar_1

Guitar is the coolest intruments for all; its easy to pick up but its not easy to master. I had seen a lot of ppl pick up guitar and can play a short intro of swee child O' mine or Nothing else matter they think that they had already master the guitar. That's dead wrong!!! Please do not fall into this trap, trap yourself into dead end.

Playing the guitar, first you have to know what type of guitar suit you most. For a beginner, my advise to you is pick any cheap acoustic guitar as a start off. First you no need to spend a lot of money while you still do not know the guitar yet. Second, it's a good start off, a lot of great guitar player like John Petrucci, Slash, Kirk Hammett, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Jimi Page, etc etc they also start off with a brand X guitar.

Guitar got many types. Basically, out there have accoustic and electric guitar. What is the different between these two? Accoustic guitar do not have pick up. It does not need an amp; pick up is an device to "collect" the sound from the string and send to the amp in order to have the sound. Actually it's the frequecy pick up by the "pick up"'s magnate and send those frequecy to the amp so that you could listen to the sound.

So an accoustic guitar is the best to start off as if you are juz about to pick up the guitar. Its simple and easy.

First lesson for the guitar its not how to play the guitar. It's how to tune the guitar. A lot of ppl when first pick up the guitar they juz want to know how to play the guitar instead of learn how to tune the guitar. If the guitar out of tune how can you play the song with your out tune guitar? let's think about this first. So you have to know how to tune the guitar in your first day of learning the guitar. Out there got a lot of books or you could get yourself an electronic tuner if you have the money to spend (it's good coz' you can get the correct tune).

Next writting I will write on the guitar types. that's for today! Njoy!

rockON!

beh

let's being ...

Hi, I had decided to create myself a blog called beh_guitar blog. This blog is created for sharing my favorite instrument the guitar that I know off. Also the music, rock&roll, bandsound, etc etc.

Today, I had watched the rock band live from the 80's like Metallica, Guns&Roses, Cinderella, skiprow and many more. I really miss the sound from the 80's. So I decided to write up something and put into my blog to share with you guys about my tought about music.

This is juz an introduction, and thanks for stop by and read it.

rockON!

beh