Physics of tap vs. regular guitar...

[rjgoos]

I guess, as a long-time guitar player, I am still wondering how a good tone can come from a tap instrument. That tap instruments are capable of a good tone, I don't dispute, given the recordings I've heard. Still the physics are a mystery to me.

For example, on my acoustic guitar, one gets the loudest, fullest, and warmest tone by picking somewhere between the sound hole and the 12th fret. If you pick near the bridge, you get a thin sound, and if you do a hammer on somewhere on the fretboard, you get a thin sound. Doing a hammer on is just a way of rapidly filling in a note, it is not done for its beautiful tone.

So, I am puzzled how you can get a full tone from a tap instrument. I would think that a tap (essentially a hammer-on) would invariably give a much thinner sound that the instrument is capable of.


RJ (Dakota Jay...not to be confused with Jersey Ray)

[traktor]

In a way, it does give a "thinner" tone, but the thinner tone you describe could be described a bit differently --

When you pluck a string nearer to the middle, the resulting sound contains a lot of the fundamental and the first and second overtones, but not a huge amount of higher harmonics, because the moving mass of the string, swaying from side to side, tends to stretch the string, reducing the amplitude of the smaller vibrations along the string's length.

When you pluck a string near to an end, such as near to the bridge, it produces less middle-to-middle large movement. You might think of this kind of plucking as sending a wave up the string, and from the other end the movement travels back down the string. You've seen this phenomenon if you've ever shaken a rope which had the far end tied to a tree.

In this case, the smaller vibrations along the string get full play because they're not as dampened by the large middle-to-middle movement, and your ear hears this. What you are hearing is a larger amount of the higher harmonics.

At the same time, the volume of the sound plucked near the bridge is less than the volume of the sound plucked near the middle.

When you hear (a) reduced volume, and (b) less low-pitched fundamental and low overtones, your ear can easily call it a "thinner" tone. However, if the volume were increased, and you listen carefully, in many or most cases, you'll realized that you're actually hearing *more* harmonics. Does this sound *good*, as in "good tone"?

Well, let me ask you a question:

Which is the prettiest color: blue or green?

I, too, am, like you, a fan of a round smooth tone. I like the tone of jazz guitar, for example, much better than the tone of Nashville Cats. I like more low harmonics and less highs, in general.

However, using EQ on your rig, you can always throw away some high harmonics if you don't want them. In fact, if you only had a tapping instrument with some tone controls, you could adjust this remarkably easy.

Is the tone the *same* on a tapping instrument as a strat, a Les Paul, or a Martin? Nope. Can the tapping instrument tone sound "good"?

Sure.

[Jersey Ray]

Dakota J.,

This can be (and has been) an item of controversy. For any or all of the instruments in question, who want's "thin tone", or who wants to admit that they have thin tone?

Still, we are stuck with the reality that you get a more trebly sound from tapping, for two reasons, in my opinion. First, the string is set into motion from the fret itself (as Trakor already gave us in his dissertation). The second reason is that there is not as much energy from a tap as there is from a pluck. Even if you tap really hard, as you have to do on an acoustic guitar, you still will not be making the strigns vibrate as hard, compared to strumming.

Back in the early 1990's, when there was one tapping instrument in general usage, I remmeber getting sound advice from a forum member we'll just call "K.W." He was a working musician who had played tap for at least 10 years. Kyl - oops - I mean K.W., put forth three principles of gear to get the best possible tone:

1. spend a few bucks and get a tube amp
2. play with the heaviest gauge strigns you can
3. for 10 string, play with half-baritone tuning.

I did all three and I was a happier player for it. With string gauge, it's good to start out with light gauge, and work your way heavier as time goes on. Really, in the first 6 months, you want to just get your fingerings organized, and work on getting a good sound.

That brings up my last point, which is that most of your tone comes from the way you play. Work on making al the notes sound with even volume, clean attack, good intonation (i.e. no inadvertent bends). During thast first year, practice with a clean sounding amp and no compression, no effects, and it will pay off later.


Jersey Ray

[rockola]

For any or all of the instruments in question, who want's "thin tone", or who wants to admit that they have thin tone?

This reminds me of the time I saw John Scofield. I thought his tone was really thin and not to my taste at all. However, my friend was in absolute nirvana and felt it was the best sounding guitar rig he'd ever heard.

During that first year, practice with a clean sounding amp and no compression, no effects, and it will pay off later.

Amen. Although you might reward yourself with a brief moment of compressed-and-distorted-to-the-max ultimate sustain tapping after an hour of scale practice...

[Jersey Ray]

and with regard to tone, one last comment, (to Dakota J), remember the reason you got interested in these instruments was because you liked the sound of a great player, BobC. So, therefore, you know in advance that you like the sound of the instrument, in the hands of a guy who does not use any effects at all , last I checked.

That's the right reason to play an instrument, because you want to make music that sounds good to you.

In contrast, my opinion is that the wrong reason to take up the instrument would be because you want to be the world's greatest one man band, or because you are a bass player and you hate all guitarists.

[rockola]

I agree with Ray about the reasons to some extent. However, I'd like to add that the end justifies the means. Brian Kenney Fresno has certainly taken the one-man-band thing on a tap guitar to its limit and then some.

But, as a general observation and not directed to anyone in particular, if you just want to be a member of a cult, there probably are better choices out there. Personally, I'd go for one with a bigger faction of scantily clad nubile nymphettes.