Originally Posted by
Commodore 64
Now, a question regarding practicing. Working on derivatives of that shuffle I posted above...it seems the lowest note seems to override all the others, like it drowns out the other notes. Is this a function of my strumming then? This is hard to explain, I suppose I need to figure out how to record myself.
I often hear the same effect but I don't think there is necessarily any fault in technique. After I gave it some thought and critical examination I've rationalised it with 2 different effects that may be contributing...
First, when you shuffle the 5th and 7th diads, you are changing only 1 of the 2 notes. There is one note that remains the same and therefore rings out constantly and continually. It is only natural for the ear to "focus" on this constant and trick you into hearing this more prominently.
Second the thicker the string the more meaty it will sound. Not necessarily louder, but just a bit more full and heavy, again contributing to the prominence of that note within the diad.
Also remember that shuffle rhythms are normally supposed to be lightly palm muted which should go some way to equalising the initial audible attack across both strings.
My advice would be to continually exercise using the rhythm score from Come Together. PM if you need the tab. Play along with the music. Be critical of your physical playing and disregard what you hear for a while - if you honestly believe that you are striking both strings with equal pressure but can still hear the bass note more prominently then it's probably just a trick of your own ear.
For rhythm playing this is normally fine - remember the lead score when layered over the rhythm will be more prominent still. Also, for an audience listening to this, their ear will most probably be immediately drawn to the changing note within the diad.
Finally, another tip I would give you is to play the 5ths and 7ths with index and ring fingers anchored in place and using the pinkie to make the 7th. The shuffle rhythm for come together uses two 5ths, two 7ths, two 5ths, two 7ths, etc... so while playing the two 7ths, lift the pinkie between each strum. This creates a stacatto effect that draws more attention to the higher note
Hope that all makes sense dude
Cheerz
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