Pick Attack

[S. Thompson]

Anyone else like to just beat the shit out of their strings with a hard attack during leads?

Sometimes I think this lends itself to a great sound - very punchy.

- Steve

[Brandon W]

Anyone else like to just beat the shit out of their strings with a hard attack during leads?

Sometimes I think this lends itself to a great sound - very punchy.

- Steve

Of course i do! I punish them..On the song i did for the last comp for example..I trashed my jag. I got lost in the moment and starting prebending the strings as far as i could and then hitting them really hard and releasing the bend while i slammed the trem arm as far as i could and then i just held the guitar by the arm and shook the fuck out of it..Sounded fucking ridiculous...I'm totally out of my mind though. I broke all the strings and the action is all fucked and the arm is bent to hell..so what. It's not a good idea for sure but i wanted it to sound like the guitar was in a total bind and was being pushed to it's limits and the strings were about to break so instead of simulating it i decided to go for it..

[Brandon W]

One more thing..On one i'm doing right now i found pleasure in the opposite. I am barely brushing the strings with the tip of my finger and it's like you can hear the grooves in my finger brush over the string..It's cool as fuck. I'm using a shitload of fuzz and when i use a lot of fuzz like this i often play really soft without a pick and it's like it rolls off the strings and gives the opposite effect of what i described earlier. It's very methodical. I concentrate so hard on the nuances that it almost puts me in a trance..It's very relaxing for being incredibly loud. The fuzz floats and the feedback chases it and then i very lightly touch the string near a harmonic and the feedback turns around a little bit. It takes me several takes to get it because it's incredibly unpredictable. I'm romanticizing it i guess..haha!