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parlorplayer
Aloha
16 Posts |
 Posted - 06/27/2004 : 3:15:43 PM
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I'm having a great time with Ozzie Kotani's book, but this piece is giving me trouble. A hammer on 12th fret, 1st string, sounds terrible. I have found one guitar that it's OK, but on anything else ( I've gone to guitar shops)- it hurts to hear it. Would it be better on nylon strings or is there a secret to this? I can tell it has something to do with the action and or angle of the string as it comes down. I'm hearing many sounds, and they're not compatible. Thanks for any advice :)
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2004 : 4:16:05 PM
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Sarah sez: Do it fast and keep on going (playing) as fast as is apropriate. That will damp or obscure the unwanted note. It also depends on the guitar, action height, and strings.
Basically, the bad sounds are because the hammered fret becomes a node and the strings vibrate differently on either side of it - making 2 notes. The 12th should sound not too bad because the lengths of the string on either side of the hammer is *approximately* equal. This 2-note sound starts at around the 9th fret. Below that, the length of one of the "substrings" is too short to make much sound.
Practice, practice...
Reid, writing for Sarah |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2004 : 6:15:52 PM
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| In my experience, it's easy to get a kind of dissonant "twang" on that hammer unless the technique is really clean -- it seems there's less room for tolerance. The hammer needs to be solid with fast action coming down and the place you strike needs to be close to the fret. You don't have to strike from very high off the fret board, just get good speed coming down. Like everything - the guitar ain't easy, just takes pracxtice. (Also, if the action is set too high, you have to work much harder. Among the best $75.00 I spent was the cost of a luthier resetting the action of my guitar to closer to optimal.) |
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parlorplayer
Aloha
16 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2004 : 9:42:15 PM
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| Thanks for the advice. I'll keep trying, although I think this particular exercise is driving my husband nuts. Also I've noticed that Ray Kane flicks his finger towards himself and I think most people seem to go away from the fretboard--at least for a pull-off. All I know is that I'm really enjoying the guitar. I played boring second fret chords and folk songs in High School and hadn't picked up a guitar in 30 years. We have an extensive Slack key CD collection and I'm hopelessly and happily hooked. It's also good for my sleepy memory skills--- Aloha, Ingrid |
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