Great guitarists don’t use expensive, state-of-the-art gear to produce a high quality sound from their instrument. Great music isn’t produced by the equipment that goes into the musician’s hands. You might have an incredibly expensive Fender Squire and amp set up, but you won’t have the same tone and sound as someone who has a lesser known, cheap guitar with a heart full of passion for music. Great music stems from the musician’s heart and soul. Here are a few great ways to learn how to improve your sound and tone without using any extra equipment!
1. Grow Calluses
Most guitarists learn when they begin playing that if they don’t press down hard enough on the strings of a guitar with their fretting hand, the sound will come out muffled and unclear. In order to produce a better sound and tone from your guitar, press hard on your strings! When you press down on your strings you will eventually get blisters, but these blisters will turn into calluses. Calluses are vital to help you to press harder on your fret board in the future to get great sound while avoiding pain. With calluses, you will be able to press down on your strings, play some great note bends and hammer-ons and not have to worry about ripping your fingers to shreds.
2. Put Your Heart Into It
When listening to any musician, it is easy to decipher whether or not the person performing is enjoying themselves. You might find scales incredibly boring, but think about the fact that scales are warming you up to play some great music. In doing this, you will be more excited and have a great tone by the time you get to playing the actual piece! Playing guitar with this attitude is crucial to becoming a better guitarist. If you want to produce a great tone and sound, put your heart into your music. A truly influential musician isn’t someone who plays all the notes at all the right times, it’s someone who feels what they’re playing and puts their soul into it. Doing this will automatically give you a better sound. Besides, no one likes hearing anyone play music when you can tell they’re not enjoying it!
3. Understand the Story
The best way you can achieve a better tone and sound is to know the background behind the music you’re playing. You might be able to hit every note correctly in Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” but it can sound bland and lack an extremely important element of making music. If you knew that Clapton wrote this piece after his pre-school aged son died from falling from a window out of a multi-story building, you would automatically play the song with a better tone because you will be able to put emotions into the song. Having emotions behind what you’re playing is a vital skill that will take your music from mediocre to being able to touch people. Once you know what a song is really about, you will intuitively connect with what the artist is conveying through their music and do a better job of playing it yourself.
4. Practice
Practicing is the best way to produce a better tone and sound. The more you practice guitar, the more you will be able to experiment what works with your specific equipment set up to achieve the best sound you can get. Practicing your guitar playing every day is imperative to becoming a better musician and is the best way to improve your playing ability. How else will you learn how to nail all those different techniques you’re learning? While practicing, try different styles and hand positions. Use practice time to find your personal preferences rather than using time during a lesson. Practicing more will help you to perfect your sound and give you more bang for your buck in your individual lessons.
5. Get Excited!
Get excited about playing! Not everyone knows how to play guitar and not everyone puts forth the effort to be good at it. You can easily improve your guitar tone and sound by getting excited to be playing music. No one likes a guitarist whose music seems forced and unnatural, so get pumped! Put your mind, body and soul into playing and your enthusiasm will produce a better sound instantly. Keep in mind that you’re learning to play music – the universal language. With music, you can communicate with anyone and break the language barrier. Knowing this and staying motivated will ensure a better sound and tone, no equipment necessary!