Hello from Brighton Colorado

Introduce Yourself
#1

I started playing Classical guitar in Middle School. Picked it up off and on for decades. About 20 years ago I bought an electric and started taking some lessons. I started doing Adult Band sessions at School of Rock where we make a set list and rehearse it for a few months and then do a show at a public venue throughout Denver. It’s a lot of fun and it really motivates me to practice.

I’ve always admired Al Di Meola’s technique and want to be able to alternate pick some of those amazing runs he does, or at least do a reasonable impression. I want to be able to add some fast arpeggios to my solos and that’s when I discovered “Cracking the Code” on YouTube. I’m a monthly subscriber now and am excited to improve my technique. I’ve already seen some improvement to my speed.

I’m working through the videos on picking motion. I have a Strat with a floating bridge and I’ve noticed that when I rest my hand on the bridge it changes the tone. Anyone experience this? Any suggestions? @Troy

1 Like
#2

Hey there ! :slight_smile:

I dont own a strat but my guitars always had a floyd rose. What exactly do you mean by “changing the tone” ? Because of a change in picking angle or a different motion ? Playing a certain way will always kinda change your tone a bit, i think, if you dont compensate for it. Thats not necessarily negative.

If you are talking about unwanted palm muting, that can propably be avoided by experimenting with the position/motion a bit.

#3

I probably shouldn’t have used the word “tone”. More specifically, if I play a note and I let it ring and I then rest my hand on the bridge the way Troy suggests I can hear the pitch change. I’m moving the floating bridge slightly, but I don’t see how I can rest my hand anywhere else that works.

#4

Thats kind of unusual.

Technically, a very subtle change in pitch is propably physically unavoidable just from the touch of the hand, propably unnoticable if you dont have extremely good perfect hearing. But it shouldnt reach a point were something sounds out of tune. At least i never experienced that playing floyd roses.

Either the bridge you have is somehow super sensitive or you are pressing it down. There shouldnt really be much pressure involved at any point of contact with the guitar. Your arm ist propably also resting on top of the body somewhere (its common but not universal) and thats where the weight of the arm also comes into play. But to apply enough pressure to the floating bridge to change the pitch you have to actively press the hand towards your torso, i think.

Maybe check if you are unintentionally doing that ?