Does this technique/style have a name?

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hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
I find myself playing a lot of riffs like this in my function band, which mainly plays disco/pop/party music. We have a keys player who tends to cover the chords so I play this style a lot so as not to make the chords too crowded and muddy.

You can hear the style in the verse of Never Too Much and Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough. Single note rhythmic patterns which complement the groove without being too intrusive.

Anyway, i've always wondered if this technique had a name, as I don't really know how to describe or explain it to people!


Playing like this has started hurting my hand because I get a much better tone when I hit the strings hard, so my hand is kind of bashing against the body a lot for 2 - 3 hours per gig. Sometimes during a gig I get a really sharp pain in the centre of my knuckles as if i've broken something. Has anyone else had this problem? How do I still get the awesome tone without destroying my hand? Maybe go up another string gauge? (i currently use 11s in standard tuning)

Tunes:



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Comments

  • DiscoStuDiscoStu Frets: 5382
    Funk??
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited May 2018
    The MJ tune is Disco Funk.
    The LV tune I would say is a sort of Funk/Soul/R&B tune.
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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    What about those specific riffs in terms of guitar technique though? Maybe it relates to ghost notes?
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16255
    edited May 2018
    I think it’s just single note funk/ RnB  rhythm. Generally funk guitarists aim for a looser picking hand than you’re describing. I know Paul Jackson Jr ( many of whose riffs you are probably copying) uses a compressor with a blend knob ( he was endorsing the Xotic one at some point) so I guess that’s part of the answer. He did an instructional dvd but it’s no longer available, there are some clips on YouTube. IIRC @monquixote  is our resident PJJ fanboy. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • westwest Frets: 994
    How about Nile-ism .....
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16255
    hassleham said:
    What about those specific riffs in terms of guitar technique though? Maybe it relates to ghost notes?
    I don’t know if this is what you mean but those kind of lines are generally played using a constant 16th note rythmn with your picking hand so you have muted ( 16th) notes inbetween the ‘heard’ notes. If you watch David Williams playing Don’t Stop at 1:00 on this that’s what I mean:

    https://youtu.be/JQBaOH7Zeug
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    edited May 2018
    @EricTheWeary ;;

    Yes that’s exactly what I’m talking about! The muted notes are what I was referring to as ghost notes.


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  • Modulus_AmpsModulus_Amps Frets: 2569
    tFB Trader
    thicker plectrum with thick strings maybe

    Otherwise meditate and learn to control your power for more precise force with smaller motion..... rather than "bashing"
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16255
    hassleham said:
    @EricTheWeary ;;

    Yes that’s exactly what I’m talking about! The muted notes are what I was referring to as ghost notes.


    There are a lot of funk tutorials on YouTube including some single note ones. Getting that 16th note strumming down in a relaxed way and controlling the notes. That’s the chap who played with Jackson and that’s how he did it so I think that’s the way forward.
    Sound wise compression might help to get those notes to pop out without having to hit harder. 

    David Williams really makes playing that riff look like a piece of piss,I suspect it’s not that easy! 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • donbotdonbot Frets: 359
    edited May 2018
    How strange. Just started giving this technique a go today with Thinking of You by Sister Sledge. A lot of the muting is done with the fretting hand fingers rather than palm muting I think. Strumming hand should be loose and relaxed. Also defo use a compressor as mentioned above. It'll even out the volume of the thinner strings and bring out the muted strums more.

    Just my tuppence anyway.
    Also check out Nile Rodgers as alluded to above 
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8591
    hassleham said:
    Does this technique/style have a name?
    Didn’t David Williams call it “popping” because the key notes pop out.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • rossyamaharossyamaha Frets: 2439
    I call it either comping or vamping. Probably wrong. When you star to play this stuff you will hear it all over the place in pop music. 

    I play guitar and take photos of stuff. I also like beans on toast.

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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    @Roland ;
     
    It does remind me of popping on a bass!


    @rossyamaha
    Yeah it is everywhere! I think comping is different.


    Perhaps it should be given a name. I like Nile-ism! @west ;
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  • exocetexocet Frets: 1948
    I play Never Too Much - I find that the single note lines that you refer to can sound really good with a Telecaster in "middle position" plus a bit of compression.
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  • robinbowesrobinbowes Frets: 3021
    This is more about what notes to play than how to play them, but I liked it:


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  • hasslehamhassleham Frets: 598
    @robinbowes ;
    Very cool, thanks for sharing!
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  • exocetexocet Frets: 1948
    It may well be that you are using too much physical effort when what you teally need in a live situation is an amp that has clean headroom. Then you can focus on picking the notes accurately using smaller wrist movement. 
    I play this style using a heavy pick (approx 2mm). I also use a compressor with a blend control to allow the initial pick attack pass through. I use a Fender HRD with a Strat or Tele and have no problem in getting pretty close to that sound without bashing my hand around. I also use my thumb and fingers to "pop" certain notes - makes them stand out a bit. 

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