Sole guitarist....advice?

[saulhudson]

After being let down by a guy who was to be 'second guitarist' in a band we're forming, it now falls on me to try and cover all bases guitar wise?

I'd appreciate any advice on how best to do this, as it stands I feel that particularly when soloing it can sound kinda empty with just drums and bass.

We have a female singer, (And bloody good she is to.) and this is the kinda stuff we're doing at the moment in rehearsals.

Maria- Blondie
One way or another- Blondie
I love Rock and Roll- Joan Jett
Zombie- Cranberries
Weak- Skunk Anansie
You shook me all night long- AC/DC
So what- Pink
Rocking in the free world- Neil Young
Echo Beach- (Gabriella Cilmi version)

We're hoping to do 'Decode' and 'Misery Business' by Paramore which tend to sound better with the two guitars, but i was wondering about basically picking out motifs, (Such as the intro for 'Decode' but then reverting to chugging power chords to keep it flowing and fuller sounding?

I'm just basically loking for ideas really on playing as sole guitarist and ways to adapt songs, (fill them out) maybe so they're still recognisable and sound the same

We're also using the odd 'Click track' for songs with a keyboard sound, such as Maria, So What, Echo Beach, and I've wondered about maybe recording a rhythm guitar on there?

Appreciate any help/advice people many thanks.

[subwayband]

Hi mate, I wouldn't worry too much about it! I am the sole guitarist in my band and we have a female vocalist and do similar material to you. we have never come across any songs where it hasn't sounded perfectly good with one guitar.I find if you just play whatever part is recognisable to the listener then they won't notice there is no other guitar.
If you intend to play anything with harmony guitar then it might be an issue but I would just say stick some delay and reverb on when you solo and all should be fine.

I think if anything 2 guitars can really mush up a bands sound if they don't know what they are doing. You have to think about complimenting tones that go together and making sure whatever parts you play fit with each other. there is also the problem of competing volumes/one guitarist not turning down during the others solo!

And you make more money with one guitarist!!.....but on the downside there is no-one to give a dirty look to and pass the blame if you fluff a riff!!

[saulhudson]

Originally Posted by subwayband

Hi mate, I wouldn't worry too much about it! I am the sole guitarist in my band and we have a female vocalist and do similar material to you. we have never come across any songs where it hasn't sounded perfectly good with one guitar.I find if you just play whatever part is recognisable to the listener then they won't notice there is no other guitar.
If you intend to play anything with harmony guitar then it might be an issue but I would just say stick some delay and reverb on when you solo and all should be fine.

I think if anything 2 guitars can really mush up a bands sound if they don't know what they are doing. You have to think about complimenting tones that go together and making sure whatever parts you play fit with each other. there is also the problem of competing volumes/one guitarist not turning down during the others solo!

And you make more money with one guitarist!!.....but on the downside there is no-one to give a dirty look to and pass the blame if you fluff a riff!!

LOL, cheers subwayband, appreciated, part of my problem probably stems from years of palying to backing tracks in a duo, (Still do) and getting used to a very full sound.

[smokingbeagle]

Skunk Anansie never had a rhythm guitarist

Seriously, it can be a pain being the only guitarist, but to my mind you've got three options -

1/ Get by as best you can, most punters won't really care if the sound thins out a bit for the solo or whatever.

2/ Get the bassist a chorus pedal or an octaver (octave up) to kick in whenever you drop out for a lead line. Used to do this myself, filled the sound out a treat.

3/ Get yourself a looper pedal, and learn to use it VERY well then you can record chordal backings for your solos as you go along (as long as the solos are over the same chords as another part of the song) and back yourself. A potential nightmare if your timing and/or stage monitoring are shit, though.

[saulhudson]

Originally Posted by smokingbeagle

Skunk Anansie never had a rhythm guitarist

Seriously, it can be a pain being the only guitarist, but to my mind you've got three options -

1/ Get by as best you can, most punters won't really care if the sound thins out a bit for the solo or whatever.

2/ Get the bassist a chorus pedal or an octaver (octave up) to kick in whenever you drop out for a lead line. Used to do this myself, filled the sound out a treat.

3/ Get yourself a looper pedal, and learn to use it VERY well then you can record chordal backings for your solos as you go along (as long as the solos are over the same chords as another part of the song) and back yourself. A potential nightmare if your timing and/or stage monitoring are shit, though.

WOW....I was thinking along those very lines myself, seeing if the bassist was prepared to use maybe a distortion on some of the solos to see if it would help fill the sound, and I had even thought about the use of a looper in just the way you mentioned, but as you say...the timing would have to be spot on.

[smokingbeagle]

Originally Posted by saulhudson

WOW....I was thinking along those very lines myself, seeing if the bassist was prepared to use maybe a distortion on some of the solos to see if it would help fill the sound...

Chorus or octave to fill it out in my experience, distortion can actually make a bass sound thinner.

[saulhudson]

Cheers I can try my Chorus or Octaver through his bass just to see.

[fretmeister]

Originally Posted by smokingbeagle

Chorus or octave to fill it out in my experience, distortion can actually make a bass sound thinner.

Not with my rig!


Anyway - the answer is.... get a better bassist, or get your bassist to abandon the Root note pounding and actually play a tune. Think Entwhistle or Bruce.


Even simple things like playing the root with the kick drum and the octave with the snare can really fill out the sound.


Re-EQ the bass too. Loads of bass, loads of low Mids, bit of upper mids and fuck all treble. Make it thick and syrupy. Compress the piss out of it so all the harmonic overtones are there at once.

[Grunfeld.]

Originally Posted by saulhudson

I'd appreciate any advice on how best to do this, as it stands I feel that particularly when soloing it can sound kinda empty with just drums and bass.

When our main guitarist got sacked leaving just me we had the same problem. Now I'm used to it I really prefer it tbh -- and the wages go better between four rather than five.

For solos it took a while to feel confident about it but now I kick in a boost of volume on the amp and often an overdrive pedal too. At first it was like, fuck I'm loud! -- but it's not really, it's just that I wasn't used to it. Also, a smidgen of echo helps. Subtle though.

The "better bassist" thing Fret mentioned works -- ours is as solid as a rock and we work together to compliment, not compete. He's helped me a lot actually.

Some songs won't work with just one guitarist though and you just kind of have to accept that. AC/DC I found too hard to pull off convincingly. It bothered me more than it bothered anyone else though.

And the other thing that I never started doing before losing the other guitarist is that I now add little embellishments to my playing over the chords. It's good fun and kind of cool. Subtle and simple, don't want to get in the way of the singer, but it fills the sound pretty effectively.

[JaseMorris]

Listen to The Police - learn how to use space. I envy you, being the sole guitarist is so liberating, you can control huge swathes of the soundscape, your playing isn't ever limited to strictly "lead" or "rhythm"