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Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.

II Chronicles 7:3

 
 
 
 
 
 

Guitar Orientation

 

STAY ENGAGED with the people.  CLAP when you can.  Don’t get lost in your instrument or music.

The rule we try to follow is, “Everything for a purpose.”  Every note, fill, or chord you play should be purposeful and add something to the song as a whole.  Remember that this is a group, not your time to shine.  However, every player should know and be able to play their part independently of the other players.  Play thoughtfully and tastefully, as close to the original recording as possible.  Note the style of music at NLC – no shredding, fast runs, double bass, or slap bass please.  We ask our musicians to adhere to our style of music even if it’s not their personal preference.

Acoustic Guitar

Whatever guitar you have, we encourage you to do everything you can to make it sound the best it possibly can.  As good stewards of what we've been given, let's make sure to properly clean and maintain our equipment in order to ensure lasting quality.

 

Pedals

Typically, the only pedals we use with acoustics are tuners.  A good tuner pedal is imperative.  Some recommended tuners are Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, Boss TU-2 or 3, or TC Electronics Polytune.

 

Strings

Sometimes the difference between good tone and great tone on an acoustic is a new set of strings.  Knowing what strings go best with your guitar is very important (for example, knowing whether you need light or medium strings).

 

Strumming Patterns

It’s important to note that not every song has a simple strum pattern throughout the song.  Be aware that there are acoustic guitar parts as well, such as finger picking, Travis picking (not using a guitar pick), or all down-strums.

 

Things to Remember

  1. Be in tune – this is of most importance.
  2. Bring your own cables.
  3. Bring a spring-loaded capo (like a Kyser capo).

Electric Guitar

 
 

Any emerging guitarist will soon know that there are tons of pedals out there.  Here is a look at our general use of pedals:

Needed

Delay Pedal [ex. Strymon Timeline, Eventide TimeFactor, T.C. Electronic Nova Delay, Boss DD-7, Strymon El Capistan]

Tuner [ex. Sonic Research Turbo Tuner, T.C. Electronic Polytune, Boss Tu-3]

Encouraged

Good overdrive/boost [ex. Paul Cochrane Timmy, Jetter Helium, T1m Boost, RC Booster]

Compressor [ex. Wampler Ego Comp, Diamond Comp, MXR Dynacomp]

Discouraged

Modulation Effects [ex. Flangers, Phasers]

Wah

 

Amps

Besides your guitar, this is probably the most important ingredient to your overall sound.  We encourage the use of a tube amp.  Some NLC locations may provide an amp for you to use.  Here are some amps to check out:  VOX ac30 or ac15, Fender Blues Jr., Dr. Z, or similar.

 

Strings

Everyone has their own preference with strings, so this can vary from person to person. Many of our players use Elixir strings for their durability factor as well as their overall tonal balance. 

We try to avoid the use of light gauge strings (under .010 on the high e), as they tend to introduce issues with tuning stability.

 

Things to Remember

  1. Be in tune – this is of most importance.
  2. Bring your own cables.
  3. Be familiar with not only the guitar parts but the sound. The tone, feel and effects are every bit as important as the part.
  4. The majority of our repertoire is driven by electric guitars so prepare accordingly.

Bass Guitar

To get the best possible tone on a bass, you really just need a decent bass and a good DI (Direct Box).  While you can get good bass tone out of many basses, you really can’t go wrong with a Fender P-Bass or a Fender Jazz Bass.  They are also relatively inexpensive basses.  For a DI, we highly recommend the Aguilar Tonehammer.

 

Things to Remember

  1. Be in tune – this is of most importance.

  2. Bring your own cables.

  3. Bass player and drummer must communicate and be in sync.

 
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