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Thread: How do you play a "dark" vs. "brighter" tone?

  1. #26
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: How do you play a "dark" vs. "brighter" tone?

    Quote Originally Posted by SincereCorgi View Post
    On mandolin, I think the closest you could get would be deciding to play a passage way up on the D string instead of the E in order to get a warmer sound. You could argue that the E and D strings are different pieces of equipment.

    And that's another option, play the darker passage as closed fingerings higher up the neck on thicker strings.

  2. #27
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: How do you play a "dark" vs. "brighter" tone?

    I am not talking about large changes. I don't care for the sound way down by the bridge, nor do I care for the sound playing at the 12th fret. I play at the sweet spot, plus or minus at most an inch in either direction for character.
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  3. #28
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: How do you play a "dark" vs. "brighter" tone?

    Quote Originally Posted by JeffD View Post
    I am not talking about large changes. I don't care for the sound way down by the bridge, nor do I care for the sound playing at the 12th fret. I play at the sweet spot, plus or minus at most an inch in either direction for character.
    Which is where I play most of the time - the sul tasto/sul ponticello are special effects.

  4. #29
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    Default Re: How do you play a "dark" vs. "brighter" tone?

    I have been playing some of Alison Stephens pieces lately and she makes quite a bit of use of sul tasto/sul ponticello, I am probably over doing at the moment, but it's a learning exercise.

    Pick angle does make a difference, you can get brighter without the twang and I like David's idea of closed positions, certainly get a richer sound on one of mandolins -funnily enough the 'folk' one which gets used for open positions a lot.

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  6. #30
    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
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    Default Re: How do you play a "dark" vs. "brighter" tone?

    Lately I have been making more use of fingering right on top of the fret instead of behind it, when I want a more muted tone. My Buchanan seems prone to twangy/whiny response when pushed, and climbing onto the fret a bit allows me to pick harder. When I want a chord to ring cleanly I finger well back from the fret. But for a sweet tone in a melody, fingering on top of the fret is very effective, just letting a tiny bit of fingertip damping to take off the tinkly edge.

    Pick angle is big but grip is, also. Holding farther out toward fingertip is more tinkly, covering more pick material is less so. Holding pick loosely tends toward a thinner tone, firmer hold a deeper tone.

    Playing farther up the neck is a deeper tone but not necessarily less bright. I find the high and low end of tone color are not exclusive of each other. An angled pick with a firm grip at the bridge is both dark on the attack and shallow in the bass. A flat pick with a looser grip is still bright when on the fingerboard.
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  7. #31

    Default Re: How do you play a "dark" vs. "brighter" tone?

    Just got back to my own thread! Hey thanks for ALL the responses - it definitely helped. As far as what the "OP originally meant" - again it was in reference to the book I'm reading, many of you probably know it "The Musicians Way" - so, whatever he meant is what I was asking about - and it sounds like it was addressed here.

    Thanks,
    Patrick

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