Has an amp changed your uke playing?

[don_b]

Good fun for messing around, but be careful not to be "that guy" at an open mic or uke group who insists on playing louder than everyone else. It's not fair on everyone else.

If you get into performing, you start to realise that less is often more. The louder you play, the louder people talk. When I'm doing really well, other people lean in to listen to me playing and go quiet. I would never be able to do that if I had a big PA.

I noticed something similar myself. When I first started playing with my kids song group a few months ago, we focused on easy songs and little-to-no practice sessions. Not all are musicians and all are very busy, just trying to have some fun with kids once a month. Still, gotta practice sometime because the noobs get nervous performing. No problem, I get that, it’s fun anyhow. We got it to one practice a month. I noticed that since we have such limited practice times, and some of the members are so new to performing with others, that personal decisions to solo ended up tanking everybody else. I remember one practice in particular, I had decided to myself we all had the structure down and it was an ok day to start introducing some solos. Without fail that day, every time I would attempt to jam a little bit, it made at least one other person think that they were screwing up because suddenly I was playing something different than I had been. Just kept happening. People would stop playing, assuming we needed to start over etc. I remember it surprising me because it seemed obvious to me that somebody solos, somebody plays chords, and that’s how a band works a lot of the time. I had forgotten that many members were never in a band and had no idea what’s going on. Communication is important!

how did I get in this.
Oh, it was the first day I had an amp loud enough for solo to be heard lol.

 

[ampeep]

Here’s my contrarian view:

I only use a pickup & amp if absolutely required. Most pickups don’t sound anywhere as good as an acoustic instrument. Also don’t like to mess with amps, batteries, effects pedals, wireless systems & cords. Like to keep things simple.

Also noticed that people with recently-acquired amps often play waaay too loud.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Here’s my contrarian view:

I only use a pickup & amp if absolutely required. Most pickups don’t sound anywhere as good as an acoustic instrument. Also don’t like to mess with amps, batteries, effects pedals, wireless systems & cords. Like to keep things simple.

Also noticed that people with recently-acquired amps often play waaay too loud.

@ampeep- Thank you for posting this reply. I agree about acoustic instruments and though I wear hearing aids due to substantial hearing loss, 100% of bands who perform at local events crank their amps far too loud. During a recent class reunion held in a local community center with a capacity of under 200 people, two different musician classmates privately commented to me, “Doesn’t the band know the volume control goes both directions?”

This even applies to “professionals”. My family recently attended a concert by a pop music duo that has a strong following in the Atlanta area and we mutually agreed to leave after the 1st set because the amps were so loud that we couldn’t hear the lyrics.

 

[ampeep]

@ampeep- Thank you for posting this reply. I agree about acoustic instruments and though I wear hearing aids due to substantial hearing loss, 100% of bands who perform at local events crank their amps far too loud. During a recent class reunion held in a local community center with a capacity of under 200 people, two different musician classmates privately commented to me, “Doesn’t the band know the volume control goes both directions?”

This even applies to “professionals”. My family recently attended a concert by a pop music duo that has a strong following in the Atlanta area and we mutually agreed to leave after the 1st set because the amps were so loud that we couldn’t hear the lyrics.

Totally agree with you!! I blame the sound person controlling the PA system volume. Maybe they want to show off how loud they can play their rig. Heard a mellow acoustic group playing at a shopping center & the sound levels were ear-splitting. They were at level more appropriate for rock music.

May be my age, but I recall sound system levels being more under control in the past.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Totally agree with you!! I blame the sound person controlling the PA system volume. Maybe they want to show off how loud they can play their rig. Heard a mellow acoustic group playing at a shopping center & the sound levels were ear- splitting. They were at level more appropriate for rock music.

May be my age, but I recall sound system levels being more under control in the past.

It’s not your age. My kids are both under 30 and they agree. At the recent concert by the regional pro duo (whose genre was classic rock sprinkled with country, bluegrass gospel and a bit of big band), the MC specifically praised the “sound engineer” during the intro announcements. The sound quality and volume was so. Out of kilter that my son (a chemical engineer) hit the nail on the head with “imaginary engineer”. Also, the venue was not to blame because we’ve attended other concerts which sounded great. It’s a university concert hall designed with top-notch architectural acoustics.

 

[VintageGibson]

I noticed something similar myself. When I first started playing with my kids song group a few months ago, we focused on easy songs and little-to-no practice sessions. Not all are musicians and all are very busy, just trying to have some fun with kids once a month. Still, gotta practice sometime because the noobs get nervous performing. No problem, I get that, it’s fun anyhow. We got it to one practice a month. I noticed that since we have such limited practice times, and some of the members are so new to performing with others, that personal decisions to solo ended up tanking everybody else. I remember one practice in particular, I had decided to myself we all had the structure down and it was an ok day to start introducing some solos. Without fail that day, every time I would attempt to jam a little bit, it made at least one other person think that they were screwing up because suddenly I was playing something different than I had been. Just kept happening. People would stop playing, assuming we needed to start over etc. I remember it surprising me because it seemed obvious to me that somebody solos, somebody plays chords, and that’s how a band works a lot of the time. I had forgotten that many members were never in a band and had no idea what’s going on. Communication is important!

how did I get in this.
Oh, it was the first day I had an amp loud enough for solo to be heard lol.

I play with two different groups one mixed acoustic instruments, but mainly guitars, the other all ukes. Both groups have players of varying ability though some are pretty good. What they all have in common is they can't follow a solo, usually the whole thing falls apart after a few bars.
Your point about not being in a band is very valid, also I think that when they have no lyrics to hold the structure together they can't follow the chord changes. I find it helps when I make a songsheet with the lyrics that cover the solo duplicated and highlighted in a different colour or italics.
That way they can "sing" the part internally and keep the changes going.
Vintage

 

[Wiggy]

...What they all have in common is they can't follow a solo, usually the whole thing falls apart after a few bars.

This is what makes simultaneously singing and playing difficult for me. My playing is the "rhythm section" while my voice is the "solo" instrument, like rhythm and lead.

In your groups, perhaps you should explain how the rhythm must continue to keep pace through the bars no matter what the solo is doing and that the solo will match up with them at the end of a phrase.

May need a "signal" to let them know that you are about to solo, and that they should carry on.

 

[VintageGibson]

This is what makes simultaneously singing and playing difficult for me. My playing is the "rhythm section" while my voice is the "solo" instrument, like rhythm and lead.

In your groups, perhaps you should explain how the rhythm must continue to keep pace through the bars no matter what the solo is doing and that the solo will match up with them at the end of a phrase.

May need a "signal" to let them know that you are about to solo, and that they should carry on.

The signal is always on the songsheet but the difficulty is in following the chords even when displayed like this; C / / / C / / / G / / / .
Including the lyrics helps hold things together.
Vintage

 

[ampeep]

I play with two different groups one mixed acoustic instruments, but mainly guitars, the other all ukes. Both groups have players of varying ability though some are pretty good. What they all have in common is they can't follow a solo, usually the whole thing falls apart after a few bars.
Your point about not being in a band is very valid, also I think that when they have no lyrics to hold the structure together they can't follow the chord changes. I find it helps when I make a songsheet with the lyrics that cover the solo duplicated and highlighted in a different colour or italics.
That way they can "sing" the part internally and keep the changes going.
Vintage

Interesting turn of topics in this......

Since you mention that some players are pretty good, I find it surprising that they cannot follow the solo & keep the changes going. Just need a few players that can 'guide' the rest of the group.

It's unnerving to have everything fall apart when you play a solo - I know what you mean cuz it's happened to me when there wasn't someone to keep things going.

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

This is what makes simultaneously singing and playing difficult for me. My playing is the "rhythm section" while my voice is the "solo" instrument, like rhythm and lead.

In your groups, perhaps you should explain how the rhythm must continue to keep pace through the bars no matter what the solo is doing and that the solo will match up with them at the end of a phrase.

May need a "signal" to let them know that you are about to solo, and that they should carry on.

Wiggy, thank you for putting my shared situation into words, "This is what makes simultaneously singing and playing difficult for me. My playing is the "rhythm section" while my voice is the "solo" instrument, like rhythm and lead." I also have that problem but didn't comprehend it until now.