Electric to Acoustic and Acoustic to Electric

Hydroman52
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Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:12 am

Scott (dsmarion) posted a video of a very well done acoustic solo of Already Gone to the Busking Eagles thread. Later on in the thread, Scott made a comment (something to the effect) that playing unplugged was harder than playing electric. I’ve heard comments a number of times before that it’s more challenging to go from electric to acoustic than it is from acoustic to electric.

The last time I played an electric guitar was in a garage band when I was 14 or 15 years old so I really can’t remember much about the electric except that I liked playing acoustic more. My question is . . . . would it be a good exercise to learn some riffs and fills on an electric guitar first, and then transfer over to the acoustic? My thought is that a person might built confidence and get the feel of playing more difficult parts of songs quicker on the electric. Then the hurdle may be much lower when finishing out the song on the acoustic. Sometimes, if a particular part of a song is too difficult to play for my skill level, I will put it on the shelf for a while and even forget about it altogether. That’s a shame, especially if there is another way to figure it out.

Disclaimer: This question is not designed to compare the playing skills of an electric player to the playing skills of an acoustic player. It’s only asked to get feedback on whether an electric guitar may be used as a tool for an acoustic player to learn the craft quicker and better.

Hydroman52


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Thu Sep 08, 2011 1:29 pm

Hydroman52:

I can only speak for myself, but I do find it much easier to play on the electric than the acoustic. Mostly due to the smaller neck and overall size of the guitar itself. Not to mention, that if you are playing with any distortion at all, it masks some flubs and buzzing.... :) Others may feel differently..... B)

MJ


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Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:48 pm

MJ and Hydroman,

First I suggest that we define electric. I have three acoustics (Martins) with Fishman pickups in them. When played through an amp, set with a "flat"EQ, it sounds the same as it did when unplugged...just louder. If I believe an arrangement would benefit from delay, reverb, echo or any effect, it is great to be able to pedal it in our out with just a tap of my toe. I also enjoy playing a Taylor nylon acoustic "electric". This guitar (classical) as MJ points out, has a slightly wider neck. I find fingerstyle on either bronze or nylon strings about the same when playing. The timbre is obviously different, but it allows me the liberty to match the sound desired to the mood of the song.

With all of that said, using amp effects can, as MJ states...mask or hide a multitude of errors. That is a two edged sword. It will, in fact, allow a player to sound better than they are in reality. As long as it is used as a bridge while we expand and sharpen our skills, I believe it is perfectly OK! However, consider for a moment the music we will achieve, when our skills are as sharp as Neil's...and then we choose to add effects. At that point, the subtle nuances that are the result of a skilled player, technology, wood and strings, will reach new heights.

Rev Kate


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Thu Sep 08, 2011 7:51 pm

Just for the record when I mentioned playing was harder on the acoustic, I meant that particular song was tougher. And I really meant something like a Les Paul or a Stratocaster for my definition of what I meant by an electric in that statement, not whether the guitar has amplification or effects. I wasn't really making a comparision in general whether playing electric or acoustic was easier or harder in general. I was more talking about particular types of songs that were originally played on electric were harder on acoustic. The reverse is true for other types of songs.

I personally know some really good acoustic players that absolutely struggle on electric, and some really good electric players that cannot play accoustic well at all. The kind of electric guitars I was specifically referring to have much lighter strings and a much narrower neck which allows for playing different types of music that can be much harder to duplicate on an acoustic. That doesn't mean one type or another is harder in general. It means it is harder to play those types of songs and those types of licks on the other type. Lot of acoustic pieces are much harder or even impossible to play on an electirc for the same reason. Finger picking is harder with less space between the strings and the strings sitting much lower to the body and pickups for example. There is just not enough room for finger picking as easily. And obviously the tone is vastly different even if you can play the notes.

When Eric Clapton was asked why he changed Layla so drastically for the unplugged version he stated that one main reason was the licks used on the electric version just could not be done on the acoustic. And he was right. Lots of other songs on electric are the same, harder or even impossible to duplicate on an acoustic. But lots of really great acoustic pieces are much harder or impossible when trying them on an electric. All this matters not about whether effects are added or whether the player sound better with lots of effects hiding the mistakes (lots of great electric players aren't hiding anything). Try doing some Van Halen licks on an acoustic (like, say Eruption) - good luck with that. The licks are hard even on an electric but they are pretty much impossible on an acoustic. Try playing Leo Kottke or Chet Atkins pieces on an electric - and good luck with that too. You can find lots of other examples of this basic difference. Electric and acoustic are two very different instruments designed for different types of playing styles even though they share many similarites - they are not the same. And both have their places in usage. And both are fun and challenging in their own distinct ways, I personally enjoy them both but in different ways.

Just my 2 cents...

Scott


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Thu Sep 08, 2011 7:59 pm

Well said! Thank you Scott!

Rev Kate


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Thu Sep 08, 2011 8:54 pm

Good points Kate and Scott.....

It is all relative to what is meant by easier/better. Some things can be played well on both, but sound better on one or the other (heck, even that is subject to preference). Just strumming away on chords sounds better, IMO, on the acoustic and the leads sound better, again IMO, on the electric. But ask others and you will certainly get some varying answers. There are many songs out there that have little acoustic solos that would just not sound right if they were played with an electric.....confusing enough..... :silly:

My statement earlier was just from the standpoint that the smaller neck, lighter strings and an amplifier may make it "easier" to get going. I find that if I spend a long time practicing on the acoustic doing things like scales and such, The electric is easier for me. Also conversely, as eluded to by Kate, if you get lazy by "masking" everything and don't hone your skills, going back to the acoustic can be a bit of a challenge.

There, digest all of that and see if you can still see straight..... :)


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Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:34 am

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the good input. For the sake of clarification, what I mean by an electric guitar is a solid body guitar like a Stratocaster, Les Paul, etc. and not an acoustic with a pick-up. Also, I wouldn’t be concerned with sound quality (reverb, distortion, etc.) as it would only be a temporary learning tool to work out riffs, fills, and solos. My ultimate goal would be to play the riffs, fills, and solos on an acoustic and do whatever adjustment I felt necessary to adapt the part accordingly. My thoughts are more about the geometry of the guitar (as MJ said “smaller neck, lighter strings . . . . “) that make it easier to play these song parts. I know that using a guitar with light gauge strings is easier to do bends than one with medium strings, so I would imagine that using an electric might make these types of things even easier, yet. I am thinking that if I had an electric on a stand next to my acoustic, it may be advantageous to pick it up to work out a more complicated part. However, I really don’t want to throw time and money (most importantly, time) down a rat hole pursuing something like this if it isn’t being done or just doesn't make any sense. I already have an adequate amp and PA to power an electric for this purpose.

But enough of all my babbling . . . . . . perhaps it would be better if I rephrase the question.

Does anyone out there who plays both electric and acoustic guitars ever try to learn a solo, riff, or fill on the electric and then play it on the acoustic? If so, was there any advantage to doing it that way, or would the time be better spent on just plugging away on the acoustic?

Thanks,
Hydroman52


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