cbessette t1_j6k5s53 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 10:16 PM

I am a musician, the guitarist in our band insists that we practice very loud or the music doesn't sound right. We're not kids either- We are in our fifties. It literally got painful last weekend at practice and I decided I'm wearing ear plugs from now on when I practice with him.

Wintersbone7 t1_j6kpth3 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 12:33 AM

That is a dilemma. I am a keyboardist, so I just have digital sound. Electric guitars need to be cranked up to a certain volume in order to get that traditional distorted sound that makes the electric t guitar so warm and at the same time gritty. Jimi Hendrix did not make history by turning his amp down.Carlos Santana would not get that singing sound if he were to play quietly. Eddie van Halen simply is a different guitarist at a lower volume. This is one situation where I would rather just put an ear plugs, then compromise the quintessential electric guitar sound.

cbessette t1_j6ml314 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 12:01 PM

I play keyboards and bass guitar in my band. Modern guitar amps can reproduce practically any sound those guitarists produced, but at lower volumes. I do understand that rock is supposed to be loud, but there is a difference between loud and ice-picks-in-your-ears loud. The problem in my band is that the more the guitarist turns up, the louder the drummer plays, then the guitarist gets even louder, etc.

Wintersbone7 t1_j6ok681 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 8:09 PM

I really do dislike, unnecessarily, loud music or noises for that matter. I didn’t know that modern amps could access, distortion and feedback. Drums on the other hand, are just loud by nature. Most rock drummers never heard of brushes. A lot of them would benefit by studying the great jazz drummers. And not buddy rich.