who uses the trem?:>

[delicious]

im not too familiar with this thing, and i was wondering what kind of sound you can create, what kind of stuff you can do with a trem, the type of music it is used for. i just think whammy bars looks super awesome and ill most liekly get a guitar with a trem soon. have one on my current guitar but it kills the tuning so i havent really experimented with it and im very curious:> can someone shed some light thx:>

[UKRuss]

...I'm sure there was a thread on this not so long ago, well two infact. One on cool tricks with the whammy bar and one on what is it for kinda thing. Have a search under "getting started" and "Guitar technique" I think you'll find all you need in there.

[EricV]

I did an article on that...
http://www.ibreathemusic.com/article/37
Hope this helps
Eric

[delicious]

excellent thx:>

[EricV]

NP at all. Lemme know if you have any more questions about it
Eric

NP: Sevendust - Home

[Jeansen]

hello...I've tried satch harmonic: i know...trurn the volume a little down n then quickly depressed the whammy bar first and then pinch hrmonic and let up the whammy bar n then push the volume up...
it is so hard !!
this is my two problem n question:
1) after i depressed the bar first..it seems that i can't pinch harmonic well like i used to be...is it normal? n if i succeed creating pinch..it just won't sound like that regular high pitched harmonics...oh ya, i don't use any fx for this..is this the problem?
2) when i let the bar up ..the other strings rings too .should i mute it? when?
does Satch mute other strings when he do the pinch and then let up the whammy bar?
i hope you know what i mean, sorry gor my bad english..thx

[EricV]

Jeansen, I perfectly understand your questions, don´t worry. Weird, I didn´t even know the volume knob was involved in those harmonic-tricks. =)
Anyway, it´s quite normal that getting a pinch harmonic while depressing the bar is tough at first, as it´s kinda of an awkward thing to do... holding down the bar while trying to squeeze out the harmonic.
Keep in mind that Satch also uses some rather unusual regular harmonics with the wang bar. I.e. in "Satch Boogie"... the really high one at the end of the intro is a natural harmonic at the 14th fret, pulled up with the bar at first, then the bar is being pressed down
Also, a bit later, he adds a natural harmonic at the 5th fret and applies the bar to it. So don´t forget to use those as well.

2) Yes, muting is essential, and you can be certain Satch does the same things, especially since you need quite some gain to get those harmonics to ring out loudly and have enough sustain for a long "wang bar squeal", if you know what I mean.
So muting is an integral part. If you i.e. wanna go a natural harmonic at the 5th fret, G-string... mute the b- and high e-string with a part of your left hand fingers, and mute the bass-strings either with your left hand thumb, or any part of your right hand ( palm ). The better you mute, the better and "clearer" the effect will sound.
Hope this helps, lemme know if you have any more questions.
Eric

[EricV]

OK, I dunno if this helps any, but I quickly hooked up the webcam, and did a short clip of me doing nothing else but several different harmonics with whammy-ing ( divebombing and "pre-dipping" ).
If I was recording I´d be even more careful to avoid the unwanted noise generated by me switching positions ( sliding along the string ), but for the harmonics, I muted the adjacent strings with the left hand, and it worked.
Also, you can maybe see how I do the "press bar down, hit artificial harmonic, let bar go" thing.
www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/eric/wang.avi

Hope this helps
Eric

[satch_master]

I have always wanted a guitar with a locking tremolo. Maybe one day...

[Jeansen]

thx a lot!! EricV..as ussualy, you always helpfull..thx again..i'll improve, i promise you :)

about the volume knob..i saw Satch using the volume knob when he played the screaming harmonic in the G3 video ( with Y.J. malmsteen ) maybe he had improvise it? thx

[UKRuss]

I've noticed he does the volume know down and then up to in the Live ni SF\ DVD. I wonder if ti has something to do with assiting in limiting the eunwanted noise fro the strings as they get relaxed and tensed again.

I also wonder if I'll get away with asking: How does Stach get that sustain??? On that Live ni SF DVD at the beginning of Fliying in a BD he holds a note at the end of the preisous song, which then turns into some nice feedback which just rings on and on. Then he just starts to pump the whammy chopping it down and back up again and the note just rings on and on and on. i get the impression that he could simply continue this and it would go and on for ever.

how?

[mattblack850]

I've noticed he does the volume know down and then up to in the Live ni SF\ DVD. I wonder if ti has something to do with assiting in limiting the eunwanted noise fro the strings as they get relaxed and tensed again.

I also wonder if I'll get away with asking: How does Stach get that sustain??? On that Live ni SF DVD at the beginning of Fliying in a BD he holds a note at the end of the preisous song, which then turns into some nice feedback which just rings on and on. Then he just starts to pump the whammy chopping it down and back up again and the note just rings on and on and on. i get the impression that he could simply continue this and it would go and on for ever.

how?

I noticed he does that volume thing on the G3 as well, but it seemed to me he's only doing it when he does the...
'pull the harmonic by touching the strings to the pick-up' thing, if you know what I mean!!

As for the sustain, great quality pre-amps to great quality post-amp, plus once you get that 'perfect' pitch/harmonic it WILL feedback forever and a day with just a little coaxing from the whammy bar!!
Check out Gary Moores live versions of 'Parisienne Walkways' for the same thing but using finger vibrato to keep the string vibrating!!

[EricV]

Exactly... it´s feedback from the amp that helps him get the long notes, like the one in the intro of "Flying...". Also check out "Love Thing" on CD / DVD 2 of the Live In SF package... some of the notes turn into harmonics and he gets the feedback going, which to me adds quite a bit to that song in the live-arrangement.
A lot of people try to find those "feedback spots" during soundcheck, before a show: certain spots on the stage where the guitar is at the best distance and at the right angle to the amplifiers, so you´ll get instant feedback. Often, those spots are marked with duct tape on stage. I have seen this quite often ( i.e. Vai, Santana.. )
I do the same thing, I just don´t mark those spots ( usually don´t play on stages quite that big ), so when I wanna have a note sustain that long, I just move to that spot, hit the note and turn the guitar to the amplifier slightly.
Eric

NP: Milan Polak - Dreamscapes

[UKRuss]

Ah, the quality kit. I feared it might be that.

Guess I'll just have to keep saving. :D

[btangel]

or you can use an ebow :D

[T-Jay]

I guess it could also be a pickup like the Sustaniac....

[EricV]

Right, could be, but Satch doesnt have one of those installed in his guitars live. Steve Vai uses one though ( i.e. "Whispering A Prayer" ), Paul Gilbert occasionally used one ( "Nothing But Love" ), and so did Eddie Van Halen ( "3" album and tour ). Cool device, that Sustainiac
Eric

[UKRuss]

Eric, there was one of the players at Jemfest who managed to get it going with the feedback and sustain. I remember now. But what surprised me was it was at such a low volume.

It just all sounded very controlled and available at will.

I can't remember which player it was.

The only experience I have with feedback is the uncontrollable kind which just happens when everything is a little too loud and you don't want it.

The Flying in a blue dream type one sounds so...I dunno. Deliberate.

The studio/album version he has it going where it kind of fades in and out changing pitch as it does so, more feedbacky.

but the live in sf one, it's just one note, chopped up and down with the trem arm and it goes on undisturbed, no loss of volume,different.

I notice he always kills his volume when he's not playing. I wonder if that's because the feedback would kick in and he doesn't want it. The only way he can stop it is either by playing continuously or by taking the volume down.

Perhaps that added with the quality of his kit means when he is playing he doesnt get unwanted screeching type feedback but he can bring it on by holding a note and simply waiting.

Almost like he has his equipment set up just on the edge of feedback so he can coax it on when required.

I think the problem lies with professional guitar techs and sound engineers who know exactly what is required whereas me amatuer has no chance of being able to "dial it up" when required.

[EricV]

Russ,
what you´re talking about regarding the studio version of FIABD is simply a very well controlled feedback. If you stand in the right angle to your amp, you have it turned up quite a bit, with some ( or a lot of ) distortion / gain, and then play a note, you will get feedback... the pickup picks up the note, send it to the amp, the amp amplifies it and sends it to the speaker, and if everything is right, your pickup picks up that note from the speaker. So you get some kind of a loop, which results in the note becoming kinda infinite.
Now, you can try moving around, changing the angle to the amp, and you might just hear the pitch of the note change into one of the harmonics of the note. Do you have the "G3 live" CD ? The first one with Vai, Satriani and Eric Johnson ?
Listen to the end of the song "Answers". Vai plays a solo at the very end, and then starts to play one single note. He gets the feedback and changes his position and angle, thereby altering the pitch of the feedback forth and back.
That is what Satch did for FIABD.
You can also try to play a note and apply finger vibrato... if the guitar is set up correctly and you do it right, the note will change into an harmonic ( Satch did this in "Love Thing", live in SF )

The screeching feedback you talk about might be microphonic feedback. It´s caused by a microphonic tube ( air in the tube... tube still works but should be replaced ), or a microphonic pickup ( air in the windings of the pickup... so the pickup kinda works a little bit like a microphone... it will pick up speech etc. )
A lot of the cheaper pickups tend to be microphonic ( just faulty production ), but I also heard it happen with DiMarzios and Duncans etc. You can have that rectified by a tech if you have him dip the PU in hot parafin wax, which will help to get rid of the air in the coils. You should leave that to someone qualified, as you can also damage your PU that way.
I use DiMarzios exclusively, and none of them are microphonic. I still have to turn down the volume live when I am not playing, as any noise I make might turn into a feedback.

It takes a while to learn how to control it. Many years ago, I heard someone refer to Hendrix as "the ultimate master of feedback". So I wanted to learn about the whole thing. Fortunately, back then I was in a band with a rehearsal space, so I spent quite some time with my amp cranked, experimenting with feedback.
It was kinda interesting, cuz I noticed the whole "change angle and position of guitar to amp and get different pitches etc."
Oh, and you mentioned the live version of FIABD, and the fact that the notes volume doesnt go down. That is normal for a feedback, as the pickup picks up the note from the speaker, creating a cycle. So sustain of the guitar is not an issue.
Thge Sustainiac pickup was mentioned. It can create feedback even at a low volume ( same as the Ebow, which the Sustainer pickup was based on ). Only problem is that it requires batteries to be installed into the guitar ( I dunno if it still is that way, but Eddie Van Halen had to have 2 9V-batteries put into his guitar, as the Sustainer pickup needed those 2 batteries to function...eats batteries pretty fast )
Hope this helps
Eric

[UKRuss]

Great info.! Cheers Eric.

I'm gonna have to have a play around...although the guys I jam with might not appreciate the amp being cranked too high!

The microphonic feedback makes sense yes, I usually get it through my Tokai tele, which although I love it, has veeeeery cheap PUs in it.

My Ibanez, despite the fact it isn't a top end one, is much better and I don't suffer the same problem.

My other issue is not having a decent amp really. I have a nice little Marshall practice amp and I use a late 70s Marshall 100 watt head and cab in the studio for playing with the band and I'm not sure either of them are up for creating the kind of feedback you mention.

One further question though, When Satch does his eternal feedback sustain in FIABD why doesn't the volume increase. He is continuin his vibrato which generates a note at a certain volume which is then being fedback and added to the original signal back through the PUs if this was to continue surely the volume would increase too?

[EricV]

Hi there

I am pretty sure a 100 W Marshall should work perfectly for some serious feedback. Maybe use an overdrive-pedal or a distortion pedal ( Vai and Satch used to use Boss DS1-pedals ) as a booster to add a bit more gain. It depends on a combination of volume and gain.
I don´t know if this helps any, but a Wah also can be very helpful. It´s a great tool to control feedback ( rock the pedal ever so slowly to get different frequencies and harmonics for your feedback ), and makes it a bit easier sometimes. I think Jimi used this quite a bit to control feedback, even though he didn´t have one in the early years.

Regarding an increase of volume... the notes do not add up, really. Consider this. You play a note. The ntoe goes through the speaker and feeds back into your pickup, creating a cycle. If you now play a different note, or alter the one you played first ( bar, vibrato etc. ), the cycle will be interrupted shortly, and the new note ( or new "version" of your first note ) will feed back. So the notes don´t add up, otherwise you could play chords by having a note feed back and adding two more ;)
Hope this helps
Eric

[EricV]

I wanted to add something, and I also have a video for you...

What I wanted to add is that you do not necessarily need a huge amp next to you to get feedback. It´s enough to have a speaker turned up close to your pickup, loud enough for the pickup to pick up what comes out of the speaker.
In the studio, I had a few situations where I was in the control room, not the recording room ( where the amp was ) and had to get feedback.
What I did was I moved the guitar very close to the monitor, and that was enough to get feedback.
I always considered easy to be right next to the amp, but it´s not necessary.
I did a video for you, demonstrating that.
Setup: My Ibanez with a DiMarzio FRED plugged into a Digitech RP50. The sound I used was one of my regular sounds. Turned up the gain, turned off the noise gate. The RP50 is plugged into the PC ( line in ), and the active speakers of my PC ( cheap ones actually ) are turned up to about 1 o clock.
The speaker is about 10 inch away from the pickup, with the cam right next to it. To make this a bit easier ( and not annoy any neighbours, I have the windows open ), I used a Wah. It´s activated and set to a certain position ( abotu half open ).
I played a C ( G string 5th fret ), and then used the bar once the feedback set in. I also manipulated the Wah a tiny bit to have the note go into another harmonic ( higher pitched, you´ll know it when ya hear it )
Also, I moved a tiny bit, which also helped to get different pitches.
The feedback is a bit weaker than it would be if I had an amp and cabinet right next to me, but I think it´s ok for a little demonstration.
At about 0:35 in the vid, I got the exact feedback I wanted to get. Before that, the use of the bar almost cut off the feedback... I guess I was not close enough to the speaker yet, or the Wah wasnt set to the right position. At about 0:35, the note changes again, and from then on, using the bar added vibrato without risking cutting off the feedback
Here is the URL: http://www.ericvandenberg.net/vids/feed1.avi
Eric

[UKRuss]

Oh that is spot on Eric!:D Many cheers!

I shall check that vid out over the weekend.

Yes I have a DS-1 and a wah, but I generally think I don't get the volume right coming out of the amp.

I'd always thought 100w of Marshall should be enough to do the trick but no matter what I've tried a just can't get it going, Including kneeling right down infront of it and shoving my guitar up against the 4x12.

Hence I think I just need to tinker with the mix of gain and volume a bit more. I generally try to keep the amp relatively clean and generate the gain from the DS-1.

Perhaps I should try to get a bit more gain on the amp and,as you say use the pedal as a boost.

With your talk through of your demo though, theoretically I should be able to get it going even on my practice Marshall, a 15W combo. But if I get the settings right....

Also, I now fear my PUs may just not be up to the job. I suspect if I jam my guitar up against any speaker I'm just going to hear microphonic feedback squealing and screeching at me until I turn away in horror:eek:

Your pointers give me hope though!

Guess what I'm going to be doing this weekend:D

[EricV]

It is weird that you don´t get feedback with the big Marshall. Might be the pickups, or low volume and low gain. Maybe, once you´re alone at the rehearsal space, try turning up the gain on the amp ( or if it doesnt have master volume, the volume ) and crank the DS1.
It´s possible with the small Marshall, I´d say. Thats how I got my first feedback. Had a crappy guitar and a crappy 10 W solid state combo. I was practicing, and then had to go take a break. I leaned the guitar against the amp, and the low E-string was ringing ( distorted sound ). When I came back, that E was still resonating... a feedback !
I think I lost my mind right there =)
Good luck, and make sure you don´t hurt your ears !
Eric

[UKRuss]

YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

A massive shout going out to the Eric V meisterchef!!!!

After all this time, I have found the way shown by the master of tuition!

I feel like I've been shown the five point palm exlpoding heart manouevre!

just so you can hear the evidence...

here is horrible MP3 with nasty hiss from cheap equipment but feedback sustained, pitch varied, monster whistling craziness!!!

cheers Eric, i owe you a beer...or prolly a whole keg by now!

Mana ged to get settings so nice tat I could get it going by just changin the angle of guitar on my knee. Proper fun.

..Now i must go and buy a decent wah pedal...

[UKRuss]

oh! i forget to delete a previous\take....it adds on the end of the one i wanted to post...sorry.

i was having fun:)

[ashc]

Hmm, yes, maybe time to seriously annoy my neighbours with this ASAP - just the thing for some suburban warfare!

Couple of things.. I read one of these top players (cant remember which, maybe Vai) talking about having note names written on spots on the stage floor as places to stand to get the feedback for specific notes. And if you ever heard the soaring lead lines on Bowies Heroes done by Fripp - everyone says that was an Ebow, but I read something with the producer of the record and he said that was all controlled feedback by knowing where to be for what note and so on.

[UKRuss]

I managed to get some in to the end no my latest stricly pent too.:D

I can understand the nots for places type approach. but also i reckon if you practiced enough with your wah pedal you could select your note at will in the feedback.

Just a gentle rockin back and forwards ever so slight movements changes the note, great fun btw.

[Jeansen]

hi, i've tried the "press bar down, hit artificial harmonic, let bar go" thing.. i've tried it... and quiet succeed...i try to duplicate Satch style though...which is "press the bar down with the left hand, hit the artificial harmonic, and let the bar go ".... but here is the thing, i get one problem and question of course..

1) How do Satch and all of you mute the unwanted strings before pressing the bar down ( when switching the bar from the right hand to the left hand )….especially if you play some fretted melody line before you play this trick ?

2) this is a question : how does Satch mute the strings (especially the higher strings) when he do this trick ?

I’m so sorry to ask this boring question again cause it seems that the one you gave me, EricV.. doesn’t contain anything about this trick..

Oh ya, I got some great founding ,accidental actually, when I practice..

1 ) Press the bar down with the left hand , touch one of the higher string with your side of the left hand thumb…then pick it with your right hand ( just like doing natural harmonic ) and then let the bar go…it will be sounded like Satch’s screaming harmonic.
2) Lift the bar up..then touch the 4th or 5th FRET , don’t pick! just touch slightly at the FRET and then press the bar down..

3) play the open G string, let it rings..then again don’t pick it! ,just touch the 4th or the 5th FRET and then press the bar down or up..

4) play any note and then press the bar down ..hold it and then play any note and then let the bar go..

Hope it work well for us haha..
Oh ya, nice conversation here about sustain and feedback…please keep talking about it…
Sorry again for my bad english and please answer also my question…thx u

[EricV]

1) How do Satch and all of you mute the unwanted strings before pressing the bar down ( when switching the bar from the right hand to the left hand )….especially if you play some fretted melody line before you play this trick ?

I am not quite sure which trick you are talking about, but in general, it´s simply the use of both hands for muting. There are different ways of muting your strings, and it takes quite some time to figure them out, so I guess someone could write a 25 page article on it, but basically, the thing is: it´s well worth the time and effort to work on muting with both hands.
You can mute between neck and bridge with your right hand, you can muute over the fretboard with the left hand, and in teh studio, you can use all kinds of tricks to mute strings, i.e. wrapping a cloth around the neck etc.

I’m so sorry to ask this boring question again cause it seems that the one you gave me, EricV.. doesn’t contain anything about this trick..
I am sorry if I was not able to answer your question. I did try, but it seems I misunderstood you, as I was under the impression I was talking about what you asked for.

1 ) Press the bar down with the left hand , touch one of the higher string with your side of the left hand thumb…then pick it with your right hand ( just like doing natural harmonic ) and then let the bar go…it will be sounded like Satch’s screaming harmonic.

Just to add something: often, Satch uses two harmonics simultaneously ( on two adjacent strings ) to get that screaming sound.

2) Lift the bar up..then touch the 4th or 5th FRET , don’t pick! just touch slightly at the FRET and then press the bar down..
That´s actually what Mathias Eklundh is doing. He presses the bar down, and then creates an harmonic by "softly slapping" the string at a certain point, then let´s go off the bar... the result is somethign that sounds a lot like a whammy pedal.

3) play the open G string, let it rings..then again don’t pick it! ,just touch the 4th or the 5th FRET and then press the bar down or up..
Similar to the previous trick. I used to play around with this a lot when I first started fiddling with harmonics. I´d play a note and then touch the string with a fingertip at certain positions to figure out how to get some unusual sound. Of course, the wang bar sure adds to that =)
Eric

[TheJeffinator]

I just wanted to add on to EricV's comment about not needing a huge amp - I use a DiMarzio Super Distortion through a Rocktron Silver Dragon, and I can get feedback out of everything - including my 9 inch Marshall micro-stack - with slight technique modification and a good (i.e. typical prog-metal gain overdose) amount of distortion. Angle and finger vibrato are the hardest things to get a hang of, in my opinion - especially with smaller amps, because if you vibrato too much the pitch fluctuates too much to get feedback, and with 2 inch speakers you have to get within about 10 degrees of the 'sweet spot' to get the feedback.

Back on the topic of harmonics, if you have a good amount of feedback and can find the node for the harmonic that's feeding back, you can get a really cool effect by slightly bending with the bar, or holding the string down slightly at the nut, and going to the next highest harmonic node really quickly - so if you're feeding back with the 12th fret harmonic on the low E string, bend it slightly and tap over the 5th fret - if you do it right, the different resonances will make it sound like your rig got confused and is trying to self-destruct. It doesn't actually blow up, but it sounds really weird.

Rock On,
The Jeffinator

[UKRuss]

Cool trick Jeffinator.

Yeah, as it happened I had no trouble coaxing my 15w Marshall into action. Couild even keep the guitar on my knee and just turn it in.

I think the thing i was missing was two fold, controlled use of the wah pedal and simply not waiting for the feedback to kick in.

Once I'd read through Eric's explanantion It got going first time. Sometimes we just need a pointer or two!

[Jeansen]

I am sorry if I was not able to answer your question. I did try, but it seems I misunderstood you, as I was under the impression I was talking about what you asked for.
hi, EricV: no, you didn't misunderstood me at all...i'm actually asking another question in my second post...i'm the one who must be sorry for asking question with a bad english..haha... :) sorry...

thx for the replies and info about the feedback...surely a great info for me...thx a lot..

and about Satch harmonics, just wanna make it clear, not to confuse anyone...actually, i was talking about the press bar down and then do artificial harm. and let the bar go...Satch press the bar with his left hand and do the P.H with his right hand..

anyway, i've recently know how to mute it..while my left hand still holding a note at the fretboard...i take the bar with my right hand and then i mute the strings with my right hand palm.. then almost in the same time i also move the whammy bar from my right hand to my left hand...depressed the bar (at the same time, my left hand thumb mute the unwanted lower strings ) and quickly, i do the P.H ...and mute lower strings with the side of my thumb... then lift the bar up.. :)

glad to know that i can also play like Mathias Eklundh and EricV :) .

[itzfast]

i do this thing where in between phrases i'll hit a note like on the g string and take the heel of my hand and flick it or ping it so it makes the the note go "boing" it makes a grunting noise that when used tastefully if that is at all possible can be quite expressive. the bar has to be tightened and not dangling. listen to brad gillis formerly of night ranger and you'll see what i mean. although he boings it with his finger i do it with the heel of my hand but the sound is similar

[GtrvVampyre]

I've noticed he does the volume know down and then up to in the Live ni SF\ DVD. I wonder if ti has something to do with assiting in limiting the eunwanted noise fro the strings as they get relaxed and tensed again.

I also wonder if I'll get away with asking: How does Stach get that sustain??? On that Live ni SF DVD at the beginning of Fliying in a BD he holds a note at the end of the preisous song, which then turns into some nice feedback which just rings on and on. Then he just starts to pump the whammy chopping it down and back up again and the note just rings on and on and on. i get the impression that he could simply continue this and it would go and on for ever.

how?

just thought id mention there are effects that will generate artificial feedback that sounds awesome and real. For example on a GT6 theres a feeback option and you can set it to normal and i can make my guitar just squeal forever on that one note. Course you still need gain in your preamps and OD but you can get it to feedback at any volume. Course the louder you have it the more your guitar string will vibrate even more =P

[mattyvegas43]

Hmm, yes, maybe time to seriously annoy my neighbours with this ASAP - just the thing for some suburban warfare!

Couple of things.. I read one of these top players (cant remember which, maybe Vai) talking about having note names written on spots on the stage floor as places to stand to get the feedback for specific notes. And if you ever heard the soaring lead lines on Bowies Heroes done by Fripp - everyone says that was an Ebow, but I read something with the producer of the record and he said that was all controlled feedback by knowing where to be for what note and so on.
I think that the player who wrote the notes on spots on the floor is Carlos Santana.

[smallbusrider]

Doesn't look as cool, but:
If you play a note and touch the headstock to the top of the amp, you can get controlled feedback for days. Im not sure if anyone mentioned that yet.


Also, as far as the markings on the floor, one of the amazing things you can do (Vai does it), is hold a feed back note and step to the different spots-you will be able to get different pitches of feedback. Not only that, it looks cool.

[mattblack850]

I think that the player who wrote the notes on spots on the floor is Carlos Santana.
I know that Gary Moore marks all the 'sweet spots' on a stage with small Duct tape "x's" during soundchecks.

[EricV]

Yeah, that´s the stuff I meant when I mentioned Vai´s solo at the end of "Answers" ( first G3 album ). The advantages of enough time for a soundcheck... =)
Eric

[curiousgeorge]

Yeah, that´s the stuff I meant when I mentioned Vai´s solo at the end of "Answers" ( first G3 album ). The advantages of enough time for a soundcheck... =)
Eric

Have you ever transcribed that solo? I'd love to learn the tapping bit

[EricV]

No I haven´t. I have seen a decent TAB of it though when the PT Archive was still up ( I was about to abbreviate it to "PTA", but that would lead to some confusion... "Since when do mums transcribe Vai-solos ?"...YES, THAT WAS A BAD JOKE ).
However, off the top of my head, I remember this legato / tap lick in there. I attached a TAB which might help you to get started. The tempo and timing is incorrect, and the sequence itself prolly is too, but I think it might give you an idea...
Eric

[Regulus]

I find another interesting trick you can do if you have a non-floating trem and want to raise the pitch of harmonics or etc with the bar is to hit a harmonic and simultaneously raise the pitch by bending the string behind the nut while diving with the bar. I do this onstage to get those Vai 'screams' as I simply use a Fender Strat and I can't pull back on the bar. Puts the string really out of tune if your not careful.