Tapping distortion

Ello,

Been playing the Crazy Train solo and i'm noticing i can sound tapping really easily but only when using my boss super overdrive pedal kind of like a pre-pedal to everything, it's pretty much the only way i can get the tapping notes to sound really clearly. The only thing is that running that before everything including other distortion pedals (was using that + line6 uber metal through the clean channel of my fender roc-pro 1000) you can imagine the kind of distortion and general muddy sound you get, but i can't get tapping to sound any other way. The overall tone isn't that bad, but i'm just looking for a general heavyish sound without it being overboard all the time. Anyone else got this kind of problem? I'm also trying using my pod 2.0 through a speaker, again, only can really get tapping to sound when using the overdrive pedal through it first, using a fender strat on the neck pickup.

Slash - Hey Joe

I don't know how many of you have seen this, but anyway, i've seen it live, it's Slash playing Hey Joe live in the Jimi Hendrix tribute band http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=...q=slash+hey+joe and it's just awesome.

I've learnt to play the canon Hey Joe, and also looked over the Hey Joe song on freelicks, and thought it'd be really good idea if either collectively or Kris could do a lesson on this or tab it out maybe, i know i could try it myself, but well, there are better people for the job than me to do it. My own version of Hey Joe basically takes after this one, because it's so good, but there's a whole load of solo in there (probably all improvised, but nonetheless) that'd be cool to see down on paper just so that you have them and could use them anywhere.

So i think it'd be really good idea if we could tab this version of Hey Joe out or have a lesson on it to go in the Slash section. I know because of the improvisation of the song it's not a cut and dry thing, but general licks and styles to just throw around in there would be pretty cool.

So what do people think? Check out the link (it's google video). Like to hear what Kris thinks about this also if possible

Anyone ever noticed...

That if you take an occasional break from playing guitar you can come back to it better than you were before?

I've tried tapping on and off a couple times for a while, sucked, haven't played for a couple days because i've been busy. Picked up my guitar at about 11pm, within half an hour could play the whole of Tank's tapping lesson and the tapping riff in Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train, almost perfectly.

Weird.

tone theory

This is just a suggestion for something Kris could include in the Masterclass.

While we all probably accept that a guitarist should learn a riff through and through before worrying about the tone he's getting, i think it'd be nice if as an aside to the solos Kris teaches if there were some specifics on what he used to get that particular sound.

I know we don't all have the same equipment to be able to replicate each others sounds, but some things can be converted across equipment and so on, and occasionally some people -will- have the same equipment anyway.

Take Curious Coincidence, there's a very nice sound on that which I wouldn't mind learning how to come up with. Perhaps it's not about just copying the numbers but learning more about how to come up with really nice sounds, what to look for, etc. I know some guitarists really struggle to get good tone out of their guitar/equipment; many struggle just to make their sound cut-through, e.g. any note they try to hold or bend above about the 15th fret dampens and dies (in which case Kris' notes in the extras section about setting up your equalisation would be a good step) - but more indepth stuff could be put out there on that kind of stuff.

I don't know if it'd be a good idea to actually do a video tutorial on this or whether Kris would be willing to; like showing what happens when you use a lot of <some setting> or too little of <some setting> and how this all depends on the acoustics of the room, and so on. Also guitar information, whether you might get a better sound for a solo with single coils or humbuckers (I've noticed things can be a little harder to sound with bends and top-end fretwork on my Fender Stratocaster).

There's probably a whole world of other stuff in that region that could be mentioned or touched upon. I guess you could call it general tone wisdom, or something.

Just an idea.

Little finger strength

Ok, so I thought I might as well get things going with the new forum.

I noticed just lately when playing fast, and generally only when playing fast (or attempting to play fast, there may be a difference there) my little finger kind of buckles.

What I mean by this, is that when i stretch to hit the note I can feel almost the last joint in my little finger 'shift' - almost like the bone is being displaced from the socket, but probably nothing as serious. Anyway, it doesn't actually hurt - there's no pain (I feel no pain.. :sun ) but it certainly puts me right off cos it feels like I almost just broke my finger every time i do it. Take the bit where it gets fast in the sweet child of mine solo, by the time you get onto the high E string to do the run up to the 15th fret, it happens then.

I'm wondering if its purely a finger strength thing, and if i get my finger into some more action and strengthen it up that it won't happen anymore. I've ordered a gripmaster to see if that helps out. I've never noticed it before, but then again i've never been doing fast and demanding solos so much as i am now. Apart from that i can't find anything wrong with it.

Anyone ever have anything like this?