Acoustic To Electric And Back Again...

[get2sammyb]

Not sure if this is in the right place but...

I am experimenting with trying to make my band more original, and we figured a mixture of acoustic and electric guitars may do this.

But I need your opinion on something. When the electric guitars come in after an acoustic has played for a while, would you mute the acoustic, or just put the electric on top of the acoustic guitar?

[Bob Keelan]

My first inclination would be to leave the acoustic on but this is why we experiment right?

[Sangram]

Depends on the style of music and what the individual parts are. I have tried both and it depends on which instrument is carrying which part - rythm, melody, lead and fills.

"Samba Pa Ti" is a good example of a song where an acoustic (classical) and an electric play counter-melodies. There is a ton of music where an electric plays a rythm and lead, and acoustic plays fill-ins.

There is also a lot of material where the acoustic yields to the electric for the chorus and bridge, and a lot where the entire song is carried by just the electric, or just the acoustic. Really, all combinations have been done, just mixing an acoustic and electric will not make it sound 'different' or 'original' - originality is a combination of many things in the music.

To make your band sound 'original', experimentation is the key. Maybe you can try different keys? Time signatures? Have different length in verse and chorus? Write lyrics differently - use unusual themes? Experiment with rythms? Try unusual instruments - Tympanis, Plastic buckets? Unusual effects can also transform a regular sound into something interesting.

[Chibi Nappa]

A good way to make your band original is to not ask how most other people would do it.

That being said, I loves me some accoustic playing along with a distorted electric. See Radiohead "The Bends".