U2start.com | U2 & Guitar Gear: Q & A

Originally posted by AAV711:[..]

From http://www.u2-stage-and-studio.com/edge/id11.html:

SLIDES:
Dunlop slides. I've seen Edge use both chrome and brass over the years. I've not read or heard of any particular preference.

Dallas Schoo has developed the 'ring slide' that The Edge has been seen using for "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" and "Miracle Drug" during the Vertigo tour. Desecribed before the tour as his 'secret weapon', said one fan, it is merely as the name suggests - a slide the size of a ring. This allowing for one to play chords and single note figures and slide without putting on/taking off a full size slide. Naturally, this works great for a standard tuned guitar when the desire notes are not that of an open tuned guitar but that of one or two strings only.[/b]

Thanks, i'll get a chrome bottleneck then

BTW anyone know the delay/effects settings for Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World (live)? I've been learning the riff and the different variations (riffs are so much easier to play than chords, i was expecting the opposite )

The good thing about the M13 is that I can record an approximation of that synth bit repearting throughout the song and play the riff over the loop

Like on this fantastic attempt at Promenade by playing over loops using the M13

LikeASong

15 years

Originally posted by vanquish:BTW anyone know the delay/effects settings for Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World (live)? I've been learning the riff and the different variations (riffs are so much easier to play than chords, i was expecting the opposite )

The riffs are easier to start with, but with the time, you will slowly and slightly forget individual riffs (I hope not, but... it will happen

). On the other hand, a chord, with its single sound and structure, can barely be forgotten, it remains many longer.

You must think that, in all U2's discography, there are about (or more than) 100 different and recognisable riffs (not talking about small licks, solos, etc), but... how many chords there are? Not more than 20 or 25. And moreover, the individual U2 riffs will be useless if you want to play other artist's music (how many songs do you know to feature WTSHNN's or Gone's riff?)... On the other hand, a chord is universal; the same Am chord is present on Staring At The Sun by U2, or Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin, or She Loves You by The Beatles, or Time Is Running Out by Muse......

This all is my opinion, because I also started playing riffs (first ones were Miracle Drug and Still Haven't Found), but now I only look for chord structures, riffs come easier when you know the chords of a song

RattleandHum1988

15 years

Originally posted by LikeASong:[..]The riffs are easier to start with, but with the time, you will slowly and slightly forget individual riffs (I hope not, but... it will happen ). On the other hand, a chord, with its single sound and structure, can barely be forgotten, it remains many longer.

You must think that, in all U2's discography, there are about (or more than) 100 different and recognisable riffs (not talking about small licks, solos, etc), but... how many chords there are? Not more than 20 or 25. And moreover, the individual U2 riffs will be useless if you want to play other artist's music (how many songs do you know to feature WTSHNN's or Gone's riff?)... On the other hand, a chord is universal; the same Am chord is present on Staring At The Sun by U2, or Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin, or She Loves You by The Beatles, or Time Is Running Out by Muse......

This all is my opinion, because I also started playing riffs (first ones were Miracle Drug and Still Haven't Found), but now I only look for chord structures, riffs come easier when you know the chords of a song

I second this. Once you learn chords, everything becomes easier including riffs, scales, licks, solo's, and even just jamming with friends. Once you learn scales, if your friends are playing a song you don't know, once you become familiar enough with key signatures, scales, and chords, you can just say "tell me the first chord", and you can just solo and use licks based off that one chord, and it will ALWAYS sound good with whatever other chords they use. Learn chords first. I'm not saying, learn like Dsus7 and all of those obscure chords, or jazz chords and scales, but learn the basic ones, u2 pretty much only uses basic ones, E, A, D(most of their songs are in the key of D), B, F, C, G, and all that jazz.

vanquish

15 years

Er, I think you guys misunderstood me ... I don't even have my amp yet, I'm just playing around with my guitar and decided to learn a few riffs that's all. Once my exams finish this week I'll start proper, my first goal is to learn all the notes on the fretboard, then chords and then some songs and then all the extended technique (hammerons, pulloffs etc) and more songs.

I also want to see if I can learn to play the solo to Stairway to Heaven as a side project, maybe just learn a bit a day, just to build my speed and technical ability while I am still learning chords etc.

LikeASong

15 years

Stairway's solo was my first dream too!!! In fact, Stairway was the very first song I learned (just the picking, I didn't learn the solo until... months of practice hahaha!! but I learnt it pretty quickly, and soon could sing along while playing!!). The first song I learned to play with chords was You've Got To Hide Your Love Away by The Beatles.

I understood you perfectly. You're just playing around, starting over, I know. I just wanted to say that you must NOT focus only on playing riffs and solos, because you're SURELY going to get stuck in somewhere. I don't know when or where, but you will; just because there are some things that you cannot play if you haven't a lot of practice hours behind you. You will get stuck, and then you might get desperate. I know the feeling: you're trying to play one of your favorite songs and you simply can't, the guitar is specially tough on that track. You try and you fail, you try and you fail... Infuriating. (it happened to me when I tried to learn Gone!)
And then, it might be helpful if you start to learn some chords and scales, it's very useful really. Playing chords is easier. You don't even need an electric guitar to make them sound great (think of acoustic and spanish guitars!), and they're much great if you play to other people without electrical amplifying. Chords are easy and funny!
Alex (the guy who posted below me) is a much more experienced guitar player and he agreed with me

Playing solos and riffs is great, but you should't focus just on that. That's all, Lyndon

vanquish

15 years

Originally posted by LikeASong:

Playing solos and riffs is great, but you should't focus just on that. That's all, Lyndon

I'll do both concurrently, learn riffs to stop me getting bored with learning scales and chords
(also you can't impress people by playing scales)
Chords don't sound good an an unamplified electric.

BTW anyone know effects/delay settings for TTTYAATW? It's not on that amnesta site.

LikeASong

15 years

Originally posted by vanquish:I'll do both concurrently, learn riffs to stop me getting bored with learning scales and chords
(also you can't impress people by playing scales)
Chords don't sound good an an unamplified electric.

I don't know even a single scale, nothing. Just the A minor one which is... ... ... on the Stairway solo xDDD

...

BTW anyone know effects/delay settings for TTTYAATW? It's not on that amnesta site.

Someone will answer much better than me soon, but for the moment I'd say he uses a pretty big delay, combined with a phaser and/or wah-wah pedal. I don't know much about effects and pedals, but I if I had to set up my guitar for Tryin' To Throw, I would put those ones.

LikeASong

15 years

PS. In fact, you can impress people playing scales. Look at all those "expert" guitar players like Van Halen and all his disciples... Nothing about harmony, melody or beauty on the music. They just care about quickly-executed scales... And nevertheless they earn lots of money and good criticism...

vanquish

15 years

Originally posted by LikeASong:PS. In fact, you can impress people playing scales. Look at all those "expert" guitar players like Van Halen and all his disciples... Nothing about harmony, melody or beauty on the music. They just care about quickly-executed scales... And nevertheless they earn lots of money and good criticism...

Yes, that's basically what all the hard rockers do, just play a blues scale really quickly.

Originally posted by LikeASong:[..
[..]Someone will answer much better than me soon, but for the moment I'd say he uses a pretty big delay, combined with a phaser and/or wah-wah pedal. I don't know much about effects and pedals, but I if I had to set up my guitar for Tryin' To Throw, I would put those ones.

Thanks, I'm trying to play the live version which is a bit diff to his guitar on the album.

vanquish

15 years

I finally got my amp

I a bit confused as to how to use it properly though, it has 7 knobs in addition to the 3 on my guitar. Got some mad floor shaking, distortion going though

Once I get my M13 connected between the amp and guitar, should I use it for distortion or the amp?

Andrew_C

15 years

Originally posted by LikeASong:Stairway's solo was my first dream too!!! In fact, Stairway was the very first song I learned (just the picking, I didn't learn the solo until... months of practice hahaha!! but I learnt it pretty quickly, and soon could sing along while playing!!). The first song I learned to play with chords was You've Got To Hide Your Love Away by The Beatles.

I understood you perfectly. You're just playing around, starting over, I know. I just wanted to say that you must NOT focus only on playing riffs and solos, because you're SURELY going to get stuck in somewhere. I don't know when or where, but you will; just because there are some things that you cannot play if you haven't a lot of practice hours behind you. You will get stuck, and then you might get desperate. I know the feeling: you're trying to play one of your favorite songs and you simply can't, the guitar is specially tough on that track. You try and you fail, you try and you fail... Infuriating. (it happened to me when I tried to learn Gone!)
And then, it might be helpful if you start to learn some chords and scales, it's very useful really. Playing chords is easier. You don't even need an electric guitar to make them sound great (think of acoustic and spanish guitars!), and they're much great if you play to other people without electrical amplifying. Chords are easy and funny!
Alex (the guy who posted below me) is a much more experienced guitar player and he agreed with me

Playing solos and riffs is great, but you should't focus just on that. That's all, Lyndon

Stairway was my 1st song too

Andrew_C

15 years

Originally posted by vanquish:I finally got my amp

I a bit confused as to how to use it properly though, it has 7 knobs in addition to the 3 on my guitar. Got some mad floor shaking, distortion going though

Once I get my M13 connected between the amp and guitar, should I use it for distortion or the amp?

imo id use ur M13 if it has a pre amp function, i just leave amp alone and do everything on the effects pedal, but u might wana use ur amp's "drive' button for those chunky songs.

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