Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Gear Acquisition Syndrome: A tendency to purchase more equipment than justified by usage and/or price.

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Glass_Season
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Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Post by Glass_Season »

For anyone here who does noise on guitar, what sort of object(s) have you had any luck using as a makeshift guitar pick, or do you just use a regular guitar pick?….. Any recommendations?
I myself am putting some serious thought into buying a mini vibrator to use as a pick.
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Indeterminacy
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Re: Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Post by Indeterminacy »

Glass. Old bottles are best.
Break them into useful sizes and tumble the cutting edges off. Glissando is your friend.

Small DC motors with felt discs attached. Gizmotron like and then some.

Old steel tools. Chisels especially.
Pre World War I for the virgin cast steel you should keep an eye out for.
You can fashion some seriously robust picks from this material.


And E-BOW for the win.
Volume is a fantastic thing,
Power and volume - Pete Townshend
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Re: Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Post by crochambeau »

I've used an old AC vibrator to shake the instrument. Brushed AC motors offer the added benefit of excessive EMF noise which can easily be picked up with single coil pickups (humbuckers may cancel a bit).

I've also used the knurled adjustment ring on microphone stands.

But the most fun with guitar based noise was playing one guitar with another guitar while both were plugged in. Cleared a room (save one old friend) with that set-up.
When in doubt, add resistance.

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Re: Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Post by melko »

a vibration speaker

Image


rub the strings with the speaker -> output of the guitar to the mixer -> mixer send output back to the speaker
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Re: Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Post by RUBBISH »

The Ebow these are cool.
https://ebow.com/

I just scored 4 violin bows at the thrift store!
Excited to use one on a guitar!

Everything already mentioned is good.

The metal rod that holds a door hinge.
I have a vintage one with a round end.
1620682803973546454720.jpg
Pick wise I like the rubbery dunlop picks.
place holder
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Re: Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Post by The Mysterious Creep »

I use a pick for more normal playing (hitting long low notes or tremolo-picking high ones), plus pick scraping for more noisy sounds. I've used electric toothbrushes to agitate strings because I don't have any vibrators lying around and no way in hell am I buying a sex toy with gear money. The toothbrush works better with fewer effects, though, they tend to not have the biggest effect on the strings. I've used quarters and other coins in a pinch, but I don't think their qualities add much to the sound. I also use a small violin bow and screwdriver (GY!BE-style) for more drone-type sounds or with certain preparations (tapping and flicking metal wedged between strings or dragging the bow against strips of hard plastic woven through them).
Even if you took a few years and learned all the chords you'd still have a limited number of options. If you ignore the chords your options are infinite and you can master guitar playing in one day. - David Fair
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Re: Extended Techniques & Noise-Guitar ‘Picks’

Post by crochambeau »

The Mysterious Creep wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 9:58 amno way in hell am I buying a sex toy with gear money.
That's why you buy sex toys with food money, and then double your pleasure (so to speak) by applying them along sound channels too.

Also, a fan missing a blade will wobble like crazy and with skill and daring it's a trivial act to lean into it enough to hit your strings.
When in doubt, add resistance.

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