Mean Streets Intro: Playing It Clean And Tonal Problems

[critter74]

so I'm working on the Mean Streets intro which is fun as I haven't played it since my early 20's. So it's like learning it all over again. I have 2 key issues.

Anyways, having a small issue which I know is partly technique (playing it smoothly) but also seems to be either amp setting, guitar setting, etc.

OK long story long: I keep getting residual ringing/open string noise from the open string tapped harmonics. This obviously is partly resolved by just practicing until it flows better, I get that. Not my first rodeo. But in listening to the track the guitar is much more percussive. If I set my amp and guitar to the right percussive ness, it's a little too residual noise. If I roll the tone back a bit, the tapped harmonics don't ring through as nice. I have also noticed the guitar was tracked clean with reverb added in Post production, as even a small amount of reverb can cause an aural soup with so much tapping and open strings that need to ring a bit for the harmonics.

So it seems stupid but any help or advice would be appreciated. Again, I know there is a good 75% that is just getting my technique back. But the tonal percussive ness is causing an issue.

The second issue is more just me bitching: ******** that last part with the 5/7 frets double stop pull offs and harming tapping on 17/19 frets is a bitch to do clean. And Eddie makes it look so easy.

I would upload a video but I do not have it at a level yet I feel comfortable. It's a mess and in the woodshedding stages (most individual parts are played clean but I haven't strung them together yet).

Thanks for y'all's help.

 

[critter74]

Also- is it possible a noise gate was used but set high to keep ancillary and sympathetic string noise out? I don't think so as I don't think EVH used one but maybe in the studio one was used when tracking?

Just a thought.

 

[twoheadedboy]

Another factor is compression. With a really loud amp pushing tape and possibly running the recorded track through a compressor, you're going to even out the dynamics, which can bring some nuances forward and/or hide others, depending on the settings. The rest of it is probably technique and having your guitar setup properly.

 

[27sauce]

It was probably recorded much louder and cleaner than you are playing.

 

[I am the Liquor]

That is a good point.

You could try a hairband after the nut.

 

[critter74]

It was probably recorded much louder and cleaner than you are playing.

Oh I'm sure it's much louder than I'm playing. But I did have my PWE fairly loud and pushing but I wasn't playing with a ton of preamp gain. But I was loud enough for the dynamic response. Like at the very beginning with the hammer on tap then thumb tap with the left hand slap. I've got that part nailed. That was the easiest part. So I fink the gain and volume parts are maybe OK.

That is a good point.

You could try a hairband after the nut.

Yeah tried the hair band thing. Didn't like the feel and it was hard to go into the main riff. Plus it just feels like cheating. Lol.

It may just come down to a bit smoother technique. Like I mentioned I haven't played this in maybe 15 years and it's not my default style anymore.

 

[slimebag21]

Playing that part is so much harder than it sounds!

 

[B Money]

Playing that part is so much harder than it sounds!

...and it sounds really hard.

 

[critter74]

I'm not going to say it's easy, it's not. But it's also not as crazy balls out as it seems from just listening to it. Breaking it down it's not bad. Obviously you need some familiarity with the techniques used though

 

[Heinz57Pep]

You could try a hairband after the nut.

Sounds like a poor man's erectile dysfunction remedy.