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Lesson time: (5min 26sec)
Zach explains the importance of understanding all the elements of 'the signal chain' - all the steps between your acoustic violin and its amplified sound.
We'd love to hear what you do with effects on your string instrument. Post a video of yourself playing in this course's exclusive facebook group - Improvise & Groove on Strings
This lesson is part of the course Learn Improvisation on Violin with Zach Brock & Snarky Puppy
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
It all starts from the sound that your pickup is making. That is the bedrock of your amplified sound. There are various things you can do to enhance this sound:
I urge you to experiment with these components. Don't just take my word for it, try it out for yourself!
Features include:
The goal is to closely represent the sound of my acoustic violin in an electric format.
"That's with an effect on, whoops!"
It's important to note:
Roll off the high end when playing an electric stringed instrument, especially violin:
Tame the low end.
Understand how your stringed instrument works to achieve the sound you desire.
Exploring various equipment is fun, but knowing how each piece works is crucial for achieving the sound you want.
Know how your acoustic instrument relates to frequency settings:
Using recording software like Logic can be incredibly helpful:
This analysis will enhance your understanding of your violin's sound across the frequency spectrum, allowing you to adjust accordingly.
While this may seem a bit technical, it's necessary. Now, let's move on to the fun aspects, the toys!
Heralded as "the pre-eminent improvising violinist of his generation," Zach Brock is a violinist and composer whose music draws on the traditions of jazz, classical, world and popular music. Zach received his first Grammy Award in 2017 for his work on Snarky Puppy's album Culcha Vulcha. His acclaim as a bandleader has grown through appearances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and festivals like "Tudo e Jazz" in Brazil, while his reputation as a sideman has spread through his work with legendary bassist Stanley Clarke, contemporary instrumental super-group Snarky Puppy, and jazz masters Phil Markowitz and Dave Liebman. Zach has made ten recordings as a leader or co-leader and is the first violinist to record for the venerable Dutch jazz label Criss Cross. He has also represented the U.S. Department of State as a Musical Ambassador in the Solomon Islands, performed as a featured soloist for two Sundance Festival feature film scores, and is currently an Artist In Residence at Temple University in Philadelphia. In his course you will learn to improvise on the violin straight from the source: how Zach approaches melody, rhythm and harmony, and how to start finding your own voice the way he has alongside Snarky Puppy and beyond. read more
