Greg as I was reading your first post I was anticipating a play button on the picture below.........alas, it never appeared.

I love effects, and cant get away from using them. I do love a dry stick as well. Enrique is right though I think, practice is good without them, so I do try to play without them when learning a new tune. Once I learn it though I tend to unleash a torrent of processing upon it

Sometimes an effect can spark a new idea though, I'm sure you would all agree.


cheers,
kev

I agree with the sentiments, but playing through headphones, as I do when practising, sounds odd if completely raw.

The ears hear 100% one channel, and nothing of the other with zero reverb.

I prefer to add a little reverb, and closen the channels, so it mimics playing raw, in a small room, with separate amps, close together.

I think the best thing about playing without effects is that it can make us more aware of the ends of notes, and how long we are holding them out. We are perhaps too willing to forget about whether we're trying to play an 8th note with an 8th note rest or a quarter note, thinking instead about getting to the "next note" before we've finished with the one at hand.

Reverb and delay can mask an approach that is unintentionally too staccato, and allow for a certain carelessness about how the notes end....

I'm currently playing naked, no effects, no stick____ On Order Waiting...

When I put all my thoughts on this subject (or at least the ones which have been inspired by this subject) together, I arrived at a rather involved outline. I will write this as I have time, though I think I may wind up just posting a link to a PDF when it is finished.

Being a writer who hasn't written long-form in some time, this is a good exercise—not to mention a brilliant distraction from my Awaiting First Stick Syndrome.

As my not so tactful fellow poster may be trying to say: Everyone's style has motifs that transcend tone. Certain people follow certain chord patterns. Others show signature interval choices. With enough practice, you can recognize what sets people apart. I'm a bit young for it, but growing up my favorite band was Jethro Tull. Even though each album has a different feel, Martin Barre's chord choices are clearly signature sounding regardless of tone. Glenn Cornick's interval choices are clearly his regardless of tone.

As with anything that is learned, it is easier to recognize when someone points out a few examples to you first (formal training). Later, you can easily recognize these things on your own. Is it possible without formal training? Well formal training had to come from somewhere (i.e. yes).

Sorry everyone, the delivery was much more jovial in my mind.

If I spend to much time practicing with the verbs on, I start to get a bit antsy, pull my own ears and just hit the (not) active button.

Naked is good, though I think I may have to consider how often I go naked in a live setting... That's a new thought for me and an important one, yes?!

Wooo. Just looking at this closer, my fingers have become very lazy, more than I thought they had.

Naked is essential practice.