I’m just started M3 of B2B and many of my curious concerns have been astutely addressed. Please forgive me if in future lessons this one is as well.
The current practice setup is a Sterling Stingray into a Mustang Micro Plus into headphones, bluetoothed to a tablet.
Finally, the question is that should I be concerned with my own volume and therefore plucking pressure? I can turn down and really dig in, or I can turn up, and pluck more soft.
Is this even a thing to be concerned with at this point? I’ve already picked up enough bad habits at this age and would like to avoid them if possible.
This is a good question that come up periodically.
The general consensus is to let your amp do the work, i.e., produce your desired volume versus digging in with your fretting hand to attempt to do the same.
Playing with a lighter touch has benefits.
You can employ dynamics, which means you can choose to play notes softly, loudly or anywhere in between, as a line requires. This produces music that is more interesting because it can breathe versus being in your face at all times.
Playing with a light touch allows your fretting hand to remain relaxed, whereas constantly digging in will put strain on your fingers, hand, arms, shoulders, etc. In short, playing relaxed as much as you can is always a better way to play.
Caveat: If the genre you choose to play requires constant hard-driving chugging or otherwise aggressive articulation, then digging in is likely required. That said, if you’re asking how you should play while going through B2B, a light touch will serve you well as it is more versatile for the majority of example tunes contained in the lessons.
