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Why do we feel LOUD is better?

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- Rated: 61 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:02 a.m. Bear:

When I was younger and gigging, I admit we oft times played too loud for the venue. When did it become so important to play so loud?

As I've grown older, I find I can play with more subtle nuances and much better dynamics by turning it WAY DOWN.

The excuse of "the noisy club" is just that, an excuse. If people want to talk to one another rather than listen to the music, they're going to try and do so regardless of how loud the band is.

The reason for this thread is my curiosity as to when and why did volume become so important?
- Rated: 57 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:07 a.m. Curt:

And it gets real subtle when at zero. Sometimes you've gotta turn it up and make it squeal. Depends on mood but my volume knob goes in both directions.
- Rated: 93 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:09 a.m. Pappy:

I play soft at home, very soft for fear of bugging neighbors (as I would not like to be bugged by whatever noisemakers they have) but at a friend's house where the neighbors won't hear quite so well what I'm doing, I turn it up just to make it squeal like Curt said. It's a lot of fun.
- Rated: 40 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:10 a.m. Pseudo Man:

It makes you feel like more of a man.
- Rated: 32 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:17 a.m. cyclopssam:

or me HEADROOM! so you can hear all the little tonal nuisances,because some times their pretty!,so you can almost SEE THE MUSICany monkey can turn to "11" but create unheard sonic waves now that's art i don't understand why people go to a live music show if they don't like loud noises the same people who would shush a tuba or french horn player?...."Could you plese play your drums softer?,ha,ha i don't get this music should be no louder than your t..set thang
- Rated: 41 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:28 a.m. dubkitty:

because there are overtones etc. which become (more) audible when amplified. to me, just about any guitar/amp combination sounds better on "7" than it does on "3." richer, fuller, more of the taste of the coffee bean.
- Rated: 13 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:30 a.m. Andy:

"Turn it up and it doesn't need any reverb." - Danny Gatton
- Rated: 13 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:32 a.m. Catdaddy1967:

Because drummers like to hit their drums hard!

Or, maybe, because to get the best out of a valve amp, you have to push the valves to get to their sweet spot. And then there's speaker compression...
- Rated: 57 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:32 a.m. Curt:

And did I mention the smell of a hot amp!
- Rated: 45 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:33 a.m. Tsar Nicholas :

We feel loud is better because when it is loud we feel it better.
- Rated: 51 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:34 a.m. The Norm:

Drummers have a lot to do with it. Add drums and everyone has to crank up.

The other thing is that the individual wants to hear themselves (which is what Charlie Christian said when he was asked) but the problem is that whem you are at a performer you cannot hear what the audience hears so things get sticky.

Any time the voocalist has to shout into his mic to be heard the band is WAY too loud.
- Rated: 24 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:43 a.m. stjohn:

If I could find a tube amp that sounded full and warm at 1 instead of 7, I'd get it in a heartbeat for home use...if it's out there, I sure as hell haven't plugged into it.

I used to play insanely loud, and badly, but I think the Gretsch, or old age, or a touch of the two have tamed my volume whoring a bit, and maybe even made me a better player to boot!
- Rated: 32 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 8:45 a.m. cyclopssam:

with the proper headroom you can actully turn down,that's why i believe in big amps the bigger the better to fit the room,it'sbetter to have something& not need it rather need something& not have it.....[grin] OH.... when i was young i had sh*t for gear ,looking back it wasn't that bad i just didn't know how to use it.like learning to play you come to relize things,another part of growing one of the louest shows on the road is junor brown(with his kick/snare drummer) ha!
- Rated: 20 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 9:37 a.m. truthtellerspook:

Loud never was better for me. So I'm not part of the, "we," portion of the thread title.

Dynamics, musicality, were and are where it is at.

When I was a young/mid teen, I was learning from Wes, Grant Green, Billy Butler, Hank Garland, constellations of jazz players of a variety of instruments, along with the billies country and rocka, blues, soul, '50s rock and R&B (about the loudest it got, and even then I toned it down, learned as much or more from sax players as guitar players), world musics. Koto player Kimio Eto was a huge influence and teacher in subtleties, dynamics. Some extremely tasty renditions/interpretations of some of the works of Agustin Lara very important in early learning. Classical always important. In later years when I didn't play a lick, western classical (along with some world musics) was what I listened to.

If I were to look for a drummer this very day, such would be tested by ability to work brushes on a snare as first hurdle.

I really am more a jazzer, and my own peculiar variations at that, when it gets down to it. The rock recordings are just that, rock recordings.
- Rated: 16 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 9:40 a.m. Gigatron:

My ears are still ringing from a Deep Purple concert in 1971.
- Rated: 29 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 9:44 a.m. jetbunny:

The louder you are, the uglier you sound. - Joe Pass

It's not about being loud, it's about getting good tones. - Brian Setzer
- Rated: 58 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 9:48 a.m. yettoblaster:

If some is good, more is better.

That works for cement, dynamite, pizza, and music!
- Rated: 53 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:09 a.m. Ratrod:

A loud guitar speaks volumes.
- Rated: 51 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:21 a.m. The Norm:

then there are the delusionals who think if they play loud that means they play better.

Braaaap!

Error!!!
- Rated: 20 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:23 a.m. Mark G:

Didn't EVH say "volume is tone" and that's why the original Wolfgang only had a volume control.

I like loud. It makes me feel immersed in the sound.
- Rated: 22 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:25 a.m. jazzbo:

Bear said: The reason for this thread is my curiosity as to when and why did volume become so important? When did it become so important to play so loud?

There's loud and then there's the "Jesus, how did we get to this point LOUD". The gauntlet was dropped at Shea Stadium when The Beatles were drowned out by the audience screaming. The industry took it as a personal challenge to ensure no pack of 16 year old girls could amass such a counterattack of sonic screeching that overwhelmed the cool beats and groovy tunes coming from the stage. The result was a phalanx of sound that would rattle the braces covering their teeth. Afer that, everyone just tried to one up each other. It's a male penis type of thing.

Even Jim Marshall was sucked into it. Remember the 200W Marshall Major? (tube watts, none of that solid state watts). (So what if they would catch fire once in awhile. Man I got twice as many watts as you got!)

Also, don't forget the intimidation factor. What is a more memorable experience.....standing next to a firing 155mm howitzer or an M16?
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:37 a.m. cat mensch:

On the Garcia, Grisman and Rice "Pizza Tapes" CD, there's a segment at the end where Jerry is trying out Clarenece White's 30's D28 (now owned by Tony Rice.) There's an exchange that goes something like:

(I'm paraphrasing)

Garcia: "Tony gets a better tone than Clarence did."

Grisman: "No, he's louder, don't say its a better tone."

Garcia: "Louder IS better, David -- on this planet, louder is better!"
- Rated: 61 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:41 a.m. Bear:

jazzbo said: Afer that, everyone just tried to one up each other. It's a male penis type of thing.

This, ladies and gentlemen really sums it up. Most of us won't admit this, but it is in fact the only real reason.
- Rated: 12 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:43 a.m. Chonny:

I have so many thoughts bouncing around in my head right now.

All I can get out is that I prefer lower wattage amps.
- Rated: 32 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:43 a.m. cyclopssam:

also,again perseption is EVERYTHING! if you see a pimple face kid w/ a marshal you roll your eyes back & say oh god..here we go.apose to the church band raging in the corner having to play on top of a 75+ person congration you might not notice it,till you get home......

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