Is Tone in The Hands?

[@jamiegustkey2573]

You had me at the intro- 😂 ... actually and truthfully Martin, you have me at any of the videos you release! So well done and GREAT Ed tone… 🌭!! 🕊✌🏻🫵🏻 PS- anytime I’ve chased some kind of Ed gear for His sound, I would tell people that I should be able to drop the guitar and it should sound like Ed’s guitar being dropped… That sound should still be there -😂 I STILL EXPECT THAT WHEN I BUY ANY ED SOUNDING GEAR!

[@martinsmith4123]

That’s absolutely true. You can tell that tone even when you plug the cable in and rattle the wang bar! Not sure if the stores are keen on drop-testing new EVH gear but I totally agree 😂 🤘🤘

[@jamiegustkey2573]

@@martinsmith4123 - for the record, you are the only one who has agreed with me on that notion - 🫡🫵🏻

[@CS_Murphy_R9]

GODAMN that opening tracks tone was crushing! Had that old VH vibe in spades!👍

[@martinsmith4123]

Ah thanks man 🤘🤘🤘

[@freegee3503]

Yes it did! It makes me want to go find a record store and camp out the night before relaease. 👍

[@freegee3503]

​@@martinsmith4123Please... Throw us some more! Throw us some more!

[@killereverb3928]

Tone is in your HEAD. Period. That’s where it begins. If it’s not in your head it’s nowhere.

[@csgexec]

You nailed the quality in Eddie’s playing that many people overlook - no extraneous noise. Especially with the insane amp volume. But there’s another quality that is as amazing and difficult to reproduce that is often overlooked - his ability to play in-tune, especially his chord execution. Simply perfect.

[@mimetype]

If tone is in the hands there'd be no market for signature guitars. You could sound like VanHalen on a Gibson 335 or a telecaster.

[@cunjoz]

or like petrucci on a strat plugged into an ac30

[@freegee3503]

​@@cunjoz Great example! 😆👍

[@davidgangemi3314]

Yup. Why are we all spending tens of thousands on gear when a $200 acoustic will get you that eruption technique? And that's what it is. TECHNIQUE! Also,if your tone is in your hands,your hands are governed by your brain. So the tone is now on your mind,correct? Better start saving for that expensive gear,and most importantly,start practicing!

[@iandavidson4852]

Superb experiment Martin. Also another opportunity to experience your magnificent renditions of some of Edward's killer techniques. Lovely stuff as always.

[@mattgrant6910]

I met Eddie in 86 , he was in Trancas in Malibu , he was wearing a green jumpsuit and had a guitar over his shoulder , the Byrds asked him up on stage to play and afterwards were a bit rude . The truth is I didn’t actually meet him but was about a foot away , I couldn’t get the courage , I was very high at the time on Peruvian yellow flake . I’d gone to L A as a 20 year old and met all the wrong people , hells angels / drug dealers etc , they were dark days . I wish I had but when I see celebs / stars I tend to leave them alone .

[@chandlerclement1365]

Love these Eddie insights, will never tire of them 👍🏻

[@martinsmith4123]

Thank you kindly 🤘

[@wassbot]

i'm amazed you only have 2.3k subs. you will blow up. between the immaculate tones and overall production quality, your vids are top tier

[@martinsmith4123]

Thank you for the kind words, really helps keep me motivated 🤘

[@jamiegustkey2573]

Martin I have to say again… that intro melody is - 🔥😳🙂 It’s so tonally pleasing!! So right!! Its crazy! Through everything i hear from all different sources, that intro music bed is my favorite- That’s the bray and ox right?? Impeccable my friend- 👏🏻🫵🏻✌🏻😁👍🏻

[@martinsmith4123]

Ah that’s so kind man. Yes it’s the bray, I think it may have been the ox 🐂. Thanks for your support 🤘🤘🤘

[@jonasirw1]

Phenomenal video. Fascinating and I feel like you definitely made a discovery here. Nobody could swing like EVH…which you surprisingly didn’t mention:)

[@jakeforder9435]

A remarkable aspect of the EVH sound is that, in isolation, it's kind of scratchy and mid-heavy, with minimal gain. Most people who try to cop this tone make the mistake of adding too much gain, usually by using an overdrive pedal. You can get a decent brown tone with a Marshall DSL by setting everything at 5, cranking the preamp of a delay pedal (such as a Space Echo or Memory Man) and an EQ pedal (I use a parametric EQ with everything set at 7)

[@martinsmith4123]

Yep, a little scratchy at times. But then warm and toney. All the contradictions with Ed 🤘🤘

[@seanabbottband]

Of course it’s not all in the hands, that’s one part of the whole equation, Eddie on any rig sounds like Eddie his picking style is so unique.

[@benjaminwoodrowmusic6070]

Who else would he sound like?

[@pjmtry7]

When I gfirst learned to do pinch harmonics I learned where the best areas to hit those screams, always find the best spots for all your hits!!

[@mikaelstrom1114]

I really hope your great channel takes off!

[@martinsmith4123]

Thanks man 🤘🤘

[@yougoseo1580]

Thank you brother! You made me forget all my troubles today and remember the great EVH!

[@waynegram8907]

Martin Smith, how does EVH get his finger tapping licks to sound very bubbly? its a technique to make it sound bubbly

[@martinsmith4123]

I would say it’s down to fluidity and speed only. Cheers 🤘

[@Gerald.Hinson]

I once watched Eric Johnson play one of his epic songs through a tiny practice amp. The tone was awful, but his phrasing was typical, awesome Eric. So, was the Eric-tone in his hands? Or, was the Eric-phrasing in his hands? Definitely the latter, but his typical recorded/live "tone" was definitely not present nor overcoming that awful practice amp tone. But I agree with the points you make in this video as well. Different players through the same guitar, signal chain, amp, etc definitely sound different and will "influence" the tone in different ways based on their phrasing. This is the best analysis I've ever seen done on the topic. Love your playing, btw. More videos, please!

[@martinsmith4123]

Good observations. I saw Eric live and for a world renowned tone obsessive , his sound was bizarre, bordering on awful. Such a shame as he’s a hero. Was like someone had rewired his amps to have zero clarity. I do love his playing and recorded sound though. Thanks very much for your kind comments 🤘🤘

[@Gerald.Hinson]

Very welcome, I can hear a lot of what made EVH's playing so special in yours as well. Looking forward to more videos. Subscribed.

[@AllenGarberGuitarFun]

One tip…the chugs on “Romeo Delight” are alternate picked. He rarely did all Downstroke “Communication Breakdown”/Metallica chugs.

[@martinsmith4123]

I dunno man, listening to the isolated intro at half speed…. Sounds like consistent downs. The speed they used to attack it live however, all bets were off. 🤘

[@AllenGarberGuitarFun]

⁠@@martinsmith4123A lot of people assume that, but the fact is that he almost never changed what he did in the studio for live playing, especially his picking movements. All available footage of “Romeo Delight” specifically has him alternate picking. He rarely did a run of Downstrokes for anything. There are some instances of successive Downstrokes in “On Fire” and “Unchained” for instance. Imagine anything in the VH catalog that sounds like it could be “Communication Breakdown”/Metallica chugging…Ed nearly always alternate picked those parts.

[@AllenGarberGuitarFun]

@@martinsmith4123 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGO7o2Ooo8t0ibcsi=WwA7s-FJPxOfFa1l

[@AllenGarberGuitarFun]

@@martinsmith4123 kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4LXqXSeaqiKpLssi=pf5NHJD8ujShGs7o

[@AllenGarberGuitarFun]

@@martinsmith4123At around the two minute and 53 second mark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2G4mp-GopKspMksi=iqE0A8KOizKUZX3l

[@d.a.t.4699]

Amazing work you've done here Martin, thx man, you rock!

[@BigMikeGuitar]

This topic really shouldn’t need to remain such a debated and polarizing issue, as it seems fairly straightforward to resolve. Technique is in the hands, the player in general, and the player imparts their own stylistic personality, which will translate to any guitar they happen to pick up, and that DNA will remain recognizable through any amp they might play. Nevertheless, almost all iconic players remain fanatical about gear. So, why do these players obsess over gear down to a granular level of detail? The obvious answer is that the gear also provides its own unique contribution to achieving “a sound,” such as a quality of distortion, or quality of sustain, etc. Both technique and equipment are essential ingredients that combine to create a particular iconic sound. A reminder here that a certain degree of professional proficiency is required to competently cover demanding material, and an amp sound that is approximately close to the targeted tone is typically good enough to achieve the desired effect. In addition, all of the most iconic guitarists were invested in developing a uniquely recognizable identity.

[@johnsolis7631]

Most rock guys aren’t conscious of pick pressure and position, that’s why they sound bad, keeps music stores in business too, and the clothing stores also.

[@vincentgarcia3319]

Excellent.

[@jakeforder9435]

Very interesting. Maybe the two who hadn't played VH before were striking all the low notes in the chord on the A string whereas the two who know VH played more on the D, G and B strings like EVH?

[@martinsmith4123]

Yes, the Brownsound according to Ed focused the pick attack in very specific places! Thanks for listening 👂 🤘🤘🤘

[@shable1436]

Tone in the hands ppl are referring to, is no matter what the guitar setup its still going to sound like that players style, i use SRV as an example, you can tell he played with TS and heavy gauge strings, but no matter what he played on you could tell it was him, and nobody else. Hand strength is funny because players build up tendons and muscles in weird places, but play so much they loose practical strength like opening up lids and bottle caps that they used to be able to twist off.

[@duckydrummer6331]

Eddie did a very cool pick harmonic at the beginning of Beautiful Girls after the drums kick in and I haven’t heard him do it any more. It sounds like he slightly lowered the vibrato bar first, then did a pick harmonic and raised bar at the same time. Very cool scream like harmonic. He actually did that same technique a couple of more times during the song.

[@stephengaren2219]

According to DLR, in the studio Edward would record multiple lead tracks, pick the best parts from those tracks and they'd be edited together in the studio. DLR said that then Edward had to learn the spliced together solos and that's why his hands were all over the neck when playing live. Not saying that's true or false, just what Roth said in an interview. If true, that would explain why the solos sound so clean in isolation. Don't shoot the messenger. Lol

[@martinsmith4123]

All of that is true. He comped more as it got closer to Fair Warning, not so much on the first two.

[@DMDvideo10]

Guitars and Amps generate sound frequencies. I think what the player's mind and hands generates their signature tone.

[@ericfraser4658]

Martin love this video and your improv Meanstreets jam. Maybe folks are conflating your “tone” with your own personal “character”?? Thoughts?

[@martinsmith4123]

Thanks for the kind words words! Not sure what the tone/ character conflation might entail but it sounds like something I have no control over. Just sharing the EVH love 🤘🤘

[@ericfraser4658]

@@martinsmith4123do you know the magnet type in your Strat HB?

[@martinsmith4123]

@@ericfraser4658 I believe it’s an A2 man 🤘

[@metermanx]

Physical ability combined with the structure of the hand and of course, musicality are definitely things to consider. I noticed specifically the thumb "knuckle" seemed exceptionally large. Could this contribute to the fluidity of the body to create music? I would suggest there is something completely special about Eddie's ability to play rhythm guitar versus other players but that could just support the idea you bring up. Though, we can recreate what has been done in the past, creation comes from the individual ability to create music. ❤ your channel.

[@RBcymru]

Eddie experimented with sound. He used a variac to increase the voltage slightly into his Marshal plexi and dipped his own pick ups to try and remove noise. The Brown Sound or Tone was all Eddie. Wolfgang sounds a bit like Eddie but only Eddie sounded like Eddie. He was the best guitarist history will ever see.

[@iakirov]

I'm saving this as a reference for guitar pyro techniques, I hope one day get to know them well enough.

[@martinsmith4123]

Thank you kindly. 🤘🤘

[@kwright3929]

Mate, you're smashing it with these Eddie deep dives 👍🏻

[@martinsmith4123]

Very kind 🤘🤘

[@jamiegustkey2573]

Thanks Martin for your work! ps… not certain about the going rate of coffee but hopefully it’ll get you a refill even… 👍🏻

[@martinsmith4123]

Thank you so much for your kind words and kwaffee man 🤘🤘

[@odiumpugnator472]

Brilliant idea, and execution, for a test of the "tone is in the fingers" idea! I love it. I decided to close my eyes so I could prioritize my hearing and to limit the visual cues that could also taint what I heard. Over all, the tone of the setup is the same with each of the players. The differences I could hear, detect, where the variations on pick attack, how the chords were fretted, and slight differences in timing. I've been playing since around 1979-80. Like other guitar players, I've heard the views, opinions, and comments about "tone". I've engaged in many discussion and given my own views on the subjectd too. In my analysis, I had come to understand that the word "tone" is used too separately by players. What does that mean, "too separately"? Tone has two main aspects, the tone of the equipment including the instrument, and the tone of the player who uses, manipulates, that equipment to create sound. Some of us, such as you Martin, also have knowledge and experience with the various technologies of instruments, amps, recording equipment, as well as acoustics. You have much more than I do, from what I've now seen and heard of you. I understand tone, according to the context of the discussion. If someone is discussing tone and is relating equipment, then I tune in to that main aspect. If someone is discussing the quality of the player and what he/she plays and creates, then I tune in to that main aspect. That is why for guitar tone, I see "tone" as being mainly two things. There is the tone of the equipment including guitar, strings, amps, speakers, cabinets, etc., and there is the "tone" of the player, which is how the player frets the same notes and chords that exist for all of us, the way the players activates the notes on the strings, their timing, and other such physical nuances. So, is there tone in the fingers? Yes, there is. And that tone is only part of the tone as a whole, as the other major part is the equipment. And the tone of the equipment is what most players discuss, while the tone of the player is less discussed. But then, we have so many different choices of equipment that it makes sense that we give most of our time to discussing those things. That same idea, of these two major types of "Tone" as being the two main aspects of a player's over all Tone, I also view as similar to a painting, or other artwork. For a painting to exist there needs to be an artist to thing up, imagine, and create that art work. The "style" of the painter is the work. To get to that finished work the artist uses the tools, technologies, of various brushes, paints, colors, canvas types. That is the tone of the equipment. The tone of the artist is how he/she uses those tools, the way the artists mixes the various paints to achieve the desired color, the brush or other paint applicator and how the artists nuances that applicator and the paint onto the various types of canvas, etc.

[@awclewis]

chris is 99% there. great tone in the hands.

[@ScottTheNews]

That was fascinating Martin. I enjoyed it immensely

[@JohnnyBeane]

EVH's sound was in his hands. I met him and shook his hand, it was very soft. The 👑

[@martinsmith4123]

That’s awesome. Wish I’d met him. 🤘🤘

[@em-dashman4404]

Oh man, that was a fun video 😎 I’m a really noisy player, and your comment about Ed’s amazing silent technique was an inspiration - something to work on, but how?!!! I also have quite a thin sound, because I play with my nails rather than a plectrum. This actually works in our band, because the other guitarist has a warmer sound, so we kind of complement each other, but in isolation I’d prefer to beef my tone up a bit. Need to work on picking position and learn to use a plectrum again 😂 Top video 🤘🤘

[@randypierson6358]

He had very hard calluses on his fingers the hard nature of the skin made the strings ring out better but soft plyable fingers have a dampening effect😊

[@johnpickk7526]

another fantastic video martin!! Ive always had it in my mind those guys who do the whole 'tone is in the hands' excuse simply haven't practiced enough? just a thought hahaha ;)

[@martinsmith4123]

🤘 haha. Yep 👍

[@girolamo5637]

Awesome! Love this! Would love a Studio Tour and Demo of how you recorded the guitars!! Mic placement etc

[@martinsmith4123]

Coming soon! 🤘🤘

[@tonefreak3403]

When people say the tone is in your hands, you know right there that their not musicians! Great video! I'll keep watching! 🤘🤘🤘

[@freegee3503]

Well stated! 👍

[@hunterkarr5618]

But Ed said that…

[@freegee3503]

@@hunterkarr5618 Even Ed can make mistakes, although some people will defend Ed at all costs. 😆

[@johnpoertner1361]

To be honest, I watched the whole video and agree with you. If you wanna sound like your hero you have/need to Play like your Hero

[@richardwhite4923]

13:47 There’s a ton of extraneous noise in Ed’s playing. It’s harder to hear because Eddie embraces it and incorporates it into his sound.

[@martinsmith4123]

Splitting hairs I’d say that yes he sometimes encouraged noise from the guitar wide open but his finger noise was astonishingly quiet

[@ralvknights]

I believe the question is wrong. To me the tone is in the technique we use with our hands and the gear we use and how we eq our gear along with our technique enhancing our desire sound.

[@martinsmith4123]

Well, you’ll have to take that up with the people who posted the question. You have correctly summarised the results of the video though. 🤘🤘

[@BiggerThanFrogs]

Fantastic video. Absolutely fascinating.

[@tanneryordan]

What speakers were you using in this video?? it sounds amazing. plus, you really got the splatty-ness of the amp on the early albums nailed… as for the content of the video, I am in the camp that believes a combination of fingers/pick/gear influence your technique and tone, but they are not isolated to a single person! There are hundreds of videos to watch how eddie played, plus we know his influences and how they influenced his playing. he didn’t wake up one day when he was 14 and play like he did in 1978! practice, practice, practice the way eddie picks is replicatable, if you believe it. It is a lazy idea that “you’ll never sound like ___”. Not with that attitude you wont!!

[@martinsmith4123]

I actually used an OX Box on this one. It’s close but since this I’ve gotten a lot closer, need to make another vid. Btw did you ever hear the recording of Ed practicing as a kid? It’s on KZbin. Obviously it’s hotly contested for authenticity but it’s quite likely to be Ed. I mention it because it’s surprisingly human. He really did achieve that level through hard work. 🤘🤘

[@tanneryordan]

@@martinsmith4123 yes, heard it a few years ago now. The most interesting part of that is how he tunes down the low E string to an A, like over a decade later on “Good Enough” I really don’t know the source of how it came to the public.. I think i read that it was just ed plugging straight into a cassette recorder and driving it with the volume or something

[@jasoncrump1886]

Appreciate you brother. Your a great teacher and great player.

[@martinsmith4123]

@@jasoncrump1886 very cool thank you 🤘🤘🤘

[@richb6291]

Excellent video Martin , you have eclipsed yourself again. Fascinating about the "Silence between the notes", I always thought Ed was using the volume , naturally thats not feasible in some cases. His ability to execute phrases on the hoof was phenominal , I really have enjoyed all your Ed videos. Did all your pals use the same guage of pick ?

[@martinsmith4123]

Thank you for your awesome review! Yes we all used the very same red Dunlop. Thanks for watching 🤘🤘

[@WhatsleftofTom]

Really like this scientific approach to things

[@814mfg]

I Agree on how close to the bridge he played. Good observation. Also how hard Eddie hammered down when he fretted notes distinguishes his tone. Stevie Ray had a similar distinction. His fingertips were like piano hammers. Even if someone had Eddie’s rig, there is an oomph that he had that most players cant get. He attacked the guitar as much as he played it.

[@martinsmith4123]

Yes they both pummelled the strings into submission, only Ed was doing it on 9’s 🤘🤘

[@814mfg]

@@martinsmith4123LOL🤣 So true! Eb doesnt get you much slink when you are rockin 12s.

[@martinsmith4123]

@@814mfg right! But any little helps

[@tommydude1984]

Great job! Well researched 🎉

[@martinsmith4123]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🤘

[@tommydude1984]

For me, if I don’t like the amp tone, I’m not into it and won’t play as well. Crisp harmonics are key - which you covered!

[@martinsmith4123]

@@tommydude1984 totally. Stifled by stiffness is surely every guitarist worse nightmare.

[@howe_bradical]

Maybe “the tone is in the hands” refers to note choice and technique. As in the music you’re writing as well as your inflections and techniques you’re deploying with the instrument. In other words your style.

[@martinsmith4123]

Yes indeed, that’s pretty much the conclusion! 🤘🤘

[@hamakudd1152]

Excellent video

[@martinsmith4123]

🤘thank you kindly 🤘

[@davidbuzzin426]

👍❤🎸 1970'S......BEST DECADE......MUSIC, LIFE.....THE WORKS........LATE 1950'S - EARLY 1980'S ( 25 YEARS OF GLORY ).......BEST ROCK & ROLL / ROCK , ETC.........❤🎸❤🎸❤🎸❤🎸❤🎸❤🎸❤🎸😁.......1973 ZEP TOUR..... JIMMY PAGE OVERALL WAS THE BEST EVER !!!!!!!......🤓 TONE IS IN YOUR BRAIN & FINGERS......TRICKING OUT YOUR GEAR / EFFECTS / TONE, ETC......WILL INSPIRE U FURTHER......THE SPACE / AIR BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS & FRET BOARD IS ESSENTIAL, HUGE PART OF THE MAGIC VERY FEW GUITARISTS / VIRTUOSO'S ADAPTED, LIKE MYSELF 😁👍🎸

[@mimetype]

I think people conflate skill with tone.

[@gerardedit]

Great video. Thank you!

[@richb6291]

Thanks!

[@martinsmith4123]

Thank you Richard! More to come 🤘🤘

[@Zoso7227]

That’s the SOUND!

[@drumgk]

Eddie once said Ted nugent thought Eddie was using tons of gadgets to get his sound but when Ted played Eddie guitar Eddie said he sounded like Ted. Obviously I wrote this before you commented about it.

[@jamesrobertson5025]

Quick answer is yes. I'll show you, give me a million quids worth of gear and I'll make it sound like shite. 😂

[@martinsmith4123]

Ahhh I’m sorry the answer was No! I’m afraid you don’t win tonight’s star prize of £1,000,000 worth of gear. 🤘

[@jamesrobertson5025]

@@martinsmith4123 🤣 oh well back to the lottery

[@martinsmith4123]

Don’t forget to enter our next star draw. The prize is the actual Frankenstrat * *actual Frankenstrat not included.

[@grilledspaghetti]

So yes and no. Maybe not in the context of this much gain and reverb, but those DIs all sounded tremendously different. Put them through a clean amp and tone is well different.

[@craigthompson7070]

I agree almost completely with your conclusions but I think you DID prove tone is in the hands... not the physical size but as you noted where you strike the string, how hard, and fretting pressure, etc. Those to me are all in the hands and how your hands attack/caress/torture the instrument, not just the strings. I've over 30,000 hrs practicing, EVH was my first influence, and I'm convinced it's all in the hands. Haha I was gonna say try playing without your hands but that just sounds goofy lol

[@martinsmith4123]

The point of contact for the pick makes the biggest difference as I show in the video, I’d say the rest of it can be practiced and therefore isn’t inherently in the hands, I agree it’s what you do with them

[@craigthompson7070]

@@martinsmith4123 I guess that's what I mean. I tell people what I do is like doing impressions... when I do an impression of Angus Young I use my hands much differently than when I imitate Eddie, or Randy Rhoads. My hands are closer to Angus size but I can do a pretty good impression of a few different players and it's all in how you use your hands. Great topic and great channel! Subbed!!

[@BrentClark-d9c]

Technic is in the hands and tone is in your guitar, amp and fx.....

[@leonardwilliams7772]

The pick hand, ( attack), has MUCH, to do with ones tone.

[@lgmnowkondo938]

you can't go from chord 1 to chord 2 in runnin with the devil without moving your hand up two frets. Switching fingers...is not acceptable!! That's not how Eddie played it.

[@leogolive]

I don’t think so, at least not exclusively, because in my opinion Eddie’s tone sucked after the 1984 album.

[@juandelhombre]

Hands . Just because you can’t measure it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Your definition of “tone” is too narrow . It’s a lot more than an EQ curve How you strike the note is everything, just like a great drummer

[@martinsmith4123]

Hmmn I’m not sure I follow. The graphs show the full range of sound being made and remember we are analysing tone. Not rhythm, coolness or originality. That said, what I found was exactly as you describe, the transients of the notes were the main determinators of difference! Thanks for watching 🤘🤘