Page 12 - looplibraryfullbook13092018

Anatomy of The Guitar for 'piezo method' Percussion

Not all guitars are fitted with internal microphones like the ones we've just
covered. A lot of guitars use a pickup fitted under the bridge called a 'piezo
pickup'. These are more common in entry level or mid level instruments.

The piezo pickup gets its name because it uses a thin strip of piezo crystal to
'pick up' the vibrations of the strings. As it relies on vibration to work - and is
fitted directly under the bridge saddle of the guitar - it doesn't pick up the
percussive techniques listed in 'the mic'd method' as effectively, so they don't

transfer to an amplifier very well. But with a little adaption using different
parts of the guitar, you can get similar percussive effects from a piezo pickup.

Let's take a look at these.

So, as we can see, as there is no internal microphone - the closer you play
percussion in relation to the bridge, the more vibration is picked up by the Piezo
and the better it transfers to the looper and the amplifier.

As we will be working with a much smaller area compared to the previous
example, this requires a little more precision and care. So we'll be using fingers
only to tap the bridge and create the desired effects. Important note; with
these techniques, use your right hand to tap the bridge and mute the strings
with your left hand (again, left-handed players reverse this). This will prevent

the unwanted open strings from playing.

1) Kick or bass - tapping the wooden part of the bridge with your index
and middle finger works well to get a punchy kick sound.

2) Tom - using one or two fingers on the plastic part of the bridge with
give a much brighter and 'snappier' sound, similar to a tom. Like the mic'd
method - different parts of the bridge will give slightly different sounds.

3) Snare - This is similar to the tom, only using the tip of the finger or even
a plectrum to create a sharp 'rim shot' effect.

4) Shaker - This is exactly the same method we used in fig 5 on the
previous page, muting the strings about 2/3rd's the way up the neck towards
the bridge and strumming the muted strings with a plectrum.