Anyone in a power trio?

roberty

I've always wanted to try two amps but never got around to it. I tried a load of different speakers out with my three piece and settled onEminence Governors. They were fuller and fatter than all the Celestions I tried. I have an EQ pedal end of chain to give the 1.2k range a little push. I've found four hole, single channel amps typically have more weight in the bottom end and lower mids which also helps fill things out

ESBlonde

I play in a three piece “power pop” band. A solid but expressive drummer and bass player with ANY vocals they can manage, even if it’s just shouted “hey hey” etc. all adds up.
On guitar cleaner can help as an extra fine dynamic and don’t rule out a plugged in acoustic guitar, with rockin bass n drums it is another level of orchestration to be explored on a couple of numbers. You don’t always have to go dirty, contrast is a winner for the listener. Also ( I’m not a jazzer) but take some influence from pop/jazz and use 2 or 3 note chords, shove a finger on for 7th or 9th etc. as colour as well as arpeggios and even chromatic runs over the solid bass/drums without trying to fill all the sonic space. 

Finally try to figure out your bits and practice them alone while you sing, it becomes second nature after a while. There is nothing wrong with thrashing power chords, it just gets a bit boring after a few numbers.

RocknRollDave

Last night’s gig was a revelation for me.
 I have been playing in a trio for several years now, and definitely feel the strain of trying to fill out gaps in the sound.
I play in a wedding band that has a fairly fluid lineup - to cover holidays etc. 
Last night’s gig was a charity gig arranged by one of the drummers, for a cause very close to home for him so a number of us offered our services, resulting in a three-guitar lineup!

Soundchecking Sweet Home Alabama was such a different experience; usually I’m picking the arpeggio ‘riff’ thing. Suddenly we have one guy doing that, another strumming the chords and me adding a few embellishments over the top. 

Sounded AWESOME.

Now I want a second guitarist for my band

GrahamG

fretmeister said:

It's definitely my favourite format.

The instruments all get to explore a bit due to the space.
It has far better dynamic and feel changes than bigger arrangements.

And above all.

the fee is only split 3 ways!  

You mention it in a longer post, i have to ask, what is a Double Stop ?, i should know! i've been playing in 3 piece bands for most of my gigging life(a long time), but i'm ashamed to say i don't 

Jonathangus

GrahamG said:

You mention it in a longer post, i have to ask, what is a Double Stop ?, i should know! i've been playing in 3 piece bands for most of my gigging life(a long time), but i'm ashamed to say i don't 

It's just playing two notes at a time - think of the intro to Johnny B Goode.

EricTheWeary

GrahamG said:

fretmeister said:

It's definitely my favourite format.

The instruments all get to explore a bit due to the space.
It has far better dynamic and feel changes than bigger arrangements.

And above all.

the fee is only split 3 ways!  

You mention it in a longer post, i have to ask, what is a Double Stop ?, i should know! i've been playing in 3 piece bands for most of my gigging life(a long time), but i'm ashamed to say i don't 

Playing two notes at once. The classic double stop is the beginning of Johnny B Goode but essentially it's adding an element of harmony (in Chuck Berry's case primarily a fourth below IIRC) to solo lines. 
Harmonising lines to add a major/minor third or using octaves or sixths, etc. So things sound bigger and more complex without necessarily being all that more complex to play. Play the Smoke on the Water riff using only one string and compare it to the usual double stop version to see how much it loses.
[I don't imagine this is new to you but if you've never played two notes at once what a thrill ride this is going to be...] 
 

GrahamG

Jonathangus said:

GrahamG said:

You mention it in a longer post, i have to ask, what is a Double Stop ?, i should know! i've been playing in 3 piece bands for most of my gigging life(a long time), but i'm ashamed to say i don't 

It's just playing two notes at a time - think of the intro to Johnny B Goode.

EricTheWeary said:

GrahamG said:

fretmeister said:

It's definitely my favourite format.

The instruments all get to explore a bit due to the space.
It has far better dynamic and feel changes than bigger arrangements.

And above all.

the fee is only split 3 ways!  

You mention it in a longer post, i have to ask, what is a Double Stop ?, i should know! i've been playing in 3 piece bands for most of my gigging life(a long time), but i'm ashamed to say i don't 

Playing two notes at once. The classic double stop is the beginning of Johnny B Goode but essentially it's adding an element of harmony (in Chuck Berry's case primarily a fourth below IIRC) to solo lines. 
Harmonising lines to add a major/minor third or using octaves or sixths, etc. So things sound bigger and more complex without necessarily being all that more complex to play. Play the Smoke on the Water riff using only one string and compare it to the usual double stop version to see how much it loses.
[I don't imagine this is new to you but if you've never played two notes at once what a thrill ride this is going to be...] 
 

Thanks guys, i didn't know that had a name, learned something new Today,always great to learn things new in my old age & of course with playing in a 3 piece i use double stops  a lot.
Also using 2 amps(which i did for years really helps in a 3 piece) & as the saying goes, if God created anything better, he kept it to himself  .

Open_G

I reckon three is the best number for a band. (If it works) there’s no need for arguments over the space and nothing beats a 3 part harmony vocal. 

fretmeister

This thread is making me want to join / form a trio again.

Maybe I'll think about that properly in the new year.

roberty

GrahamG said:

Jonathangus said:
Playing two notes at once. The classic double stop is the beginning of Johnny B Goode but essentially it's adding an element of harmony (in Chuck Berry's case primarily a fourth below IIRC) to solo lines.  

Thanks guys, i didn't know that had a name, learned something new Today,always great to learn things new in my old age & of course with playing in a 3 piece i use double stops  a lot.
Also using 2 amps(which i did for years really helps in a 3 piece) & as the saying goes, if God created anything better, he kept it to himself  .

I think the term comes from violin, where playing two strings together is relatively uncommon. So they need a special name

Petepassion

As said, it's all about dynamics and creating space...the two things I struggle with, I need to learn to just stop playing more and weave in and out of the rhythm section.
The three piece I'm in I use the AC50 and a 4x12 Orange cab...big, room filling sound. I n the two other bands this would be too much, too overpowering, so I'm currently using my AC30S1...it cuts through lovely.

This track was recorded live in the studio, with the exception of vocals. 335 through my attenuated AC50 and a semi cranked Marshall SV20 on the lower power setting. Makes all the difference when you can rely on a great drummer and bass player...
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02gpWVDBpK1YEzW1qC7xNr9sp2aSqk2KE6K8eP8PWa3y3qvcs7Ko33Fp9JcxiTiKNSl&id=100083224662873&mibextid=YxdKMJ

and this was last night, sticking cold at the moment, so I was struggling a bit...
https://youtu.be/g95tTqEYg-I?si=1mARqLQ5nGOQEWzt

Fave trio's include JHE, The Jam, Nirvana, Supergrass and Reignwolf(saw them a couple of years ago...awesome)
https://youtu.be/sPuHJPP2AoA?si=2Keyanr9mgrzyT_9