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Topic: Does anyone know how to notate a pickslide? (Read 3254 times) previous topic - next topic

Does anyone know how to notate a pickslide?

I am an avid user of this program, and for a few bands, I compose music...and I realized that of the few tracks I have, none of them contain pickslides (if you are a guitar player, or are into punk and rock...you should know what I'm talking about), and they would sound good...so if anyone could tell me exactly how to make one and implement one, or at least what I should try to do...

Thanks.

Re: Does anyone know how to notate a pickslide?

Reply #1 –
If you just want the look of a pick slide, download one of the extra fonts for NWC (sorry, I don't know the URL's off the top of my head). Check the Scriptorium or the User Tips pages for the fonts. You could just insert a note (using the font) with an x notehead and manually draw the wavy multiple-glissando lines after you print the music.

Re: Does anyone know how to notate a pickslide?

Reply #2 –
Thanks...I am also kind of looking for the sound as well, just wondering how in the world I could make it sound like a pickslide...and the track (or so I call them) that I am working on really, REALLY could use it. Oh well, thanks a lot for your help...now, a Scriptorium? Okay, I'll go for it.

Re: Does anyone know how to notate a pickslide?

Reply #3 –
Here is the NWC Scriptorium.

As for the sound, I usually just put in a descending scale of notes going from middle range to lower than the normal range of the guitar -- depending on your tempo it could be a string of 16th notes or 64ths... just make the scale the duration of the pick slide. This will not give the *exact* sound, but it's better than silence!

Re: Does anyone know how to notate a pickslide?

Reply #4 –
Here is how I mimic pick scratches, scrapes, and slides...

Depending on the duration of the slide, and the tempo of the song, I usually subdivide the beat into sextuplets or thirtysecond notes, for example a pick slide written as a half note i would just insert random descending notes, maybe 12 tripleted-sixteenth notes or just 8 16th notes, making sure to slur them together so playback is smoother...
Then you insert an instrument patch (shortcut key - i) on the staff just before the notes. Change the instrument to the 'Guitar Fret Noise' midi instrument, and then insert another instrument patch right after the notes, changing it back to 'Distorted Guitar', or whatever...
Try that, and experiment to find the sound you want.
I usually change the register of the notes, and make them extremely low-pitched, because the midi playback, for me, sounds kinda silly and 'twangy' if not, but it all depends on the material and the context of the song...so experiment.
Hope this helps.