

Cinderella Man - Guitar solo question (kind of technical)
#1
Posted 06 December 2018 - 08:56 AM
In the guitar solo for "Cinderella Man", Alex goes wild with his whammy bar and at two distinct times during the solo (at the beginning and end) it sounds like he does a dive and then pulls back on the the tremolo to increase the pitch beyond the original note. He's does almost the exact same thing twice in the solo and, at both times as the pitch is rising, I hear a pretty loud creaking sound.
My assumption is that he is not pulling up on the tremolo arm, but possibly using a finger to press down on a string above the nut to increase the pitch (a trick that I know Jimmy Page used from time to time). This "creaking" sound could then possibly be the string straining against the nut.
I would guess that he didn't have a floating tremolo back then (i'm not sure when they started to become popular) to pull this off another way.
Any opinions as to what this sound is?
#2
Posted 06 December 2018 - 09:48 AM
#3
Posted 06 December 2018 - 12:42 PM
Relayer2112, on 06 December 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:
In the guitar solo for "Cinderella Man", Alex goes wild with his whammy bar and at two distinct times during the solo (at the beginning and end) it sounds like he does a dive and then pulls back on the the tremolo to increase the pitch beyond the original note. He's does almost the exact same thing twice in the solo and, at both times as the pitch is rising, I hear a pretty loud creaking sound.
My assumption is that he is not pulling up on the tremolo arm, but possibly using a finger to press down on a string above the nut to increase the pitch (a trick that I know Jimmy Page used from time to time). This "creaking" sound could then possibly be the string straining against the nut.
I would guess that he didn't have a floating tremolo back then (i'm not sure when they started to become popular) to pull this off another way.
Any opinions as to what this sound is?
Castanets (or some other sort of small percussive instrument)?
Edited by JARG, 06 December 2018 - 12:57 PM.
#4
Posted 06 December 2018 - 06:45 PM
tks95747, on 06 December 2018 - 09:48 AM, said:
My Strat had noisy trem springs. I'd hear it when I brought the bar down and up, and I also heard some weird vibrations coming through the amp, like this weird feedback. I put some foam inside the springs and it solved the problem.
These guys used rubber or plastic tubing, but it's the same principle. You can hear the weird feedback ringing thing in the first vid.
#5
Posted 06 December 2018 - 07:24 PM

#6
Posted 07 December 2018 - 11:47 AM
#7
Posted 07 December 2018 - 12:35 PM
Relayer2112, on 06 December 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:
In the guitar solo for "Cinderella Man", Alex goes wild with his whammy bar and at two distinct times during the solo (at the beginning and end) it sounds like he does a dive and then pulls back on the the tremolo to increase the pitch beyond the original note. He's does almost the exact same thing twice in the solo and, at both times as the pitch is rising, I hear a pretty loud creaking sound.
My assumption is that he is not pulling up on the tremolo arm, but possibly using a finger to press down on a string above the nut to increase the pitch (a trick that I know Jimmy Page used from time to time). This "creaking" sound could then possibly be the string straining against the nut.
I would guess that he didn't have a floating tremolo back then (i'm not sure when they started to become popular) to pull this off another way.
Any opinions as to what this sound is?
I think it's almost certainly him pressing down on the string above the nut, as to my knowledge he wasn't using guitars with a tremolo at that time, unless of course he made an exception for that track.
#8
Posted 07 December 2018 - 12:44 PM
Fridge, on 07 December 2018 - 12:35 PM, said:
Relayer2112, on 06 December 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:
In the guitar solo for "Cinderella Man", Alex goes wild with his whammy bar and at two distinct times during the solo (at the beginning and end) it sounds like he does a dive and then pulls back on the the tremolo to increase the pitch beyond the original note. He's does almost the exact same thing twice in the solo and, at both times as the pitch is rising, I hear a pretty loud creaking sound.
My assumption is that he is not pulling up on the tremolo arm, but possibly using a finger to press down on a string above the nut to increase the pitch (a trick that I know Jimmy Page used from time to time). This "creaking" sound could then possibly be the string straining against the nut.
I would guess that he didn't have a floating tremolo back then (i'm not sure when they started to become popular) to pull this off another way.
Any opinions as to what this sound is?
I think it's almost certainly him pressing down on the string above the nut, as to my knowledge he wasn't using guitars with a tremolo at that time, unless of course he made an exception for that track.
The sound seems to be in perfect time with the song, which, while coincidentially possible, makes me think the sound isn't an accidental artifact.
#9
Posted 07 December 2018 - 01:12 PM
JARG, on 07 December 2018 - 12:44 PM, said:
Fridge, on 07 December 2018 - 12:35 PM, said:
Relayer2112, on 06 December 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:
In the guitar solo for "Cinderella Man", Alex goes wild with his whammy bar and at two distinct times during the solo (at the beginning and end) it sounds like he does a dive and then pulls back on the the tremolo to increase the pitch beyond the original note. He's does almost the exact same thing twice in the solo and, at both times as the pitch is rising, I hear a pretty loud creaking sound.
My assumption is that he is not pulling up on the tremolo arm, but possibly using a finger to press down on a string above the nut to increase the pitch (a trick that I know Jimmy Page used from time to time). This "creaking" sound could then possibly be the string straining against the nut.
I would guess that he didn't have a floating tremolo back then (i'm not sure when they started to become popular) to pull this off another way.
Any opinions as to what this sound is?
I think it's almost certainly him pressing down on the string above the nut, as to my knowledge he wasn't using guitars with a tremolo at that time, unless of course he made an exception for that track.
The sound seems to be in perfect time with the song, which, while coincidentially possible, makes me think the sound isn't an accidental artifact.
I agree, it always sounded intentional to me but my guess was it was him tapping on the pickup. What do I know though
#10
Posted 07 December 2018 - 01:16 PM
Fridge, on 07 December 2018 - 12:35 PM, said:
Relayer2112, on 06 December 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:
In the guitar solo for "Cinderella Man", Alex goes wild with his whammy bar and at two distinct times during the solo (at the beginning and end) it sounds like he does a dive and then pulls back on the the tremolo to increase the pitch beyond the original note. He's does almost the exact same thing twice in the solo and, at both times as the pitch is rising, I hear a pretty loud creaking sound.
My assumption is that he is not pulling up on the tremolo arm, but possibly using a finger to press down on a string above the nut to increase the pitch (a trick that I know Jimmy Page used from time to time). This "creaking" sound could then possibly be the string straining against the nut.
I would guess that he didn't have a floating tremolo back then (i'm not sure when they started to become popular) to pull this off another way.
Any opinions as to what this sound is?
I think it's almost certainly him pressing down on the string above the nut, as to my knowledge he wasn't using guitars with a tremolo at that time, unless of course he made an exception for that track.
#11
Posted 07 December 2018 - 01:17 PM
MalformedEarthborn, on 07 December 2018 - 01:12 PM, said:
JARG, on 07 December 2018 - 12:44 PM, said:
Fridge, on 07 December 2018 - 12:35 PM, said:
Relayer2112, on 06 December 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:
In the guitar solo for "Cinderella Man", Alex goes wild with his whammy bar and at two distinct times during the solo (at the beginning and end) it sounds like he does a dive and then pulls back on the the tremolo to increase the pitch beyond the original note. He's does almost the exact same thing twice in the solo and, at both times as the pitch is rising, I hear a pretty loud creaking sound.
My assumption is that he is not pulling up on the tremolo arm, but possibly using a finger to press down on a string above the nut to increase the pitch (a trick that I know Jimmy Page used from time to time). This "creaking" sound could then possibly be the string straining against the nut.
I would guess that he didn't have a floating tremolo back then (i'm not sure when they started to become popular) to pull this off another way.
Any opinions as to what this sound is?
I think it's almost certainly him pressing down on the string above the nut, as to my knowledge he wasn't using guitars with a tremolo at that time, unless of course he made an exception for that track.
The sound seems to be in perfect time with the song, which, while coincidentially possible, makes me think the sound isn't an accidental artifact.
I agree, it always sounded intentional to me but my guess was it was him tapping on the pickup. What do I know though
#12
Posted 07 December 2018 - 02:46 PM
#13
Posted 07 December 2018 - 02:50 PM
#14
Posted 07 December 2018 - 03:32 PM
grasbo, on 07 December 2018 - 02:50 PM, said:
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users