My name is Chris.
I am a guitarist.
I am a scientist.
I am a seeker of sounds.
I am an explorer of tone colors.
I am a dedicated enthusiast of guitar effects.

Much as it pains me to say, guitar effects are often grossly misused.

This is not the fault of the player, for how can you blame someone for something they don’t realize is wrong, but it is the sad truth. They pick up the latest guitar mag or check out their favorite player’s setup and think “Wow, what a great shortcut! All I have to do is buy the same pedals and I’ll sound just like Johnny Greenwood!”

This is not the case.

Effects are instruments.
Each pedal must be seriously studied and practiced and combined with every possible pickup and amp setting, every possible picking technique, throughout every string and octave of your instrument and beyond.
You must spend dedicated hours learning the ins and outs of every feature.
You must test and re-test every combination.
You must become intimately connected to the feel of each knob and know, without thinking, exactly how it will respond.

You must become a scientist of sound.

This is what Johnny Greenwood did.
This is what Animal Collective did.
This is what The Flaming Lips did.
This is what so many other greats have done.

and this, my friends, is precisely why their use of effects stands as a glorious monolith of inspiration to us all…

Now, take everything you’ve just read and throw it out the window!!! Quick!!

Effects are about FREEDOM and the pure joy of exploration!
Effects are about the search for something new in the great unknown!
Effects are about taking what you do with the guitar, an instrument with one of the most diverse tonal palettes available, and expanding the possibilities to infinity!
Effects are another way to find your distinct and original voice and show it to the world!

There are no answers!
There is no right or wrong!
There is only sound!

This is what Johnny Greenwood discovered.
This is what Animal Collective discovered.
This is what The Flaming Lips discovered.
This is what so many other greats have discovered.

and this, my friends, is precisely why their use of effects stands as a glorious monolith of inspiration to us all.

Now, take what you threw out the window earlier (it’s ok, I’ll wait while you find it), combine with what you just read, and you have the answer.

Using effects in a meaningful way is no simple task, for you must be BOTH the great scientist and the wild creative rebel. But with time and effort and wondering and exploring, you can create sounds that no one has ever heard and in doing so, you’ll be one step closer to your true voice as a musician.

This can be an arduous journey, as all truly rewarding paths tend to be, and many are lost along the way… But you are a BML student. You are different. The very fact that you’re reading this article means that you care enough about finding your voice and bettering yourself that you’re taking the necessary steps to make it a reality. With this mindset, and the words above, there is no pedal you cannot conquer.

As Peter’s Uncle Ben said: “With great power, comes great responsibility..."

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