Why Julian Lage Practices with NO AMPS and NO EFFECTS 

I’ll be there too!

Seeing him tomorrow!

I guess once you are so far beyond having to think about what notes to play, you can go deep into the minute details of how to play them.

I saw an interview with Jim Campilongo - I’ve basically only played a Tele since 1987 - tried other guitars but it didn’t work out. I think you get used to what you have. 99% of the time I played at home with no amp or effects. Occasionally I’d play out and have to use some, but always hated my sound. Jim Campilongo commented that ‘Nobody ever complained about a Tele having too much bass’ so he sets his bass on 10. I didn’t go that far, but I went from 3 to 7 or 8 and it transformed my sound. I think we all choose settings for playing quietly at home but then realise that you can’t just turn the volume up. It’s almost as if you need a different EQ curve for quiet playing or gig volume. Lage is amazing though. I remember reading interviews with him as. 12 year old - nobody could accuse him of not fulfilling his potential!

The essential distinction is between "practice" and rehearsal. Rehearsal is preparation for an actual performance situation, with or without others, and should,I believe, always be done with whatever you will use in the final situation; amps, speakers, and effects,... but practice is workshopping or woodshedding, ir whatever you call personal work on basic techniques, or things which you want to improve or enhance within your playing in general, and obviously should be done with as few variables of equipment as possible, because what your focus is on is your actuall execution on the instrument; so this, I believe should be done with the least amount of things added to the instrument, and if you don't need to record it can be done even without plugging in.

​@chrisgmurray3622 We may have to have a Gentleman's Disagreement on this Chris. One of the critical factors is the amount of Gain. If you play a Style/Genre that uses more Drive/Gain/Distortion like Rock/Metal, and you practice with a clean tone, you may neglect critical Picking Hand and Fretting Hand Muting that will be necessary during a Live Performance or Recording Session. I believe in practicing the way your going to play, that way you'll play the way you've practiced. Although, this absolutely Does Not mean that Rock/Metal or any other style should never practice clean. It just means that sometimes Practice, should replicate the upcoming Live Performance/Recording Session circumstances. Thanks.

@@michaelstevens8 No disagreement between us gentlemen. I agree with what you're saying ( which is what I referred to as rehearsal- preparing the way you will actually do it...etc...) When I think of " practicing I mean basic technique work, rather than prep for an actual performance. If practising you use nothing but a clean sound,( or even acoustic) that is stage one of your picking practice,say. If you intend to perform using high gain and overdrive, obviously that will be part of what you need to prepare to allow for muting and clean execution with effects. Even with all that prep, it may not be possible to prepare fully because in reality you won't be by yourself, you'll be surrouned by drums bass keyboards, and other performers, so you would have to have them there to achieve your mist balanced sound. Obviously there are levels of prep that go beyond certain styles or techniques, but you don't have to have them all there all the time. Andy Wood started iut playing mandolin, which has no sustain and needs much more rapid picking, but later had to learn muting as he played more overdriven rock guitar. The muting and general tidiness was a secondary layer of technique he had to learn to play that stuff. Nobody starts day one to play distorted rock chords or lines( or if they do they're doing everything back to front) You learn the basic playing first, then if you decide to play deep ambient compressed sustained crunch and noise fuzz, you have to refine your handwork by preparing with reverb and delay and overdrive. This may take some time to integrate into you r technique, but it's better to do that at band rehearsals rather than Tuesday night alternate picking practice. Of course you should prepare as you will perform, but to initially learn your technique with everything on, and then try and see how clean you can play in a part of your performance night without preparing for that is no good! All the stuff you put on top of the sound can mask for a while poor basic technique, but when it's suddenly removed, you'll sound awful being effectively naked. OK, so you're never going to play with a clean tone? How does it feel to know your whole career is built on effects being a band aid to cover incompetence. It's a free world, but all I meant was there's a difference in preparation between practice, and performance, and if you have previously isolated your sound and worked only on picking, of course you must "Rehearse" with all your drives and effects, because that will be the reality of your gig. I don't know how many times I've turned up at band practice having learned my parts, only to find I'm the only one who's done that. Then I'm forcred to go through the song with the others as they start to learn it( which is disrepectbof my time). Usually when that happens you know you've git only an hiur or teo, so you start telling the others how it goes to save time.... then you get lumbered with doing all the work, and end up being resented as the " bossy one. Practice is differebt from rehearsal, and of course if you need to get use to adjusting your technique because you add drives compressors and time effects, you need extra practise time to accomodate these additions if they affect( no pun intended) your eventual playing, but only if you do use these things often, and of course, nit everyone wants to play like Eric Johnson or Steve Vai. Not everything has to be hard rock or metal. What if you are Albert Lee or Billy Strings ( even he uses the odd clean tone amongst his other rig effects.

@@michaelstevens8good point. Not only can the DI thing reveal certain undesirables when playing but ALSO gain will reveal and amplify certain undesirables.

​@kristopherk5454 Your absolutely right. Some practice should absolutely be clean, because that will reveal certain problems. At the same time, if effects play a part of your sound, then some of your practice should also be with effects because that will reveal other problems. Some Genres use very little if any effects, like Traditional Jazz. On the other hand, with Guitarists like David Torn and Adrian Belew, their Effects/Pedalboard is critical to their sound and how they Creatively use those effects. Thanks.