# Picking style, "nasal" guitar tone?



## Aerospace274 (Oct 4, 2011)

How can you get that sort of thonking, nasal-y sound when you play? Is it a picking style or something? I've been trying to figure this out for a while now lol.
The best example I can find for this sound would be the intro to "Darker Times" by In Flames but I've heard it on other songs from other bands. Anyone know the secret?!


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## Mordacain (Oct 4, 2011)

If you can find a few clips that show what you're talking about (with timestamps for when it occurs), it would probably be a little easier to identify.


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## Aerospace274 (Oct 4, 2011)

In Flames - Darker Times - YouTube :02, the riff repeats a lot. It's sort of in the background but the sound is definitely there.

Meshuggah - Alive DVD - The Mouth Licking What You&#39;ve Bled - YouTube :35


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## Mordacain (Oct 4, 2011)

Yea, that's just a muting technique that accompanies picking the string without a mute, then picking-hand muting a little harder than normal and picking again. Atleast if the timestamps are right that's what it sound like to me.


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## Aerospace274 (Oct 4, 2011)

I can never quite seem to replicate the sound. :/
The Meshuggah song has no muting at all during the timestamp. It's just 2p0h1 on the 7th string, if it were tabbed out. Maybe it's the string gauge? Bjorn from In Flames uses a .068 on his Gibson. I'm sitting at .062 so you'd think that wouldn't be an issue. Hmm.


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## Mordacain (Oct 4, 2011)

Aerospace274 said:


> I can never quite seem to replicate the sound. :/
> The Meshuggah song has no muting at all during the timestamp. It's just 2p0h1 on the 7th string, if it were tabbed out. Maybe it's the string gauge? Bjorn from In Flames uses a .068 on his Gibson. I'm sitting at .062 so you'd think that wouldn't be an issue. Hmm.



I'm definitely hearing muting there. Its intermittent (as in muted briefly when picked), but its definitely there.


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## Murdstone (Oct 5, 2011)

If you're talking about the quick ~7 notes right at :35 in the Meshuggah song, it just sounds like they threw on the bridge pickup (knowing them I'm sure it was on already) and picked really close to the bridge itself.

Actually come to think of it I don't even know if Fredrik's guitar has two pickups.

God they were ultra crabcore in that video


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## Winspear (Oct 5, 2011)

Mordacain said:


> I'm definitely hearing muting there. Its intermittent (as in muted briefly when picked), but its definitely there.



Agreed  I call this kind of muting 'bouncing'


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## Aevolve (Oct 6, 2011)

Agreed with the "bouncing" technique.

Generally it's easier to get that kind of fwonky sound with upstrokes, just sayin.


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## NickDowe (Oct 6, 2011)

Upstrokes for the win! Not really conscience of my picking hand being closer to the bridge or how much pressure I am applying when i do it. Try playing along with "the mouth" using all upstrokes, bring your highs down and your mids up you will start to hear it. I would hate to shamelessly plug my band but we do it around the 5:00 mark of the track "Does this rag smell like chloroform?" you can see our hands in it if it helps any..

Last Red Ember "Does This Rag Smell Like Chloroform" - YouTube

Last Red Ember "Does This Rag Smell Like Chloroform" - YouTube


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