5 Essentials for a Percussive Acoustic Guitarist

Guitarists have been experimenting with percussion on the acoustic guitar for decades. Back in the early days of blues music, crooning fingerpickers would slap the body of the instrument, thumping a rhythmic pulse to play along to.

These days, this style of playing has evolved to such an extent that players can intertwine complex fingerpicking patterns and syncopated drum beats to create the illusion of a full band. Check out “The Impossible” by the incredibly talented Mike Dawes. Within the first 30 seconds, it sounds as though perhaps three different instruments have come in, but it’s all on one guitar.

Learning this style is a very long process in itself, but something that frustrated me when learning it was the lack of advice and guidance online about how to progress to a professional level as a percussive guitarist, particularly when it came to what equipment to use when gigging and recording. There is so much gear that I have bought and had to sell or get rid of because it proved to be useless when applied to this type of music (check out number 2 on this list in particular. Face palm…).

I have designed this list based on what advice I wish I was given when I first began to play this style, but could not find over the internet. For this list, I will not be including general equipment for a guitarist, instead, it will only be gear specific to this style. Let’s get started!

1. An Acoustic Guitar

Yes, you will need a guitar. It would be pretty difficult without one. An acoustic guitar would be best. But there are so many different types! where do you start?

Many people often opt for one of the big, well-known brands to begin with. For example, Taylor or Martin. But these are often not Taylored (excuse the pun) to this style of playing, and investing a lot of money in something like a Martin might leave a lot to be desired, especially when it comes to percussion on the guitar’s body.

Yamaha and Fender make very affordable acoustics, under very well known brand names, although there are still many better alternatives for a similar price tag.

So let’s begin with some brands:

Tanglewood

Tanglewood are great because they are often so affordable, yet so satisfying to play. Though not one of the biggest players in the game of percussive guitar, value for money is definitely a redeeming feature. I used a Tanglewood for a long time, and it was a great guitar to start with. I wrote plenty of songs using this guitar, and since it wasn’t too expensive, I wasn’t afraid to experiment with percussive techniques that I might not have wanted to use on a more expensive guitar. It allowed me the freedom to find the exact part of the guitar to hit to get the desired sound. Tanglewood produce many guitars that are of a high enough quality to be used as a professional instrument.

Furch/Stonebridge

Furch, or Stonebridge as they are often referred to as in the US, are a personal favourite of mine. They categorise their instruments by colour. For example guitars from the Violet Series start at less than £1,000 but expect to pay well over £3,000 for the high-end Red Series. They even feature the Rainbow Series, where you can play luthier and design your own guitar. I use a Blue Series guitar. The African Mahogany and Open-Pore Finish create a rich, organic sound, and the body resonates perfectly when using percussive techniques. Used by both Calum Graham and Antoine Dufour, you really can’t go wrong with a Furch.

Lowden

When it comes to acoustic guitars, Lowden dominate. Andy Mckee, Jon Gomm and even Ed Sheeran use them, the latter recently unveiling his own signature model. They have such a unique resonance and character, with harmonics seeming to sustain forever. However, these guitars come with a hefty price tag. Expect to pay anywhere from £1,000 all the way up to £10,000. But that beautiful finish and wonderful craftsmanship is worth it. Although, it might be best not to experiment with percussive guitar body slaps when trying these out in the shop. You might be politely asked to leave.

Next, I want to talk about the specific details you might want to consider before making that important purchase. There is no right or wrong, but here are a few small things to think about before trying out a guitar.

Finish

The finish of a guitar is so important to a percussive guitarist. Not only does it affect the tonality of an instrument when the strings are played, it also completely changes the percussive sound when the body is hit. A heavier lacquer finish can give a clear, precise snare type sounds. Great for some types of music. A matte finish gives a rougher, darker sound. The mid-range frequencies ring out, and you can rub the body to emulate a shaker or a maraca, like in the intro to my own track Fern Tree (probably shouldn’t be plugging my music in this post, but I gotta do it somehow!). Try different types out, make some notes and see which one suits your playing style.

Body Shape

Again, any body shape will do the trick, but just bear in mind the differences between them. Larger bodied guitars are often favoured due to the deep bass response; perfect when using alternative tunings. Dreadnoughts have never worked for me, and it’s rare to see a percussive guitar player using one. In my own experience, the harmonics and bass notes tend not to sing as well as other body shapes, such as a Jumbo or an Orchestral Model, and the percussive elements just don’t seem to pop out. Having said that, check out the amazing Erik Mongrain proving me completely wrong in his track “Airtap”.

Now, let’s look at something perhaps even more important; the pickup.

2. A Suitable Pickup System

From personal experience, it is probably better to buy the guitar and the pickup separately, unless you find a guitar installed with one of the following pickup systems or something similar. If it’s not on the list, be sure to put a lot of research into it. It’s probably best to make sure another percussive acoustic guitarist also uses it if you are thinking of buying something different. Frustratingly, there is surprisingly little information on what pickup to use for this type of guitar playing.

Don’t do what I did and buy a Seymour Duncan ‘Woody’ pickup. This is a fantastic acoustic pickup (It does a great job! I don’t want to throw any shade!) and works well for most genres, but, unknown to me at the time, does not pick up percussion on the guitar’s body. To compensate for this, I had to use a microphone for most of my live performances. This set up was not only confusing and unnecessary but also caused a messy stage and didn’t really work. These pickups do not allow harmonics to ring through, so the audience would just hear an annoying muted string sound in place of the natural, tapped or harp harmonics present in most of my songs. Often the entire melody of the song would be replaced by this terrible sound. Not ideal…

Instead, look at a pickup system with an in-body mic. You will probably need to consult a guitar technician to install this kind of pickup for you (especially if you own a five grand Lowden. I would not recommend drilling a hole into a guitar like this by yourself). LR Baggs are known for their excellent pickup systems, although my personal favourite is the K&K Pro Trinity. It consists of three piezo pickups located under the bridge, an in-body mic system, and an external pre-amp (note: you need to use the pre-amp to get the blend of piezo and mic).

I have used this pickup system for a long time, and although it takes a bit of getting used to, you can get a beautifully full sound with lots of harmonic resonance. It also works very well if you use a lot of pedals, as you can adjust the output of both the mic and piezo pickups by adjusting knobs on the pre-amp, which conveniently clips onto your belt. Roll the piezo pickups nice and high, and just add a little bit of the mic as necessary for that nice, airy sound. You only need a bit, too much and the resulting feedback will be enough to kill a man.

3. One or Two Microphones

Though you can use the previously mentioned pickups when performing live, generally speaking, when recording acoustic guitar you really want to get that natural, earthy sound. For a better chance of getting this rich tone, you are going to want to use condenser mics.

Now, since there is going to be a lot of different sounds coming from the guitar in different places, (percussion on the body, slapping the strings etc.), there needs to be a few mics aimed at different parts of the guitar to pick up the different sounds. An easy and effective way of doing this is by buying a set of two small-diaphragm pencil condenser mics. Neumann produce possibly the best tools for this job but expect to pay almost £1,000 for their gear. A much cheaper alternative would be the Samson C02. At less than £100, these mics pick up a lovely sound, perfect for recording Youtube videos or small clips to Instagram.

As a percussive guitarist, to begin with, a lot of your fan base will more than likely be viewing your videos on their phones. The difference in quality probably won’t be that noticeable, so in the early days perhaps opting for a cheaper mic is worth it.

Next, buy a mic stand (duh), and a stereo microphone mounting bar. This allows you to align the microphones in an XY position, aimed at around the 12th fret. This technique is great for capturing that essential full band sound from your guitar.

4. A decent(ish) Camera

Videos are very important for this style of guitar playing. Music consumers rarely listen with their ears any more. They often listen with their eyes, and this is especially true when you are layering an eleven-finger overhand tapping pattern with a syncopated drum fill while playing a 7/11 polyrhythm with your left foot.

The great thing is, you probably already have the perfect camera in your pocket. your phone camera. The camera on your phone has so much potential. There are some amazing videos shot completely on an iPhone. It’s all about how you edit and promote these videos. Obviously, you can spend thousands on an amazing camera and get far better results. But I would suggest beginning with something very simple like a phone, then once the money starts rolling in from gigs and other stuff, maybe invest in something a bit fancier.

If the phone camera just isn’t cutting it for you, you could try a Gopro.

Gopro

Gopros can work very well, and these days they come pretty cheap second hand. They are not necessarily tailored for music video production, but they can deliver some great results if you know how to use them. They can be a little fiddly at first, but check out some Youtube tutorials or Gopro discussion forums to give you some tips on how to get started. Get your camera settings right, and invest in a good quality stand.

The following settings are a good place to start if you are recording in a well-lit area outdoors with the intention to edit the video afterwards:

• Resolution: 1080p
• FPS (frames per second): 24. More frames per second doesn’t necessarily mean better quality. 60 FPS can often look jarring and uncomfortable but is great for fast-paced action shots or slow-motion videos. 24 FPS has a much smoother feel and can give your footage a cinematic edge.
• FOV (field of view): This depends on the shot. If you want a lot of background, then the wide shot is great. If you want to get more of the subject in the frame, then go for a medium or narrow field of view.
• Spot metre: Off
• Protune: On
• White Balance: Native/Camera raw. White balance is best left unedited and then adjusted in post.
• Colour: Flat.
• Shutter: Auto
• ISO: 400 (or as close to 400 as you can get)
• Sharpness: Medium
• EV Comp: -1.0

Additionally, due to their durability, it’s possible to get creative with a Gopro. They are waterproof, lightweight and small. Try recording a video of you playing whilst bungee jumping into a waterfall, that will get some attention.

Avoid using them in low light, as the footage will turn out very grainy, and do not rely on recording audio with a Gopro. Music does not pick up very well on Gopro recordings. Instead, record using the method suggested in the previous section using microphones, and then use video editing software to add the audio to the video.

Video editing software is quite a broad subject. There are plenty of free programs, such as Lightworks and Davinci. Though from personal experience, the best program to use is Premiere Pro. It costs around £20 per month, but the usability is very similar to a lot of music software, so it is a great deal easier for a musician to pick up. It also just seems to run a lot better than any of the free ones.

Having said that, these free programs do have a huge amount of good reviews from other users, so it is worth trying to see which works best for you.

5. Suitable Clothing

This is a strange one, but it will come in handy at some point in your career. Make sure you practise in the clothes you are going to perform in (or not in, if that’s your deal). I’ll give you a personal experience that helped me realise the importance of this.

When practising at home, I always wear long sleeve shirts, maybe loungewear, or if I’m feeling particularly lazy, just pyjamas. Very nice to play in. After learning what is possibly the most famous percussive acoustic guitar track, Andy Mckee’s ‘Drifting’, I was asked to perform it at my university. I decided to wear a (pretty sick looking) short-sleeved t-shirt. This meant my arm stuck to the side of the guitar due to excessive sweating (I know, gross) resulting in horrible squeaky noises and restricted movement from my right arm. This made it VERY difficult to play.

Allocate some of your practice time to playing as though you are performing. Stand up, and make use of any gear such as straps, picks, shoes etc., that you would use when gigging. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong during the performance, not when practising at home. Always be prepared.

So there you have it. As previously mentioned, most of this comes down to personal preference. There is no right or wrong answer. The most important thing is practising. So what are you waiting for? Stop reading online blogs, pick up that acoustic and get slappin’!