KILLER Volume Knob Tricks That Make Your Electric Guitar Playing DYNAMIC

How often do you find yourself grabbing your guitar only to never touch your volume knob because you always keep it cranked at full blast? I must admit, I am often guilty of this myself. The Floyd Rose, active pickups, and fast neck--I just want to tear it up right now.

And I’m gonna.

But just because we like to riff hard and loud (especially us rockers and metalheads), that doesn't mean we have to crank it up to 11 every time.

In fact, we shouldn't.

If we want to make music that's actually interesting and keeps our listeners engaged, we will want to add some killer dynamics with the volume knob. Today, I'm gonna give you 4 simple, fun tricks that will give you the most out of this overlooked guitar feature.

Trick 1: Volume Swell Hammer Ons

This first trick is super cool because it transforms your guitar into a violin (Carach Angren anyone?).

• Before even touching the guitar, having a delay effect can pull this sound off nicely.
• Lower your volume knob down (but not quite at 0).
• Hammer a note, then gently roll the volume knob up to louder pitch.
• Adding vibrato can help sustain each note and add to a more authentic violin sound.

Trick 2: Open Chord Volume Swells

This next trick is really similar to the first. The difference lies in the application and the desired end goal. If you want to add THICK atmosphere to another guitar part, or just want some ominous smokey soundwaves, this effect is for you.

• Start with volume at 0.
• Strum a chord (like a big ol’ open E power chord).
• Slowly and gently roll the volume knob all the way up.

Trick 3: Lead Boosts

Let's say you're in a performance setting or jam session, but with limited gear. You want to lay down some leads, but you’re afraid they won’t cut through the wall of sound that your fellow players are producing. This effect solves those issues rather easily.

• Start with volume knob rolled back slightly for rhythm parts. I'd recommend setting the volume knob at about 2/3 of the way cranked. Don't worry, the tone will sound just fine.
• Once it's time to melt some faces, roll that volume knob all the way up.
• Return to the initial volume position after the faces have been melted and the solo is over.

Trick 4: Killswitch Effect

Lastly, we arrive at the guitar trick with the greatest contrast: the killswitch effect. Some guitars come equipped with a killswitch, but you can still pull this off without a killswitch depending on your guitar. To get the killswitch effect without a killswitch, your guitar will need to have at least 2 pickups with designated volume knobs for each one.

• Turn one volume knob all the way down and leave it there. Turn the other volume knob all the way up.
• Keep your pickup selector on the pickup with the volume on. You should be able to hear something when you play your guitar.
• Pick any note or strum any chord (like another open E power chord).
• Move your pickup selector back and forth between the pickup that’s “on” and the pickup that’s “off”.

Conclusion

Your volume knob doesn’t need to be at its loudest to give you the loudest results. Between the volume swell hammer ons, open chord volume swells, lead boosts, and killswitch effects, the world is your oyster when it comes to adding dynamics to your playing. Even though it's common and comfortable for us to keep the volume knob cranked when we play, experimenting with what your guitar already has can lead to different worlds of possibilities.

Which trick (or tricks) you can see yourself doing the next time you pick up your guitar?

Check out the full video HERE: KILLER Volume Knob Tricks That Make Your Electric Guitar Playing DYNAMIC