Another question about Cannonball (sorry)

[seattlefan]

Hey sorry to post ANOTHER question about cannonball.. but i have been wondering. You know the live version damo played on the letterman show? Well i know that there is a tabbed out version that someone did on eskimofriends tab page but how does he make his 1 note hammers sound so full? You know after the signature 8 first notes of cannonball... Then onto the 0h2 on A string and 2h3 etc... When i listen to it on my computer it sounds soo full as if he is palying more then 1 note or has a 2nd guitar in there somewhere to fill the void... Or is he just playing it really really quickly? SOrry bout the stupid question have always been wondering just want to be able to play it in full, thanks guys/gals

[NeelanPavan]

keep practicing it, only one guitar in there . make sure your strumming correctly and hammer hard!! hope that kind of helps!smileys/smiley1.gif

[Fuzball]

Hello, i'm new to this forum. Just wanted to drop a line and revive this thread cuz I had the same exact question. I understand that Damien uses his thumb to strum Cannonball but I'm not quite sure how he gets his hammer-ons to sound so loud and distinct while he is strumming the rest of the strings. I know using the thumb to strum the guitar givesit a softness that a pick can't produce but it seems to me that it is this exact method that suppresses the loudness of the hammer-ons. Is it a technique issue? an equipment issue? or maybe its just his Lowden that produces a louder sound in the bottom three strings? My guess so far is that he is using a pedal or an amp to amplify his acoustic (b/c thumb strumming is so soft) while using a unique EQ setting. Please reply with a suggestion or technique on how to get the hammerons to sound louder. Thanks in advance!!!!!

[Scon]

It's usually technique. I didn't have the hammer-on's on delicate right for a while, but just practise and you'll find a way of hitting them harder that blends with the rhythm you're going for.
I'm sure you're using it already, but the technique is thumb down, and thumb nail up which gives it a hard-soft combination and gets that nice rolling sound for hammer-ons.

[Fuzball]

Thanks for the reply!!!! It nice to get a response for a thread. So I've been practicing that technique for a little bit and its starting to sound a little better but still not as distinct as Damo. I noticed that moving just the thumb and not so much with the wrist helps give me more control and accuracy. On that note, in order to make the hammer-on's sound louder and more distinct, do you guys start the down stroke (with the thumb of course) on the string that is being hammer'd-on so it will sound louder? Because when I strum ALL of the strings simultaneously, the hammer on's aren't as clear. Thanks in advance again. By the way, anyone have any Damo covers that they would like to share?

[seattlefan]

and also, doesnt he strum multiple strings even when he is hammering.?? The tabs on the site tell you to only play that note and hammer on that string, so it seems as if its telling you to pick (with thumb) only those strings. But when i listen and watch the videos he strums OBVIOUSLY the hammered string, but also other strings, what strings are those? and what are the counts i noticed he hammers his for one, and waits an extra strum before the next hammer? sorrry im soo confussing just wanna get this song down, its awsome