What is unplugged and how can I play unplugged?

instagram viewer

Many big bands and musicians usually play an unplugged concert once in their careers. The concerts of Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Die Ärzte or the Sportfreunde Stiller, who are currently in the charts with the unplugged versions of their songs, are unforgettable. But what actually distinguishes a "normal" way of playing from unplugged and how can you play songs yourself in unplugged?

Songs in unplugged are only played with acoustic instruments.
Songs in unplugged are only played with acoustic instruments.

What you need:

  • Acoustic instruments

What is unplugged?

  • The word "unplugged" comes from English and means something like "not plugged in". plug = plug). This term means that pieces that were normally produced with the help of electronic aids or instruments are now played without them. These include, for example, amplifiers, electric guitars and basses, effects units or other electronic instruments.
  • If pieces of music are played unplugged, they are only performed with acoustic instruments. A pure unplugged would be if any electronic aids were dispensed with and the music would only be produced by the instrument itself and the singing only by the singer himself.
  • But when it comes to concerts that are unplugged, one can usually not speak of a pure "unplugged". It is played with acoustic instruments, but these are often amplified, so they are "plugged". The point is that music and singing can be heard by every concert-goer and are loud enough.

Even play songs in unplugged

  • Playing songs even in unplugged is harder than it might seem at first. The be-all and end-all here is that acoustic instruments are now used instead of electronic instruments (such as electric guitar or electric bass). In addition, a keyboard can be replaced by a piano or grand piano, for example. Many bands that convert their songs to unplugged also use string and Wind instruments return.
  • If you play a song in unplugged, it will definitely sound different from the original. That should also be the case. Therefore, when converting original songs to unplugged, the difficulty is to make something of their own out of them. Simply replacing the electronic instruments is usually not enough.
    • Sound acoustically with an electric guitar - this is how it works

    Effects devices make electric guitars extremely versatile instruments. With a little ...

  • Since the piece of music sounds different due to the acoustic instruments, it is not infrequently the case that the song has to be completely revised again. For example, you have to incorporate new instruments such as strings or wind instruments and also forego electrical effects that were actually part of the original. This creates a song in an unplugged version.

How helpful do you find this article?

click fraud protection