As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine Issue 21 – Fall 2022
Hailing from Louisiana, LadyTechster is a musician totally in tune with her guitar! She is known for integrating multiple tones in a live loop. Her expansive music is something that keeps her audience coming back! To LadyTechster, tone is a form of self-expression, “tone is the feeling of the sound that is being heard.” LadyTechster talks about how tone is something that is not fixed. She enjoys playing around with different music genres depending on her moods, but her favorites are blues, rock, and funk. Finding your tone is not something that is easily accomplished. She believes practicing is essential to become more in tune with the guitar. LadyTechster is an inspiration to all and encourages young musicians to let their unique tones be heard.
Please tell readers about yourself, your musical influences, and your current projects.
My name is LadyTechster, and I reside in the deep southern flatlands of Lafayette, Louisiana. I have garnered a following for my live looping abilities integrating multiple tones, midi, and audio sampling. I have also played with numerous artists. My styles change, but I always return to my blues, rock, and funk favorites.
What is your definition of tone, and how has it changed over the years?
The tone is the feeling of the sound that is being heard. In the same way that your tone affects what you are trying to say when speaking, the tone of your instrument can affect what you are saying melodically. When talking about tone, I lean more towards how a sound is affected or altered (versus the playing technique). Much like most angsty beginners that start playing, there was no amount of distortion too much. Big chunky power chords that were entirely distorted were my favorite. I still love a nice progressive chug, but since I have gotten more advanced, I have used more clean tones that do not cover up my playing techniques as much. My tone is directly influenced by what genre I’m into at the moment.
Which guitars, amps, and pedals are you currently using and why?
My rigs have always been built upon a simple purpose: what can give me the most versatile sounds that can evolve like my musical tastes. I’ve always been into contemporary multi-effects pedals that allow me to digitally create signal chains on the fly without having to rebuild a pedalboard. My rig consists of a modular setup with individual effects pedals tying into my BOSS GT-1000 Core. Since my style is built heavily on looping, I always have a looper (Singular Sound Aeros Loop Studio) on my board and an octave pedal (Source Audio C4 Synth is an excellent pedal that goes above and beyond) to quickly access low tones when creating bass lines while improvising. I’ve found that a full range, flat response speaker cab works best for keeping my style closest to what output my pedalboard provides. This also allows me to easily plug directly into the soundboard and front-of-house setups without worrying about mic’ing positions. My current ax is my Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 2 24 HH 2PT (fancy speak for a 24-fret Tele-shaped body with active pickups). I love the Tele body because it has curves that just fit. This guitar allows me to play almost any genre and sound good.
What about strings?
I use standard-sized Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10s. I like 10s because I still get the flexibility of a thinner string with a little lower end than 9s. 10s just feel perfect under my fingers.
Are there specific recording techniques you prefer in the studio?
If it’s a technical piece, I like being able to record solo to ensure the most accurate takes; however, if the genre is more “vibey,” then I like the whole group recording together. There’s just a sensation when everyone in a room is playing the same piece that can give a song that special candy-like sparkle for the listener to hear that good feeling.
How do you keep your sound consistent onstage?
I practice with the guitar and sounds that I used to know what I should sound like in case I need to make any on-the-fly adjustments depending on the venue. For the most part, using similar settings, playing styles, and equipment helps me maintain consistency.
What does your practice consist of?
As a guitar player, I think of learning as a journey that will never end. I look up the tabs and understand them if I hear something funny. if it’s above my skill set, then I try to translate at least two to three cool things into my level of understanding to take with me. I also recommend using Pickup Music for learning from other guitarists. With all the learning materials provided on the internet, it can be easy to get overwhelmed, so outlining what you would like to accomplish can be exceedingly helpful. In this region, there are a lot of jam nights where you can walk into a bar with your guitar and join a group of people playing blues or Cajun music. This is an excellent way for me to practice new techniques and learn new ones.
What is your advice for young female identifying artists who hope to work in the music industry?
Know your worth and deserve every atom of space in which you exist. When I was young, there weren’t many people that looked like me, nor the type of music I listened to. Be that person for the new generation of young musicians. When you walk into a guitar store, keep your head high to keep the mansplainers away.