Senior Andre Sehati is an avid guitarist who loves tinkering with new, different sounds, so when he had to choose a topic for his Dragon Talk, he was excited to show students about guitar pedals. Sehati wanted to teach his classmates how guitar pedals create and enhance new sounds from the guitar and how they “revolutionize musical creativity.”

“Being a musician myself, I am always searching for new sounds, tones that I can add on to what I already have,” Sehati said. “Each musician creates a sound that’s his or hers with what [guitar pedals] they have. It’s all about self-identification.”

Guitar pedals are one of the tools that musicians use to play varying genres. For example, a chorus pedal amplifies the guitar sound and makes it thicker, sounding as if several people were playing. An EQ pedal can emphasize either the high part or the low part of the pedal to create a definite tone. Distortion pedals make a spiky tone and are used in hard rock.

Sehati, who owns many pedals at home said his favorite pedal right now has a delay effect.

“[It] echoes the sound of the guitar as if you’re saying your name to the grand canyon,” he described.

For research, Sehati looked at guitar forums online where musicians answered his questions and he also went to music shops and experimented with different pedals that he did not own already. During the research process, Sehati learned the power of technology on music.

“I learned that technology is one of the best ways to enhance creativity for music, because with digital enhancements and evolving technology, the possibilities are endless,” he said.

Of his speech, Sehati said that he is not attempting to advertise different pedals for people to purchase. Rather, he is just sharing his passion.

“My goal is to show people how guitarists are getting their sounds and how we constantly want to find new ones,” he said. “The Dragon Talks presentations are targeted at the students’ passions, and pedals are definitely one of mine to share.”