Thank you for visiting. |
GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
Photo by Robin Gentile, NYC
| BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT" It contains many of Doug's Previous Guitar Technique Tips of the Month |
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Interval and Chord Balance Part 2 (of 4)
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
In last month's technique tip, I discussed exercises and techniques to learn to control the
volume of each note of an interval independently. Therefore, if you are studying say, Galileo's
Saltarello (from Chilesotti's Six Lute Pieces of the Renaissance), you should now be able to
control the balance between the upper melodic part and the ostinato bass:
Example No.1: Measures 1-4. Saltarello by V. Galileo
If your teacher tells you, or you yourself notice that the bass notes are overriding the upper
part, you should be able to adjust your touch to produce whatever balance you desire. Or, on
Prelude No.2 by Manuel Ponce (from Preludes 1-6):
Example No. 2: Measures 1-4. Prelude No. 2 by Manuel Ponce
You should be able (no matter what right hand fingering you use) to bring out the short
counter-melodies in measures two and three (and similarly measures six and seven). In the
Pavanas in A Minor by Gaspar Sanz you should now be able to play the notes E and G in the
bass line quite a bit louder than the C and B above them and match the volume of the E and G
with the volume of the other single bass notes around them:
Example No. 3: Measures 20-22. Pavanas by Gaspar Sanz.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Balancing three and four-note chords
Whether playing a three-note chord with pim, pma, pia, or ima or a four-note chord with pima,
the technique for learning to bring out one particular finger louder than the others is the same.
We will use the following chord as an example:
Example No. 4:
To work on bringing out the note G (which is played by i) louder than the other notes, use the
procedure we discussed last month (Part 1). Rest p, m, and a very lightly on their respective
strings--so lightly that they are barely touching the strings. Keeping in mind that volume is
primarily the result of how far a string is pulled before it is released, pull the third string hard
with i until the third string is almost touching the fourth string. But be careful that when you pull
with i that you do not pull or increase the pressure of p, m, or a on the strings. Take note of
how the fingers feel--p, m, and a feeling very loose and relaxed while i feels the pressure of the
third string biting into it as it pulls on the string. Then release the third string while lightly
brushing the first, second, and fifth strings with a, m, and p. Practice this exercise over and
over, feeling the independence of the movements of i from those of p, m, and a. Once the
fingers get the feel of the correct physical balance, try to capture that feeling without
pre-planting the fingers on the strings but still retaining the feeling that i is pulling hard on the
third string while p, m, and a lightly brush the other strings.
Apply this practice technique to m, a, and finally the thumb until you can bring out any note of a
three or four-note chord forte while playing the other notes pianissimo. Let us look at some
examples in which this technique is used. In Prelude No.6 by Manuel Ponce we come upon the
following passage:
Example No. 5: Measures 21-25. Prelude No. 6 by Manuel Ponce.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
The melodic line which must be brought out very clearly and evenly is found in the middle
voice. It is essential that the melodic tones occurring within the chords be played with the same
volume and tone quality as the melodic notes sounding singly. To maintain this even volume
and tone quality, I would recommend that either i or m be used on every melodic note. I
personally would use m because I find that when playing a three-note chord, it is far easier to
bring out m when playing pma than to bring out i when playing pim or pia. I would not use a
finger to play the melodic notes within the chords and the thumb to play single melodic
notes--the difference in tone quality between the finger and thumb would give the melody an
uneven sound.
A common occurrence in Renaissance and Baroque music is the suspended note found in an
inner voice of a chord:
Example No. 6: Measures 6-8. Bianco Fiore by Cesare Negri.
The D to the C sharp is a 4-3 suspension which is a very common type in early music. Keep in
mind that suspensions almost always serve as focal or climatic points of phrases. Not only is
the D to be played louder than the E above and A below, but it should be accented as well.
A striking example of the importance of chordal balance occurs in the Pavanas in A minor by
Gaspar Sanz:
Example No. 7: Measures 1-4. Pavanas by Gaspar Sanz.
The trill occurs in the tenor voice and is played with i. The fact that the trilled notes comprise a
4-3 suspension above the root of the chord (the note E) indicates the trill's harmonic
importance which is underscored by the repetition of a 4-3 suspension at the end of a phrase.
Therefore, it is imperative that the note A, which begins the trill, be clearly played as the
dominating tone the moment the chord is struck. (It should be pointed out that another
technique using the thumb to play the initial note A of the trill could be used to balance the
chord correctly. (This technique will be discussed in Part 3.)
Examples such as these and countless others can be found where inner notes and voices of
three and four-note textures must be clearly brought out. But even more common is the
situation where the pristine melody sings in the upper voice:
Example No. 8: Chorus. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J.S. Bach.
But the player must decide exactly what the balance is to be. Will the soprano be heard almost
to the exclusion of the other parts? Or just slightly louder? The important thing to remember is
that with the ability to alter the balance of a chord at will, you can now make a choice and
execute it. You have a new technique you can use to add variety, intelligence, and vitality to
your playing. Next month (Part 3) I will discuss some special balancing techniques involving the
thumb.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
In last month's technique tip, I discussed exercises and techniques to learn to control the
volume of each note of an interval independently. Therefore, if you are studying say, Galileo's
Saltarello (from Chilesotti's Six Lute Pieces of the Renaissance), you should now be able to
control the balance between the upper melodic part and the ostinato bass:
Example No.1: Measures 1-4. Saltarello by V. Galileo
If your teacher tells you, or you yourself notice that the bass notes are overriding the upper
part, you should be able to adjust your touch to produce whatever balance you desire. Or, on
Prelude No.2 by Manuel Ponce (from Preludes 1-6):
Example No. 2: Measures 1-4. Prelude No. 2 by Manuel Ponce
You should be able (no matter what right hand fingering you use) to bring out the short
counter-melodies in measures two and three (and similarly measures six and seven). In the
Pavanas in A Minor by Gaspar Sanz you should now be able to play the notes E and G in the
bass line quite a bit louder than the C and B above them and match the volume of the E and G
with the volume of the other single bass notes around them:
Example No. 3: Measures 20-22. Pavanas by Gaspar Sanz.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Balancing three and four-note chords
Whether playing a three-note chord with pim, pma, pia, or ima or a four-note chord with pima,
the technique for learning to bring out one particular finger louder than the others is the same.
We will use the following chord as an example:
Example No. 4:
To work on bringing out the note G (which is played by i) louder than the other notes, use the
procedure we discussed last month (Part 1). Rest p, m, and a very lightly on their respective
strings--so lightly that they are barely touching the strings. Keeping in mind that volume is
primarily the result of how far a string is pulled before it is released, pull the third string hard
with i until the third string is almost touching the fourth string. But be careful that when you pull
with i that you do not pull or increase the pressure of p, m, or a on the strings. Take note of
how the fingers feel--p, m, and a feeling very loose and relaxed while i feels the pressure of the
third string biting into it as it pulls on the string. Then release the third string while lightly
brushing the first, second, and fifth strings with a, m, and p. Practice this exercise over and
over, feeling the independence of the movements of i from those of p, m, and a. Once the
fingers get the feel of the correct physical balance, try to capture that feeling without
pre-planting the fingers on the strings but still retaining the feeling that i is pulling hard on the
third string while p, m, and a lightly brush the other strings.
Apply this practice technique to m, a, and finally the thumb until you can bring out any note of a
three or four-note chord forte while playing the other notes pianissimo. Let us look at some
examples in which this technique is used. In Prelude No.6 by Manuel Ponce we come upon the
following passage:
Example No. 5: Measures 21-25. Prelude No. 6 by Manuel Ponce.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
The melodic line which must be brought out very clearly and evenly is found in the middle
voice. It is essential that the melodic tones occurring within the chords be played with the same
volume and tone quality as the melodic notes sounding singly. To maintain this even volume
and tone quality, I would recommend that either i or m be used on every melodic note. I
personally would use m because I find that when playing a three-note chord, it is far easier to
bring out m when playing pma than to bring out i when playing pim or pia. I would not use a
finger to play the melodic notes within the chords and the thumb to play single melodic
notes--the difference in tone quality between the finger and thumb would give the melody an
uneven sound.
A common occurrence in Renaissance and Baroque music is the suspended note found in an
inner voice of a chord:
Example No. 6: Measures 6-8. Bianco Fiore by Cesare Negri.
The D to the C sharp is a 4-3 suspension which is a very common type in early music. Keep in
mind that suspensions almost always serve as focal or climatic points of phrases. Not only is
the D to be played louder than the E above and A below, but it should be accented as well.
A striking example of the importance of chordal balance occurs in the Pavanas in A minor by
Gaspar Sanz:
Example No. 7: Measures 1-4. Pavanas by Gaspar Sanz.
The trill occurs in the tenor voice and is played with i. The fact that the trilled notes comprise a
4-3 suspension above the root of the chord (the note E) indicates the trill's harmonic
importance which is underscored by the repetition of a 4-3 suspension at the end of a phrase.
Therefore, it is imperative that the note A, which begins the trill, be clearly played as the
dominating tone the moment the chord is struck. (It should be pointed out that another
technique using the thumb to play the initial note A of the trill could be used to balance the
chord correctly. (This technique will be discussed in Part 3.)
Examples such as these and countless others can be found where inner notes and voices of
three and four-note textures must be clearly brought out. But even more common is the
situation where the pristine melody sings in the upper voice:
Example No. 8: Chorus. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by J.S. Bach.
But the player must decide exactly what the balance is to be. Will the soprano be heard almost
to the exclusion of the other parts? Or just slightly louder? The important thing to remember is
that with the ability to alter the balance of a chord at will, you can now make a choice and
execute it. You have a new technique you can use to add variety, intelligence, and vitality to
your playing. Next month (Part 3) I will discuss some special balancing techniques involving the
thumb.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
 | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  |
 | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  |
| These are my very detailed, in-depth articles and high-def videos on how to play the classical guitar. It's like getting your own private guitar lesson every month. Need info on classical guitar right hand technique? Guitar scales? How to play bar chords? Harmonics? Looking for a classical guitar practicing routine? Tips on performing onstage? How to tune a guitar? Looking for easy Christmas guitar arrangements? Chances are, I have covered it, or will soon. The tips are by subscription only. |
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on
the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written
tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and
the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on
the Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written
tips run over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and
the production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.