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GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
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| BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT" It contains many of Doug's Previous Guitar Technique Tips of the Month |
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Interval and Chord Balance Part 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 the past three months I have discussed methods of controlling the balance of notes within
intervals and chords. The development of this ability to control balance is essential. Imagine
what an orchestra would sound like if each instrument played at the same volume. Beautiful
melodies or sparkling counterpoint would be lost in a mass of uniform sound.
It is important to remember that a listener can only really hear or concentrate on one aural idea
at a time-a melody, a harmony, a bass line, etc. No one can hear for example, the linear
movement of all four voices simultaneously in a Bach fugue. Our ears can "jump" to listen first
to one, and then to another but cannot follow all four voices continuously at the same time.
Therefore, one of our duties as performers is to guide the listener through the composer's work
emphasizing its most beautiful and interesting features.
As an example I would like to use Luis Milan's Pavane No. 6, an exquisite example of early
counterpoint. But before going on, I must acknowledge the fact that there is a school of thought
on contrapuntal music performance that says the performer should not act as a "tour guide"
but merely play the music in an evenly balanced manner so that the listener may choose what
he wants to hear. This is fine if your audience knows the piece or has heard it before, but it is
not an appropriate approach for most listeners. I believe this school of thought springs from the
problem of having to publicly perform pieces of the Renaissance and Baroque eras which were
originally intended only for private performance. (Most lute and vihuela music falls into this
category.) Charles Rosen, the eminent concert pianist, expressed it well when he noted a
"remark by Mozart who said that when you play fugues you must play them moderately slowly
so that the entrances can be heard in each voice. Whereas, of course, Bach often didn't care
because you weren't playing in public and you knew the entrances were there".
But again, because we guitarists, vihuelists, or lutenists are presented with the opportunity (or
problem depending upon how you view it) of playing early contrapuntal music in public
performance, I feel we must act as guides for our listeners. I mentioned we must emphasize the
interesting and beautiful features of a work. Knowledge of historical style, a composer's
compositional style, the form of a piece of music, counterpoint, etc. will often give the artist
clues to what is important. But in the end it is entirely up to the artist to decide or interpret for
himself what is beautiful and what is most important.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
For me, the most beautiful aspect of Milan's Pavane No. 6 is the unbridled vitality of the
counterpoint characterized by quick entrances and exits of melodic fragments darting in and
out without warning. Bear in mind that the indicated voice leading in example #1 is my personal
version (voice leading is of course not indicated in vihuela tablature) and is subject to slightly
differing interpretations. Each voice is highlighted in a separate color.
In example #2 of the Pavane I have simply indicated that the performer emphasize those notes
comprising the most actively moving part at any one time. In this way the listener has the
feeling of hearing many voices in joyous interplay.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Notes to be brought out louder than others are highlighted in pink. Use the techniques
discussed in the previous three issues to emphasize these notes.
Milan's mastery of counterpoint is such that by the performer's emphasizing the entrances and
notes of the melodic fragments, the piece comes alive virtually playing itself. Thus the ability to
control the balance between the notes one plays is the key to a successful performance of this
piece.
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 the past three months I have discussed methods of controlling the balance of notes within
intervals and chords. The development of this ability to control balance is essential. Imagine
what an orchestra would sound like if each instrument played at the same volume. Beautiful
melodies or sparkling counterpoint would be lost in a mass of uniform sound.
It is important to remember that a listener can only really hear or concentrate on one aural idea
at a time-a melody, a harmony, a bass line, etc. No one can hear for example, the linear
movement of all four voices simultaneously in a Bach fugue. Our ears can "jump" to listen first
to one, and then to another but cannot follow all four voices continuously at the same time.
Therefore, one of our duties as performers is to guide the listener through the composer's work
emphasizing its most beautiful and interesting features.
As an example I would like to use Luis Milan's Pavane No. 6, an exquisite example of early
counterpoint. But before going on, I must acknowledge the fact that there is a school of thought
on contrapuntal music performance that says the performer should not act as a "tour guide"
but merely play the music in an evenly balanced manner so that the listener may choose what
he wants to hear. This is fine if your audience knows the piece or has heard it before, but it is
not an appropriate approach for most listeners. I believe this school of thought springs from the
problem of having to publicly perform pieces of the Renaissance and Baroque eras which were
originally intended only for private performance. (Most lute and vihuela music falls into this
category.) Charles Rosen, the eminent concert pianist, expressed it well when he noted a
"remark by Mozart who said that when you play fugues you must play them moderately slowly
so that the entrances can be heard in each voice. Whereas, of course, Bach often didn't care
because you weren't playing in public and you knew the entrances were there".
But again, because we guitarists, vihuelists, or lutenists are presented with the opportunity (or
problem depending upon how you view it) of playing early contrapuntal music in public
performance, I feel we must act as guides for our listeners. I mentioned we must emphasize the
interesting and beautiful features of a work. Knowledge of historical style, a composer's
compositional style, the form of a piece of music, counterpoint, etc. will often give the artist
clues to what is important. But in the end it is entirely up to the artist to decide or interpret for
himself what is beautiful and what is most important.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
For me, the most beautiful aspect of Milan's Pavane No. 6 is the unbridled vitality of the
counterpoint characterized by quick entrances and exits of melodic fragments darting in and
out without warning. Bear in mind that the indicated voice leading in example #1 is my personal
version (voice leading is of course not indicated in vihuela tablature) and is subject to slightly
differing interpretations. Each voice is highlighted in a separate color.
In example #2 of the Pavane I have simply indicated that the performer emphasize those notes
comprising the most actively moving part at any one time. In this way the listener has the
feeling of hearing many voices in joyous interplay.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
Notes to be brought out louder than others are highlighted in pink. Use the techniques
discussed in the previous three issues to emphasize these notes.
Milan's mastery of counterpoint is such that by the performer's emphasizing the entrances and
notes of the melodic fragments, the piece comes alive virtually playing itself. Thus the ability to
control the balance between the notes one plays is the key to a successful performance of this
piece.
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.
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| 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. |
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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.