Lesson 13- Better Control and Clarity-

Here's a great set of listening exercises to develop better control and clarity. Experiment with these ideas in all the music you are playing and I guarantee you will achieve a clearer sound, better control, and most importantly, better understanding of what the composition is made of.

Use any piece which has more than one line - most have treble and bass lines at least.

Dynamic Control Exercise

1.Play the treble line LOUD- and the bass soft- keep checking to see that all the notes are clear but with this contrasting dynamic throughout.

2. Play the Bass LOUD- and the treble soft, again keep checking to see that all the notes are clear but with this contrasting dynamic throughout.

3. IF the piece has a middle voice, play the middle LOUD, and the rest soft.

Really listen to the lines you are bringing out and I guarantee you will find melodies and counterpoint that you didn't notice before. Knowledge is strength.

Clarity of all Notes

Many times when students play for me, some of the notes they play are clear, and some notes are not. This "clarity" is one of the main differences between great guitarists and average guitarists (among other things of course).  The reason for the lack of clarity is simple. It is because the student concentrates on some notes clearly, and others not.  It is not easy to concentrate on all the notes! I think these concentration exercises, played at different tempos  really help eliminate the dynamic and tone "gaps" that occur in most people's playing. They certainly help my playing. 

Use any piece in your repertoire

1. Listen to individual strings. First, listen only to the 1st string- make sure all the notes are very clear and clean on the 1st string. Only worry about the first string for now. Then choose the 2nd, the 3rd, etc. Listen  to them individually for tone, dynamic, and articulation. 

2. Listen intensely to any open strings you play- do they match the rest? Some people play them too bright, too loud, too warm, too soft, etc. Open strings need your full attention to match to them to the stopped (fretted) strings

3. Listen to notes right before a shift- many times they get cut short

4. Listen to the notes right after a shift- many times they get an awkward accent or they are played too soft.

5. Check all rests to make sure you are really doing the rests. Many times people think silence is when they stop playing, but if you listen carefully, many times you will notice strings ringing- this ruins the dramatic and rhythmic  effect of a rest.

There are more exercises that I have used for both dynamic control and clarity, but these will get you started. As with all these on-line lessons, be creative and MAKE YOUR OWN EXERCISES. Being creative with exercises helps overall creativity - no doubt about it.  

Good Luck- Kevin Gallagher