(This is an excerpt from my book, “The Useful Musician” available on Amazon)
WHY IT MAKES YOU MORE USEFUL:
This greatly expands the list of things you can do to add dynamics.
WHAT TO DO:
Think of dynamics NOT as just loud and soft, but as adding and subtracting energy. This is a big switch in thinking, most likely, but it’s an important, valuable one. A big chorus needs more energy, not just more volume. A soft verse needs less energy, not just less volume. Thinking this way expands your toolbox:
Long tones drain energy/Short tones add energy
Fewer notes drain energy/More notes add energy
Playing softer drains energy/Playing louder adds energy
Coming into a big chorus, start clipping the notes short as you strum the guitar, or strum faster. Coming out of the chorus, into the verse, hit one long chord and let it ring through the last two measures of the chorus.
THOUGHTS:
If you’re leading a band, or everyone is looking to you for cues, you can telegraph a LOT of useful information just by the way you play. Even musicians with wandering minds, buried in their instrument, head down—even these musicians will hear that the energy is draining out of a section.
When everyone onstage does this, the effect is powerful.
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