One of the things that I love about music is the power of “dynamics”. Using dynamics in guitar playing is about having the ability to play soft and loud, and at varying volumes in between.

 

This goes for strumming an acoustic, fingerpicking like Paul Simon, playing some B.B. King-style blues lead, jamming a solo fingerstyle arrangement, or whatever.

If every note is played at the same volume, things get flat and boring very quickly, but adding some variation of dynamics helps make the music come to life.

 

It’s like going from 2D to 3D.

3 dimensions add so much more depth to the image, just like using dynamics will with your playing.

The 3 dimensions of dynamics are:

 

Quiet, medium, and loud.

 

An easy way to practise guitar dynamics is to strum just one chord with a strumming pattern you are comfortable with.

 

  • Keep the chord and strumming pattern the same, then…
  • Play about with the three levels of dynamics.

 

Simple, but effective, especially when you apply it to songs and your real playing.

There is obviously more to it than just that, but the above is a fun way to start off using dynamics.

 

One of the elements of my membership programme is the “Two-minute challenges” section.

These quick challenges will help you develop multiple key skills like using dynamics.

There is also a lot more to the membership than this and it is the only place where you can get in-depth, direct, and fast advice from me on your playing when you need it.

 

Here is the link to find out more…

Dan Thorpe Acoustic Academy

 

Have a great day!

 

Dan Thorpe

Guitar Domination

 

P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.

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