Elements of Music: Dynamics
WAYS TO CREATE DYNAMICS WITH TECHNIQUE
Some ways to create movement in your music are through techniques that make your playing dynamic. These techniques are commonly notated. But here I’ll give you their names and a description of each. Many of them are based on Italian but they should look familiar if you’ve seen any notation at all.
You can add dynamics by changing...
Attack:
mezzo forte = relatively loud
mezzo piano = relatively soft
forte = loud
piano = soft
fortissimo = very loud
pianissimo = very soft
pizzicato = lightly plucked with a dampening
of the note with your palm
staccato = short, quick attack or pluck of the string
causing a noticeable separation of sequential notes
legato = attacking the string in a way that causes the
notes to tie together audibly
•using rest strokes
•using different parts of the nail attacking different areas of the string
•percussively attacking the strings or the body of the guitar in different
areas
•using accents on certain beats
Tempo:
ritardanto = slightly slowing the tempo
accelerando = slightly going faster
lento = slow
presto, rapido = fast
lentissimo = very slow
prestissimo = very fast
Volume:
crescendo = growing louder
diminuendo = growing softer
Get your guitar and pick something to play. Try to go through each one of these techniques and perform it on that piece of music.
WAYS TO CREATE DYNAMICS WITH ELEMENTS
You can create dynamics by switching focus to another element
of the piece during its performance:
For example you have written a very melodic piece that clearly
has melody as its focus. Somewhere in the piece, take a few
bars to really change up the tempo to focus on the rhythm.
Or change the rhythm of the notes entirely to bring life into
it.
When trying to add dynamics to a song, think of the following...
1. What elements can be showcased in it?
2. Where can I change rhythm?
3. What progression am I following?
4. What’s the song structure?
5. How am I varying my phrases and to what effect?
6. Based on where I want to the song to go, how can I use harmonic intervals to do that?
7. Can I use different textures and where should I use them?
8. Am I telling a story or am I making a statement?
9. What techniques can I use to get across the message I want.
Hopefully you get the idea. I think that it’s difficult to say a whole lot about elements except that they are something you have to take into account, explore and play with.
And hopefully I’ve given you some ideas in this short, yet very important, unit. As time goes on I’m sure I will post more exercises and observations on line for you as I come up with them.
In the meantime, enjoy and practice, practice, practice!