Classical Guitar – Playing Very Softly (Pianissimo) Effortlessly (Musicians)(Psychology)(Pain)(Strain)(Injuries)(Posture)(Alexander Technique)(Albuquerque)

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Classical Guitar Technique, is published on this website in a PDF format. It is very detailed and practical, and it will give you the physical tools you need to take the limits off of your ability to create the accurate guitar technique you want without sacrificing your body.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)

Why is playing the classical guitar consistently very softly through a passage difficult for many guitarists? Is playing the classical guitar pianissimo INHERENTLY difficult, and there is nothing you can do about it?

First, I’m going to describe what classical guitarists do that makes playing the guitar very softly for sustained periods hard. Second, I’m going to describe the remedy, so that playing the classical guitar pianissimo for long passages can be effortless. It should be effortless, shouldn’t it?

A prevalent belief among classical guitarists is that to play very softly, they need to KEEP themselves from playing too loudly. So, by definition, it is easier to play at a moderately loud volume than it is to play very softly. BUT IT TAKES LESS MUSCLE TO PLAY SOFTLY THAN TO PLAY LOUDLY.

But many classical guitarists are used to playing moderately loud. So, why is playing pianissimo harder than playing mezzo forte? Because, many guitarists believe playing very softly is about pulling back on the reins with effort. They believe they have to muscle the fingers, hand, and arm to keep from playing at whatever the classical guitarist’s most effortless volume is.

Think about it. If you believe you have to KEEP your fingers from playing the classical guitar too loud, then you are using muscle to keep yourself from using too much muscle. This is crazy. Is there a better solution? YES!

Why not use less muscle to play softer. To do this effortlessly on the classical guitar, two thing have to happen. The first is you gain conscious control over the musculature of your fingers and arms by using less muscle, and you do this by lovingly ordering your body to do less work to play pianissimo, not FORCING your hand and arm to do less.

This will only work truly effortlessly, if you move your fingers REFLEXIVELY, which means you move your fingers as quickly as you can, not slower to play softly. When you move your fingers slowly to play softly, you get a fuzzy sound, not a clean precise crisp pianissimo sound.

How do you combine playing very softly with moving your fingers as quickly as possible effortlessly. First when you move your fingers as quickly as possible, this is moving them REFLEXIVELY. By definition a reflexive movement is a twitch. So, when you twitch your fingers through the strings, this is an effortless movement.

That volume of that finger movement is determined by how much muscle you use to twitch your fingers. The less flexor muscle you use to twitch a finger through the string, the softer the note. You truly can have the conscious control over your flexor muscles to use less and less muscle effortlessly to play pianissimo.
So, the combination of twitching your fingers through the string using the least amount of muscle makes playing very softly on the classical guitar effortless.

One last point: What determines how softly you can play? Is it your technique or the classical guitar? It is the guitar. If you use the least amount of muscle and move reflexively, then it is the classical guitar that will determine how softly you can play. Simply, at a certain point the guitar will not produce a sound, if there is too little muscle behind a finger.

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An Alexander Technique Approach to Classical Guitar Technique

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Ethan Kind

AUTHOR, TRAINER "When you change old habitual movement patterns with the Alexander Technique, whether in playing a musical instrument, running, weightlifting, walking, or typing at a computer, you create an ease of body use that moves you consistently into the zone." - Ethan Kind Ethan Kind writes and is published extensively on all of the above activities. He teaches musicians, athletes, and computer operators how to stop hurting themselves, by showing them how to use their bodies with ease and coordination. He brings a unique perspective to his work, having been a musician and athlete all of his life. After training for three years at the American Center for the Alexander Technique (New York, NY), Ethan received Professional Certification credentials.

2 Comments

  1. James Messick on August 10, 2016 at 3:20 pm

    Thanks, this tip really helped me. Not the “twitch” part so much, but simply to play with less effort. With just a little experimentation I was able to quickly see a marked improvement in my ability to play the desired notes more quietly and consistently, and even to use the technique at speed!



    • ethankind on August 10, 2016 at 4:30 pm

      Glad I could help. Contact me if you have any questions.