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Bob Elliott
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6/5/2009 9:12:13 PM
After Decades of Playing, I May Have Begun to Understand Strumming
It sounds much better if you go as slow along the stroke as the rhythm allows you to. Even if the tempo of the song is upbeat, the strum sounds fuller and and more musical if you draw it out as much time as you can get away with.
And for God's sake, Bob, quit beating so hard on that guitar.
Last night I was trying to make a recording of "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry," for this demo I'm trying to make. I really finally got myself to play the guitar more gently without banging, and I drew the stroke of the strum out, and the playback was so much nicer on the ears. Not only that, but while I was playing it, it brought a better performance out of me because it took up more of my mind to do this type of strumming. When my head gets caught up in that rhythm, the singing goes more into auto and natural.
Anyway, it is probably a skill lots of musicians know well, but I think I have always banged on instruments too much, and the amount of time on the stroke is too short for lots of stuff. This way of drawing out the stroke sounds so much better.
I kind of guess most of the better musicians have a much softer touch than we may realize, even on the rowdy stuff.
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Tom O'Brien
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6/7/2009 9:49:08 PM
We all too often forget that, in addition to being a string instrument, the guitar is also a percussive instrument. You are hitting something to make sound and rhythm. So if you think of your guitar as a drum, then you've got to play it like you want your drums - not just banging away full bore, but tasty, dynamic, sometimes holding back, sometimes letting it swing, and yes, sometimes banging on it.
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