[doctrane]

Being an ever developing player, as most of you are, and relatively new acoustic player, sometimes I wonder whether I'm treading into frontiers that are a definitive part of playing acoustic guitar, controlling my instrumental voice. I've notice that notes particularly on the (b,e) strings created sustain vibrations particularly from lower (e,a,d) strings but at certain frets. What I do sometimes when I'm playing chord melodies let's saying, or maintaining chord tones while I then scale,arp,pent,line,motif out from it >> creating I guess a more complete (orchestral), sound. In the process, again I've noticed naturally accuring sustains on those (b,e) strings that I guess deal with where I've contacted the lower strings and the octaves of those notes.
So particularly an e or a or d on those upper strings create sympathic vibrations which add to the sustain. But to finesse that same effect on other notes, I literally place holding points on those octaves on the lower string and it seems to create similar effects.

Is this part of playing acoustic guitar where you place I'd say (silent) contacts on other strings to effect the sustains and effects on other notes.

Is there a particular, systemitized method for doing this, is it more trial by error, doing as I said (contacting octave points, perhaps, on multiple strings, perhaps the 4th(s), 5th(s) >> but basically experimentation

as part of ones technique. In the process of again, creating chord melodies, etc. this sometimes happens naturally (contacting other low strings) >> effecting the sustain (sympathetic effect). But talking about doing it, purposefully, knowing that if I don't let's say a first finger barre contact on the lower e that that upper e won't ring as much which is what I want it to do in the musical context.

So is this a part of guitar playing, which of course is exciting, or is this a part of my guitar that's lacking and should be sustaining without me doing this?

What I'm saying is also that as playing get's easier and easier, it seems to get harder and harder (more complex) and there seems to be many ways to coax a sound from the is instrument that are wonderful and beautiful. From ringing to thuds, from bells to funk, from shrill and balls and bends and cries, to dissonant ringing to counter melody and on and on.

Sometimes I think it's me working to hard on an instrument that's lacking, or this is exactly what it's about, supposed to be like. It's not easy to play but it can be wonderfully easy to handle what's not easy and doing it and telling beautiful musical stories

doc