How To Develop A Soft Touch

[Jackknifegypsy]

Glad I ran into this thread as I have been struggling in total frustration with the half or full barre as well as the pressure that needs to be applied by the fingers to get a great tone to each note.

If you do play, play, play i'd further suggest you do not play the same tunes in doing so. You will get sick to the point of nausea everytime you hear the tune, and it will be embedded in your brain. Vary the tunes significantly, even use different genres.

I don't understand the cryptic, "develop.....or never play in tune". OR why using an Electric with .08s would accomplish this???

[Mr Fixit eh]

Originally Posted by gracecovenant

Everything he played seemed effortless, and I realized that the soft touch is consistently a playing quality that I admire.

I think there are two different phenomena being described here: (1) effortless, and (2) soft touch. These are somewhat independent of each other. You can strum fairly vigorously and still appear to be playing effortlessly. You can also play very softly, but not give the appearance of playing effortlessly.

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Gc...

Over pressing (fretting too hard) is fairly normal, and something which must be adjusted as one matures. Your action if too high may accentuate it, so a professional setup may be in order.

Learning to play with a soft touch has as much to do with the plucking/picking hand as the fretting hand. It is not playing in a gutless or listless fashion, but it is a matter of adjusting the volume downward, so dynamics (softs and louds) can still be easily achieved from your standard volume.

If you play too softly, there is no 'soft' available, and if you play too loudly, then there is no 'louder' to be had. This may seem obvious, but until it's acknowledged and worked on, dynamics just don't happen.

Techniques needed to master to accomplish a relaxed playing style are

• Balance between strings as you play them
• Accents (emphasis to certain notes, beats, or chords) Deliberately disrupting the balance for emphasis
• Smoothness - music needs to flow & keep flowing
• Interesting rhythms and patterns - patterns and variations of them

An effortless style is the result of deliberate work.

Really great points here, Larry. These tips are about making the music flow naturally and when mastered lead to truly beautiful music. The effortless part just comes from practicing so much that the music truly becomes part of your being - you come to 'own' the music.

A soft musical part sounds especially sweet when juxtaposed against some strong/ loud parts.

I've found that this all comes with deliberate practice - lots and lots of it - and I've got a long ways to go yet

A couple tools that work well to cultivate these two qualities: (1) recording yourself playing - the recorder doesn't lie; and (2) find some recording artists that you admire and listen to lots of their music.

Steve

[gitardude]

Originally Posted by JanVigne

As with most actions which require a muscle/mind connection, a soft touch begins with being aware of fretting too hard. I would suggest you first spend a bit of time considering how the Taylor player accomplished his skill. Of course, you could always call Taylor and ask to speak with the fellow but I suspect he's not really aware of how he plays, he just plays. How he plays is likely to be how he learned to play. For someone who has learned to play "hard", the first issue is unlearning the poor habits you have developed.

Questions such as yours tend to have me thinking about the sound of one hand clapping. What is that sound? And, how does one find it? The answer is within you. Once you understand how to achieve that sound, you will be on your way to playing with soft hands. http://www.tomharveytraining.com/201...d-of-one-hand/

I could suggest you practice holding a soap bubble between your fingers but most adult males wouldn't think that was how to achieve effortless strength. I could suggest you think of how to wipe a newborn's chin but the same problem would arise. I would suggest you think of the way to best prune a rose, by asking the rose how it grows. Until you understand there is a right way and a wrong way you will never really see the wrong way.

Playing a stringed instrument is not a feat of strength. It is a function of muscle control and leverage, using a fulcrum to create more work than your muscles alone have to offer. This function typically begins with how you breath and the tensions you carry with you. Tai chi artists understand the manner in which power emanates from your core, not your muscles. While many Western players might not feel comfortable with the introspection required to achieve this core power, it is, IMO, how you must relearn playing using leverage rather than strength.

If you're looking for simple answers to your question, the first I would make is to ask a martial arts practioner how they approach their art. The second is to become fully aware of your breathing, this is at the heart of inner power. Before you begin playing, stretch your hands for a few minutes as you focus on your breathing prior to practicing your scales. Be as relaxed as you possibly can while learning how little leverage/power is required to play a note cleanly. Spend at least a few minutes each day playing with the softest touch you can apply to play each note with each finger cleanly. Only by being conciously aware of how you play can you change how you play. Be aware of how you hold the guitar since this will alter how much pressure you require to play a single note. Be aware of your breathing until you are as at peace with your core as possible. Think about the sound of one hand clapping. If you play with the intention of using soft hands, eventually it will become how you play just as how you play now has been developed over time.

Unlearning bad habits is even more difficult than learning bad habits. We all tend to take short cuts with the idea whatever works for us is fine. Learning to play with soft hands is very much like the advertisements for learning a second language with Rosetta Stone, you must learn the new ways just as you did the old ways.

Your reference to martial arts reminds me of my Aikido training where we learned that true power originates from just below the navel. If the source of your power comes from the shoulder and arms, much of your potential for ease of action is blocked. I'm going to see how I can apply this to the guitar.

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by Jackknifegypsy

Glad I ran into this thread as I have been struggling in total frustration with the half or full barre as well as the pressure that needs to be applied by the fingers to get a great tone to each note.

If you do play, play, play i'd further suggest you do not play the same tunes in doing so. You will get sick to the point of nausea everytime you hear the tune, and it will be embedded in your brain. Vary the tunes significantly, even use different genres.

I don't understand the cryptic, "develop.....or never play in tune". OR why using an Electric with .08s would accomplish this???

Try it...if you play super light strings with a heavy fretting hand (or even strum too hard) the notes will be literally pulled out of tune. So it's sink or swim...lighten up or sound terrible

[Bern]

Play slow and know your fingering for whatever piece of music like to play. Playing too fast causes cramping up which turns into a kind of 'bear grip'. It's impossible to put any kind of expression into a piece of music when this occurs. As for the picking hand, complete attack control is essential in conjunction with any kind fretting technique (vibrato, hammer ons, pull offs, etc.). There are no shortcuts for achieving any kind of expressive playing without learning and understanding the necessary tools first. It's a slow process and it's a constant learning process which will never stop.

[saurabhhere]

How i developed it was through a lot of exercises..
Firstly you can start playing aggressively with putting much force towards every note..
once you develop strength in your fingers.. you wouldn't have to make an effort to play
every note..

Secondly you must also do some stretching exercises...
It really helps a lot..At least it did help me..