How To Develop A Soft Touch

[gracecovenant]

Recently, at the Dallas Guitar Show, I sat in on the Taylor Road Show, and their guitarist had the softest touch. Everything he played seemed effortless, and I realized that the soft touch is consistently a playing quality that I admire.

I am not an aggressive player (nor a Taylor guy), but I've never had that light touch that I so admire. It always seems that I have to fret pretty hard and close to the fret to get sustain out of notes. Probably, I am too deliberate and not loose enough.

That said, is there a secret to obtaining the soft touch because I don't think it NECESSARILY comes with proficiency.

[frankhond]

Everybody has to fret hard and behind the frets (well, hard enough anyway). Leo Kottke talked about that "one should supposedly fret light enough so your fingertips dont turn white, but this is impossible", and his playing looks completely effortless. Maybe what you describe is the synergy between mind and body that accomplished players have.

Have you practiced in front of a mirror? This helps spot tensions, raised shoulders and such.

Also (for me at least) there is a discrepancy between how it feels and how it looks. My fretting hand is working hard, but in the mirror you see none of that. Maybe it's the same for you?

[chewie]

You could try plugging in to an amp and setting the volume HIGH. Then try to play quietly.

If you have no amp, just practice late at night while people are sleeping without a safety helmet on.

[usb_chord]

Learn some ballads, scottish laments, or a slow waltz like Ashokan Farewell.

[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.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by gracecovenant

...I am not an aggressive player (nor a Taylor guy), but I've never had that light touch that I so admire. It always seems that I have to fret pretty hard and close to the fret to get sustain out of notes. Probably, I am too deliberate and not loose enough.

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.

[rick-slo]

Playing softly come from the right hand. Watching someone else play you can't tell how much left hand pressure they are using. You can see how fluid their hand motions are. Play lightly with your right hand and the left will eventually follow along (more or less) as lightly picked strings need less fret pressure to keep from buzzing.

[JanVigne]

http://www.tomharveytraining.com/201...-monday-humor/

[JoeCharter]

Playing softly, evenly, with expression, is a big challenge on any instrument as it requires a great amount of strength (ironically) and control in the picking hand.

My practical advice is to play with an amp (or to record yourself with headphones) so you can hear all the micro differences.

Expect to work at it for years to come.

[mr. beaumont]

Crash course-- grab a cheap electric and put .08's on it.

Your choices will be "develop a light touch" or "never sound in tune."

[callouses]

You've got so much good advice here already, but I just want to add one thing that I don't think has been directly mentioned yet. Hand strenght. In the right hand, yes, but also in the left. I've heard suggestions before about squeezing stress balls, playing with tight fitting surgical gloves on, putting rubber bands around your fingertips, then opening an closing your fingers,,,really, the best thing you can do is play, play, play, then play some more. Fluidity and control will come. especially work on your pinky finger, left hand. Stretch it, hammer on-off, slide...practice control, it'll come

[random works]

As has been mentioned, you don't want to lose your range of dynamics, so try to order your playing to include some notes you focus the soft touch on then anticipate these notes, practice them, and enjoy the feedback.

Nothing gets the ahhhhh response like a bit of song finessed with expression.

[txstrathack]

I once read (maybe here!) to close your eyes, fret a note, then slowly release pressure until you find the lightest pressure that still produces clear tone. Now release the string and try to refret it with that same tension. Don't think I would spend a ton of time on it but its a good exercise. Also +1 on playing an electric. Put me in front of a crowd and the adrenalin squeezes everything sharp..

[jseth]

I think it's important to not confuse fluid, smooth playing with some sort of wimpy, soft attack...

I know exactly what you're talking about; Norman Blake is a great example. in my mind. A lot of that DOES come from experience and years of playing and practicing, but it also comes through WANTING to be that way... some guitarists just seem to want to look like they are REALLY working hard to get the sound they do, while others look so smooth and effortless that it's difficult to even see them "trying" or working at it...

Knowing that's the way YOU want to play is a great start... truly, it is all up to you! Your picking hand and fretting hand both belong to you, and YOU are in charge of them and their actions!

Along with a lot of the great advice you've received already, I would suggest a conscious examination of your right hand technique... and all the different methods that you already know about changing tone and volume, like playing closer to or further away from the bridge, changing the volume of the notes you're playing, whether by strumming or fingering, muting and partial muting with both hands... and start to use all those different techniques, CONSCIOUSLY, within the songs you play, always to support the song itself!

After a while, you'll just do it, unconsciously, as a means to express your feelings about the song you're playing...

[islander53]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Crash course-- grab a cheap electric and put .08's on it.

Your choices will be "develop a light touch" or "never sound in tune."

LOL... I get a good chuckle every time I hear this kind of advice. Because it's so freakin' true!!