ETUDE
October 1939
volume LVII
number 10
page 678

Tone Production

By George C. Krick

ON MANY OCCASIONS, after listening to a rendition of a guitar solo, the writer was unfavorably impressed with the tone quality the player extracted from his instrument. In trying to analyze the shortcomings in this respect of some of the players, we have come to the conclusion that too much attention has been given to the right hand technic, either fingers or plectrum, and not enough to the left hand fingers. Especially on the guitar, the frets in the lower positions are quite some distance apart; and, unless the fingers of the left hand are placed close to the frets, the tone will lack clearness and brilliance, regardless of the amount of pressure exerted. Too often students will devote most of their time to the development of speed, forgetting that in a musical performance beautiful tone quality should be the most important factor. In other words, on one hand we have the musical acrobat and on the other the artist.

If we place the tip of a left hand finger somewhere between two frets the string when plucked will probabLy produce a buzzing sound; at best the tone will be weak, even with a firm pressure of the finger upon the string. Bring the same finger close to the fret and with the same pressure the tone should be strong and brilliant.

This brings us to the first underlying principle of procuring a good tone – train the left hand fingers to drop unto the string with an energetic motion, close to the fret. We suggest this simple exercise that will help, if persisted in and repeated frequently. Adopt playing position, drop the first finger on the first string, first fret, seeing to it that the finger tip rests close up to the fret; now strike with right hand finger and be careful not to relax the pressure of the left hand finger, then place the second finger on the second fret in similar manner, at the same time keeping the first finger on the first fret. Proceed with third and fourth fingers on third and fourth frets. At this time all four fingers should be resting on the first four frets. Now shift the hand so the first finger will come to rest right near the fifth fret, having raised the second, third and fourth fingers while shifting. Repeat the exercise in this position, and continue in this manner up to the twelfth fret. This exercise should now be done in the same manner on the second string and continued on all the other strings from first to twelfth frets.

It will be noticed that as we ascend this chromatic scale the distance between the frets becomes gradually smaller; and it is suggested that the fingers be watched carefully, so they will drop unto the strings just at the proper place, and eventually will get used to the smaller distances between frets in the higher positions, and will instinctively find the right spot.

It goes without saying that “overreaching” the mark is just as bad as falling short of it, and this must be guarded against in the same manner.

Retain the Pressure

BUT IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT to drop the finger on the right place and with sufficient pressure; the important thing is to retain this pressure during the full note values.

Now every guitarist is aware of the fact that it requires considerable strength for a finger of the left hand to continue an even pressure upon the string, and a natural tendency is to release that pressure at once. As this is the next important step in the development of a strong brilliant tone it is advisable to devote a great deal of time and study to the subject. For this purpose we suggest scales in thirds, sixths octaves and tenths, playing them slowly at first, from the lower to higher positions, and sustaining all notes as long as possible with a strong, even pressure of the left fingers. Gradually this exercise should include four, five and six string chords, with chromatic scales between.

When practicing chords of four or more notes, the student should form the habit of listening to every note of the chord, as only too often one or two notes of the chord for some reason do not sound distinctly. Playing these chords in the form of an arpeggio will help to find just where the trouble lies, so that the proper remedy may be applied. As a great many chords on the guitar require the barre, this phase of technic should receive special attention.

The “grand barre” is made by placing the first finger across the six strings and pressing firmly on all strings with a corresponding pressure of the thumb against the lower part of the neck of the instrument The left wrist should be well curved and held far enough away from the fingerboard so that the first finger forms a straight line from first to and including its third joint. A little time each day should be devoted to the practice of barre chords; and for this the following procedure will prove quite advantageous. Form the six string tonic chord in the key of F by placing the first finger across all strings at the first fret, third finger on C, A string, fourth finger on F, D string, and second finger on A, G string. Play this chord eight times, bringing out each note distinctly. Now move the left hand fingers to the next fret keeping them in the same order and play again eight times. Keep moving this chord one fret at a time until the twelfth fret has been reached and then return fret by fret to the starting point. Each finger employed must be placed right close to the fret, and to do this smoothly and correctly slow practice is advised in the beginning. Once the fingers have acquired the knack of moving into the next position with accuracy, only then may one begin to increase the speed, by playing the chord once and then passing on to the next fret.

And Now the Right Hand

SCALE PASSAGES of single notes are usually played with alternating first and second fingers, using the tip of the finger only to guard against hooking or pulling the strings. The different methods of attacking the strings can be found in detail in the Fretted Instrument column of THE ETUDE for April, 1938. It can readily be seen that in order to procure a good tone it is necessary, in addition to the advice given here regarding the left hand, to synchronize thoroughly the action of both hands. This is best accomplished by the daily practice of scales in all keys in second and third octaves. Just a few more words of advice to the young students and to those players not quite satisfied with their tone. Do not let your practice become mechanical, but use your head as well as your fingers. Concentrate on what you are trying to accomplish, and constantly listen carefully to your playing. Buy all the records by the great artists, listen to them, and strive to produce their beautiful tone on your instrument.