{"id":129637,"date":"2020-07-31T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T13:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/?p=129637"},"modified":"2024-11-06T23:50:43","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T07:50:43","slug":"fluid-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/fluid-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Play Fluid Guitar, with Perfect Tension and Musical Flow"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Would you like to play guitar fluidly? Would you like the music to pour out of your hands with ease and comfort? Would you like your music to soar and sound inevitable?<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps we all want these things. This may be the ultimate musical experience &#8211; to play complex music with the ease of tying a shoe.<\/p>\n<p>But how to we get there?<\/p>\n<p class=\"centerc\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Nb3MLijq75k?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autohide=1\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">How to Play Fluidly on Guitar<\/h2>\n<p>Fluidity on guitar has two distinct elements.<\/p>\n<p>First, the sound coming out of the guitar can sound fluid. This means that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">notes connect<\/a>. The volume swells and fades such that the music makes sense and pulls our attention forward.<\/p>\n<p>And the other side of fluid playing is the feeling in our bodies. This is our personal experience. In real-time, this means that our joints are free (not locked or stiff). Our muscles engage with appropriate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/left-hand-tension\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tension<\/a>, so we feel buoyant and free in our arms and neck and chest.<\/p>\n<p>Like a shoe that fits well, we may not even be aware of it. A well-fitting shoe feels like not wearing a shoe a all. And moving with the perfect blend of tension and relaxation feels the same.<\/p>\n<p>We encounter a challenge with these two definitions of fluid are in conflict with each other.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Fluid Doesn\u2019t Always FEEL Fluid<\/h2>\n<p>Often in music, we need to make quick, robotic movements. This allows us to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/scale-fragments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">connect<\/a> the sound of the notes without breaks or gaps.<\/p>\n<p>But to do these quick, robotic movements, we must fully engage our muscles and joints. There\u2019s work to do, and the music won\u2019t flow without it.<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, this is most needed in slow, tender, melodic music. We find ourselves working quite hard to create softly cascading notes and rhythms.<\/p>\n<p>So there is a difference between the desired sound and the desired feeling. And we need to know how and when in our practice to sacrifice one for the other.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Use All Available Tools to Develop Fluid Guitar-Playing<\/h2>\n<p>In our practice, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/guitar-tension-cross-talk\/\">we train our bodies and minds<\/a> to meet the demands of the music. And we train ourselves to use appropriate tension to do it.<\/p>\n<p>Over the months and years, we learn and develop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/add-a-note\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">practice methods<\/a> and techniques. And we can use these to build both these areas of fluidity (sound and feeling).<\/p>\n<h3>Body-Awareness<\/h3>\n<p>We can spend part of our time playing slow scales, arpeggios or exercises. And we can do this with our attention and awareness mainly on our bodies.<\/p>\n<p>When we keep the content (notes) simple, we can check in with our muscles and joints. We can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/mirror-classical-guitar-evaluation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">check our posture and form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Over time, we habitualize good bodily use. We ingrain ease into our playing. Then, in our music, we can release <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/tension\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">excess tension<\/a> and play more easefully.<\/p>\n<p>This is especially useful in the first moments of practice, to set the tone and direct our attention.<\/p>\n<h3>Listening<\/h3>\n<p>Listening skills are akin to muscles. They develop with use and training. When we listen to every sound, we can give more precise instructions to the body.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, we can listen to each note connect to the next. The better we hear one note stopping and another starting, we better we can sculpt that moment. Our hands become more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/legato-guitar-synchronize-the-hands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">synchronized<\/a>, and we develop better control.<\/p>\n<p>We can also listen for expressive \u201cshaping\u201d. This includes the volume (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/dynamics-phrasing-classical-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dynamics<\/a>) of each note in relation to the notes around it. And it includes the rate of speed-ups and slow-downs (called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/rubato-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rubato<\/a>\u201d). We can listen for the rhythm and tone quality.<\/p>\n<p>The more accurate and acute our listening, the better we play.<\/p>\n<h3>Constructive Feedback (video yourself)<\/h3>\n<p>Another tool to aid in both listening and body-awareness is video. We can<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/video-yourself\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> video ourselves<\/a> in practice, and gain important information.<\/p>\n<p>We can look for possible improvements in positioning and form. We can watch our movements and spot potential bad habits.<\/p>\n<p>We can listen objectively, without the distraction of actually playing. And this can let us know the reality of how we sound (which can be different than what we hear while playing).<\/p>\n<p>We can also use a teacher for feedback. But video (and even audio) recording is a very powerful practice tool for daily use.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Use Varied Practice Techniques to Build Skills Over Time<\/h2>\n<p>To play more fluidly on guitar, it also helps to vary our practice techniques. Part of learning guitar is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/guitar-practice-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">learning to practice<\/a>. And this means learning different ways to work through problems and train our hands.<\/p>\n<p>The more ways we know to work with challenging passages, the more able we\u2019ll be to train in ease and freedom. With time and practice, we can maintain a fluid body experience, while meeting the demands of our music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Would you like to play guitar fluidly? Would you like the music to pour out of your hands with ease and comfort? Would you like your music to soar and sound inevitable? Perhaps we all want these things. This may be the ultimate musical experience &#8211; to play complex music with the ease of tying a shoe. But how to &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/fluid-guitar\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,434,3,20],"tags":[58,354,133],"class_list":["post-129637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-main-content-parent","category-phrasing","category-practicing","tag-bodily-use","tag-phrasing-concepts","tag-practice-philosophy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Practice Tips to Play Classical Guitar More Fluidly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Play guitar more fluidly. Find the balance between muscle tension and musical demands. 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