{"id":34671,"date":"2018-06-29T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarshed.foureyes.com\/?p=34671"},"modified":"2023-10-30T08:07:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T15:07:31","slug":"flow-momentum-phrasing-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Flow and Momentum in Your Music"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cHoly Grail\u201d of musicianship is to play music that stirs the soul and transports the spirit. It\u2019s to transcend the notes and create a moment that cannot be denied.<\/p>\n<p>Though it may seem like magic, and though there may be some sort of alchemy involved, there\u2019s still work to do.<\/p>\n<p>To transcend notes we must first master them. And this takes more than just accuracy and precision. It also takes intention and direction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"centerc\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4SHe4AaorK8?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;autohide=1\" width=\"700&quot;\" height=\"393&quot;\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">?<\/span><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">?<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Music Needs Motion: Move Forward<\/h2>\n<p>For music to tell a story, it needs forward momentum. One note must point to the next, and that one to the one after. Each note needs to do its part to pull the music forward all the way to the climax and ending.<\/p>\n<p>And below, you\u2019ll discover one trick to create this musical pull.<\/p>\n<p>We can\u2019t expect listeners to stay interested if they don\u2019t understand what\u2019s going on. So to keep listeners engaged\u2026<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Don\u2019t \u201cPlay\u201d the Music &#8211; Demonstrate the Music<\/h2>\n<p>Music cannot speak for itself. Music is a partnership between composer and performer.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, paint requires an artist, and a screenplay takes actors and cameramen and editors.<\/p>\n<p>And just as actors must show as well as tell us their lines, we must also \u201cshow\u201d the music to our listeners. To play the right notes at the right time is only the beginning &#8211; it\u2019s not enough by itself.<\/p>\n<p>Unless listeners understand what\u2019s going on, it\u2019s all just pretty noise. It\u2019s our job as musicians to make sure they know what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n<p>And one way to do that is\u2026.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Musical Phrasing Trick: \u201cAnd Then To Here\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>And how do we imbue the notes on the page with gravity and momentum? One way is to give them words and give them purpose.<\/p>\n<p>The last three notes before an arrival (in the melody, or a new harmony) can lead to that arrival, pointing the way.<\/p>\n<p>One trick to help the notes pull the music forward is to use the words:<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cAnd Then To Here\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>In this case, \u201cHere\u201d is the arrival. A <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/strong-weak-beats-music-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">strong beat<\/a>, the first note of a new bar, the new chord, the end of the phrase. \u201cHere\u201d marks the end of the current musical idea (more on this below).<\/p>\n<p>The three notes before \u201cHere\u201d, we can name \u201cAnd Then To\u201d. With a small or large swell in volume we can tell listeners that something is happening and to get ready.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-34725 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-1.jpg\" alt=\"phrasing over the barline\" width=\"700\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-1-300x69.jpg 300w, https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-1-100x23.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes \u201cHere\u201d will be louder than the previous notes. And sometimes it will be quieter, depending on the situation.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Be a Musical Tour Guide: Point the Way<\/h2>\n<p>We can use the trick above to help listeners to know what\u2019s going on in the music.<\/p>\n<p>We point the way. Instead of just playing notes, we use notes to create a magnetic force that pulls listeners\u2026.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2026to main arrival points<\/h3>\n<p>Every note is not equal. Some notes exist to lead us toward important arrival points. These arrivals could be the ends of small or long phrases. The main climax of a piece of music is a monumental arrival point.<\/p>\n<p>The last note of the piece is sometimes the main arrival point. And sometimes the big moment is just before the end. Each piece of music has its own <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/musical-form\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">structure<\/a> and contours.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-34726 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-3.jpg\" alt=\"phrase the barline\" width=\"700\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-3.jpg 700w, https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-3-300x69.jpg 300w, https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-3-100x23.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The notes before an arrival usually serve to bring us forward to the arrival. For instance, the melody notes in the second bar of a piece move us toward a small arrival in bar 4 or 8, which pulls us forward into other phrases that lead us deeper into the piece and culminate at the big arrival (climax), or the ending.<\/p>\n<p>Like a shark, the music needs to <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/longline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">keep moving<\/a> or it dies.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2026to changes of harmony<\/h3>\n<p>And with each change of harmony (change of <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/learn-guitar-chords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">chord<\/a>) we are likewise pulled forward. Composers choose chords and harmony carefully to pull the music forward.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-34727 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-2.jpg\" alt=\"how to phrase on the guitar\" width=\"700\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-2-300x69.jpg 300w, https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/and-then-to-here-2-100x23.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In fact, many pieces have no melody at all, and survive on harmony alone. In classical guitar, these are often arpeggio pieces with repeated right-hand patterns moving through a series of chords.<\/p>\n<p>We can use the last few notes before each new harmony (chord) to pull the listener forward to the next.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">It Starts at Home<\/h2>\n<p>The first step to playing music that listeners understand and enjoy is to understand it ourselves.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Important Fact:<\/strong> If we don\u2019t \u201cget it\u201d, listeners won\u2019t either.<\/p>\n<p>One job of classical <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/guitar-practice-vs-exercise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">guitar practice<\/a> is to understand our music. We can then share it with others so they understand it, too.<\/p>\n<p>And one way we can come to understand our music is to find the arrivals and harmony changes. Then we can use our louds and softs and swells and fades to demonstrate where these arrivals are.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Speak Out Loud in Practice<\/h2>\n<p>It would be lovely to wake one day and suddenly find oneself a master, playing expressively with clarity and direction. But for most of us, it takes work to get there.<\/p>\n<p>When we use our voice, out loud, in our practice, we force ourselves to understand more. It\u2019s one thing to \u201cthink about\u201d our music. It\u2019s quite another to know the role of each note and be able to speak that role in our practice.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/metronome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Counting aloud<\/a> is a great start. Using words such as \u201cAnd Then To Here\u201d goes even deeper.<\/p>\n<p>But this isn\u2019t always easy. So it\u2019s important for moral and confidence to\u2026<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Go Slow Enough to Succeed<\/h2>\n<p>Speed creates the illusion of perfection. When we slow down, we\u2019re more able to hear what\u2019s working and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>When we slow down, we can <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/exaggeration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">exaggerate<\/a> our swells and fades. We can take extra time to stay in control and be intentional with every note.<\/p>\n<p>And once we master all the small details, we can then speed them back up.<\/p>\n<p>Just as \u201cAnd Then To\u201d leads to \u201cHere\u201d, <a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/slow-practice-classical-guitar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">slow practice<\/a> leads to beautiful, expressive playing at full speed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cHoly Grail\u201d of musicianship is to play music that stirs the soul and transports the spirit. It\u2019s to transcend the notes and create a moment that cannot be denied. Though it may seem like magic, and though there may be some sort of alchemy involved, there\u2019s still work to do. To transcend notes we must first master them. And &#8230; <\/p>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2973,"featured_media":34672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,434,3],"tags":[323,341],"class_list":["post-34671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-main-content-parent","category-phrasing","tag-dynamics","tag-phrasing-techniques"],"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>How to Create Flow and Momentum in Classical Guitar Music<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here&#039;s a useful phrasing trick to organize your music and make it more beautiful. Understand your music more deeply and enjoy practice more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Create Flow and Momentum in Your Music\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here&#039;s a useful phrasing trick to organize your music and make it more beautiful. Understand your music more deeply and enjoy practice more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Classical Guitar Shed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClassicalGuitarShed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-29T15:00:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-30T15:07:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/and-then-to-here-640.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Allen Mathews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CLguitarshed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CLguitarshed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Allen Mathews\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Create Flow and Momentum in Classical Guitar Music","description":"Here's a useful phrasing trick to organize your music and make it more beautiful. Understand your music more deeply and enjoy practice more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Create Flow and Momentum in Your Music","og_description":"Here's a useful phrasing trick to organize your music and make it more beautiful. Understand your music more deeply and enjoy practice more.","og_url":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/","og_site_name":"Classical Guitar Shed","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClassicalGuitarShed\/","article_published_time":"2018-06-29T15:00:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-10-30T15:07:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":320,"url":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/and-then-to-here-640.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Allen Mathews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CLguitarshed","twitter_site":"@CLguitarshed","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Allen Mathews","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/"},"author":{"name":"Allen Mathews","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#\/schema\/person\/435f2f8d2618df3c54e630e55ba86fc6"},"headline":"How to Create Flow and Momentum in Your Music","datePublished":"2018-06-29T15:00:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-30T15:07:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/"},"wordCount":1007,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/and-then-to-here-640.jpg","keywords":["dynamics","phrasing techniques"],"articleSection":["Articles","Main Content Parent","Making It Beautiful"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/","url":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/","name":"How to Create Flow and Momentum in Classical Guitar Music","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/and-then-to-here-640.jpg","datePublished":"2018-06-29T15:00:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-10-30T15:07:31+00:00","description":"Here's a useful phrasing trick to organize your music and make it more beautiful. Understand your music more deeply and enjoy practice more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/and-then-to-here-640.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/and-then-to-here-640.jpg","width":640,"height":320,"caption":"phrasing music for guitar"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/flow-momentum-phrasing-words\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Create Flow and Momentum in Your Music"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/","name":"Classical Guitar Shed","description":"Learn Classical Guitar Online with No Guesswork","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"ClassicalGuitarShed","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#organization","name":"Classical Guitar Shed","url":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CGS-logo-black-400.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/CGS-logo-black-400.png","width":400,"height":192,"caption":"Classical Guitar Shed"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClassicalGuitarShed\/","https:\/\/x.com\/CLguitarshed","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/classicalguitarshed\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/classicalguitarshed\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/ClassicalGuitarShed"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#\/schema\/person\/435f2f8d2618df3c54e630e55ba86fc6","name":"Allen Mathews","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd85201413da6cc89a33d7e7ee7256f3a3245f3c7f8edd8d34e11cf1dcb0b6e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fd85201413da6cc89a33d7e7ee7256f3a3245f3c7f8edd8d34e11cf1dcb0b6e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Allen Mathews"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2973"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34671"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":206095,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34671\/revisions\/206095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}