| Can You Feel The Love Tonight? | | | | are reading a piece of music that tells you to play the |
| It has been said that music is the universal language of | | | | music with a certain phrasing, you will have to decide |
| love. Regardless of your background, most of us can | | | | what the melody will sound like and how you will put it |
| relate to music as a sensual art. In this article we will | | | | together. |
| take a look at translating emotion into a beautiful song | | | | With romantic and sensual music, this starts with |
| using a few simple techniques. | | | | choosing a key. The more sharps or flats in the key, |
| First off, throw your speedy hands out the window. | | | | the richer your music will sound. That's not a musical |
| Technique is a fantastic thing for every guitarist to | | | | fact but something I have learned from personal |
| master, and you will be using it for playing this style of | | | | experience. Luckily for us, the number of sharps or |
| music. However, some of the most thought provoking | | | | flats doesn't really matter because we don't have to |
| music comes from slow and deliberate notes. Moving | | | | alter our fingerings like a saxophone player might need |
| around your fretboard at lightning speed won't get you | | | | to do. |
| the sound you are looking for. | | | | After you have chosen a key, you want to think about |
| You might be surprised to read that playing music at a | | | | how you want the music to sound. Play around with |
| slower tempo (speed) can be harder than fast, | | | | the notes found in that key and utilize your fretboard. |
| technical riffs. Why would slower music be harder? | | | | This is where knowing all of the notes on your |
| This is where the art aspect of romantic music comes | | | | fretboard off by heart really comes into play. |
| in... you feel it. When you're playing notes slowly, you | | | | Experiment with different phrasings and try not to |
| hear the tone with clarity and notice if the musician is | | | | sound like a guitar. If you want to serenade that special |
| sincere with what he or she is playing. | | | | someone, you want the guitar to sing to them. The |
| The first thing you can do to work on your tone, is to | | | | best way to learn how to do this is to hum the notes |
| brush up on some important techniques. For starters, | | | | as you play them. |
| you want to master the vibrato technique. Take your | | | | Believe me, this is embarrassing and shouldn't be |
| finger and place it on any fret you wish. Then pluck the | | | | practiced around any life forms unless you are a |
| string and shake it! Yes I said shake it (your finger that | | | | natural. All joking aside, it really works. You begin to |
| is.) If you played the technique correctly, it should make | | | | think like a singer and that comes out in your guitar. |
| the note "wobble." In its purest form, vibrato gives the | | | | Chords |
| impression of your guitar singing. Vocalists do the | | | | There are some beautiful chords you can create using |
| same thing with their voices on long tones. | | | | some basic principals. First off, I reiterate the fact that |
| Your guitar's purpose is going to change when you | | | | you will not be able to master smooth "romantic" style |
| play romantic guitar. Usually, the guitar's function is to | | | | guitar until you know the notes on your fretboard. The |
| set a rhythm and lay down a lead to enhance the | | | | reason why is due to the theory needed to write good |
| vocals of the song. Now your guitar is the vocalist. | | | | music. |
| See the difference? Your guitar will become the | | | | Using a basic minor 7 chord, you can create the |
| melody of the song and tell the listener a story. The | | | | following chords: 9, 11, and 13. These chords sound |
| guitar shifts from supporting the vocals to being the | | | | great regardless of whether you use the major or |
| star of the show. | | | | minor shapes. For the purpose of simplicity, we won't |
| A great way to hear this is to listen to vocalists such | | | | be diving into the theory behind these chords in this |
| as Andre Bocelli and Josh Groban. They use their | | | | lesson. However, all of the chords and chord shapes |
| voices to evoke emotion from their audience and you | | | | can be found by going to the following sites: |
| want to have the same affect with your guitar. Listen | | | | * |
| to the similarities between their voices and your guitar. | | | | * |
| For instance, your guitar can use dynamic swells | | | | It gives you an idea of the soulful feel you can get with |
| (gradually get louder or softer). You can slide to | | | | these types of chords. Mind you, this progression |
| various notes, they can slur notes together. They can | | | | follows a chromatic backbone. The more sharps and |
| sing short and detached (staccato) and you can play | | | | flats you add to a chord, the more colourful it |
| notes short and detached. The list goes on. | | | | becomes (in most cases). |
| Here are the basic techniques you will need to | | | | They are extremely jazzy chords but don't let the long |
| transform your guitar into a soloist: | | | | name intimidate you. They are just relatively simple |
| * Vibrato | | | | chord shapes. The order of notes makes the name |
| * Hammer On's / Pull Off's | | | | complex. I play the roots of the above chord |
| * Slides | | | | progression on the 7th, 6th, 5th and 4th frets of the A |
| * Bends | | | | string respectively. The complex chords offer a bright, |
| * Trills | | | | less monotonous version of romantic music. |
| Melodic Phrasing | | | | If you learn nothing else from this lesson, remember |
| The word melody means "notes that form a distinct | | | | that "romantic" music is best when kept simple. Even |
| tune." Vocalists always sing the melody. Now that you | | | | the best Spanish players, known for their romantic flair, |
| have taken their place, your guitar plays the melody. | | | | don't feel the need to play with lightning fast hands |
| Phrasing refers to the sequencing of the notes and | | | | unless absolutely necessary for the music. Sometimes |
| how they are put together. This includes the rhythm, | | | | you'll find it useful, but unless you have the technique, |
| length of the note, and the specific note that you | | | | playing your guitar slowly and with emotion will evoke |
| choose to play. | | | | the best response from your listening audience. |
| The melody and phrasing go hand in hand. Unless you | | | | |