Tone Production

The guitar is a miniature orchestra in itself. Beethoven There is something magical about the sound of the guitar. Whether it is plucked, strummed, played as a solo instrument, or in ensemble, its voice is always expressive. Beethoven even went so far as to describe the guitar as a miniature orchestra, for its ability to produce such a wide variety of tone colour. But controlling this tone is not easy. A wrist that is held too low will contribute to a thin sound; nails that are poorly filed and uneven will make the sound scratchy and unpleasant; the angle at which the finger strikes and releases the string also has a great effect on the quality of tone. Vertical projection: As already explained (in GA Bk 2), your free strokes (as well as rest strokes) should begin with a down-and-in push. The reason for this is that the guitars soundboard, behaving rather like the skin of a drum, vibrates up and down in a vertical rather than horizontal plane. Thus, to drive the soundboard most effectively, the strings should also be encouraged, as far as possible, to vibrate in a vertical motion; this helps to explain why rest stroke, which pushes the string downwards, sounds richer and stronger than free stroke. For this reason the most effective free stroke is one that is somewhat flat, differing as little as possible from the rest-stroke action. In this sense it is helpful to view the free stroke as a form of modified rest stroke. The right-hand fingernails: If you have followed my advice on general technique thus far, youll probably already play with a reasonable tone. But to really do justice to the instrument, youll need to grow your righthand fingernails. This will enable you to play with much greater volume and tonal variation. As regards the best nail length, a good place to start is with the nail extending about 12 mm beyond the fingertips, and 35 mm for the thumb, although each player will need to experiment to find the length best suited to themselves. Your nails, however, should not be too long, or youll have difficulty plucking through the string.

Variety of Tone
Once you have grown a good set of nails, youll be better able to experiment with different shadings of tone. The guitar is one of the best instruments for exploring tonal contrast, and even slight adjustments to the angle and attack of the finger can produce an enormous range of different tones. The normal position for the right hand is just to the right of the soundhole. However, moving to different positions along the length of the string will enable you to play with greater tonal variety, thus making your playing more interesting and musical.

Naturale

Sul Ponticello

Sul Tasto

Naturale (It.) = the normal position for the right hand. This position, just to the right of the soundhole (i.e. towards the bridge), produces a strong tone, which can in itself be varied by adjusting the angle and attack of the stroke. Abbr.: Nat. Normale; ordinario (ord.) are also used to mean the same thing.

Sul Ponticello (It.) = on the bridge. Plucking the string near the bridge produces a thin and metallic tone. Free stroke is usually the best stroke for this as rest stroke can sound harsh and unpleasant. Abbr.: sul pont. or pont. Metallico is also sometimes used to mean the same thing.

Sul Tasto (It.) = on the fingerboard, although tasto can often mean playing close to the fingerboard rather than necessarily on or over it. Tasto produces a soft and warm tone. Abbr.: tasto Dolce (It. sweetly) can also be used to mean the same thing.

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