Guitarists of the world 'Unite!'

[North Star]

No,... but,...  ,... that's brilliant!! ,... that's the one shape in the first position that hadn't occurred to me. I was hung up on this Bb7 chord that just sounded too obvious:

f-Bb-d-g#

but here, you just switched to the 'a', and poof, what a radically different sound. Sorry, I'm taking it!! Yes, I think that may actually be the lost chord I have been needing. Aye, blindness, blindness!!

That first position can be wondrous. And also a lot of interesting things happen between frets 9-13,... uh,... nevermind,... there are LOTS of interesting places on the fretboard!




I'm still stuck on the passage between these two chords:

No.1:

X
0 optional
8
8
9
0

and No.2:

X
0
3
2
4
0


I could play them one after another, but I have cleaved them and am working on a passage between them, but I'm getting very indulgent, and savoring the process too much. I can see where some people want to constantly revise, and never get anything done. Hmm.

The chord that you were referencing is the chord that is supposed to go right before chord No.2. I'm trying to work backwards, and it's hard for me to musically think backwards like that.

Painting oneself into a corner, haha?!

Steal it, by all means.
Playing the chords in the order you said works pretty well - of course some fine tuning may make it even better.

And regarding the chord, how about playing

X
X
12
12
11
13

?

[snyprrr]

And regarding the chord, how about playing

X
X
12
12
11
13

?

I'm already using that one! It's a good 'glue' chord, not to 'this', not to 'that'.

Here's a chord shape I'm desperately trying to avoid:

X
1
0
1
0
(0) optional

but it may be useful yet!


work work work

[snyprrr]

Can I play these two chords one after another,... do they sound different enough to you, or, is it the SAME chord (sound wise)?:

X
2
0
6
6
6

X
X
6
6
10
6


I hear a slight upwardness, just enough to distinguish the two. Also, the open 'g' lends the first chord a more 'live' countenance, whereas the second one has quite the thud. I hesitate to give the two chords surrounding these two, but I don't think they're necessary to the 'problem'.

[snyprrr]

Can I play these two chords one after another,... do they sound different enough to you, or, is it the SAME chord (sound wise)?:

X
2
0
6
6
6

X
X
6
6
10
6


I hear a slight upwardness, just enough to distinguish the two. Also, the open 'g' lends the first chord a more 'live' countenance, whereas the second one has quite the thud. I hesitate to give the two chords surrounding these two, but I don't think they're necessary to the 'problem'.

Well, I guess I answered my question. In the first chord, the open 'g' seems to take prominence, but in the second chord one is able to bring out the 'g#' more, so, they do 'sound' different.

[snyprrr]

What ARE 'p', 'mf', and 'f' in practical guitar playing terms? If I just strum any simple chord like I am now, like any guitar player would if they were asked to just strum a chord,... is that 'mf'??,... "middle of the road"??

Is 'mf' the 'standard', or most medium, default setting, or is it 'f'?

As I play it, a 'standard' strum, one without any particular 'strength' to it, I would put down as 'mf', and if I strum WITH 'strength', then it's an 'f'. Yes?


How many, practical, levels of dynamic should I really use? One in the middle and three on either side? Ahhh, this is getting to me.

[snyprrr]

What ARE 'p', 'mf', and 'f' in practical guitar playing terms? If I just strum any simple chord like I am now, like any guitar player would if they were asked to just strum a chord,... is that 'mf'??,... "middle of the road"??

Is 'mf' the 'standard', or most medium, default setting, or is it 'f'?

As I play it, a 'standard' strum, one without any particular 'strength' to it, I would put down as 'mf', and if I strum WITH 'strength', then it's an 'f'. Yes?

I found a few charts.

How many, practical, levels of dynamic should I really use? One in the middle and three on either side? Ahhh, this is getting to me.

[snyprrr]

How easy, or difficult, is it for you to play an open note, and one of its natural harmonics, at the same time? It seems to me that this is a bit of a finesse job, especially in chords, say,

X
X
X
0 + harmonic at 7th fret
7
5

In the mush of the chord, I can't necessarily hear everything as four notes. If I added another note, would I even hear the effect? Is it just a subtle thing to add the feeling of density?

Either way, the idea of playing two notes per string is tempting.

[snyprrr]

How easy, or difficult, is it for you to play an open note, and one of its natural harmonics, at the same time? It seems to me that this is a bit of a finesse job, especially in chords, say,

X
X
X
0 + harmonic at 7th fret
7
5

In the mush of the chord, I can't necessarily hear everything as four notes. If I added another note, would I even hear the effect? Is it just a subtle thing to add the feeling of density?

Either way, the idea of playing two notes per string is tempting.

How did this Thread make it to the top without a Post? Huh. I'd still like to know how you feel about the above question.

[North Star]

That seems to work for me, but I wouldn't add anything to it.

[snyprrr]

That seems to work for me, but I wouldn't add anything to it.

Cool. Yea, the CG is a delicate instrument of nuance. Every event has to be perfectly balanced for all the inner workings to come through.

New Question:

What are y'all's feelings about natural open harmonics versus fretted harmonics? How much does fretting deaden the actual sound, or affect your tone production? I've been (unconsciously) staying away from fretted harmonics, but I saw a Takemitsu piece that has a good amount that sounded fine.

[snyprrr]

What is the symbol for 'right hand muting'? I can't find a good list of guitar oriented symbols.

[Mirror Image]

What is the symbol for 'right hand muting'? I can't find a good list of guitar oriented symbols.

The palm muting symbol isn't really anything but an "x" where the notes are at or you could put a P.M. under the staff and indicate how many measures you want the notes to be palm muted.

[snyprrr]

Would Rolf Riehm's Toccata Orpheus count? (I hate it, by the way!)

http://www.youtube.com/v/Fy-0JKaCz9g

I found a companion to the Riehm, Roger Reynolds's The Behavior of Mirrors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3isi1yZ7KDc

I think it actually makes Riehm look like a genius, which I hate to say about Reynolds, but I do think it's important to be hard on Composers of High Modernism, since, there is no 'marker' for where they're coming from. Just listen to a bit of the Reynolds and tell me it makes overt sense. I'd say Riehm succeeded far more in doing... SOMETHING... interesting with the Spanish Classical Guitar, at least compared to the Reynolds, IMHO.

I have yet to listen to the Berio...

[snyprrr]

QUESTION:

Are the harmonics that occur at the 7th fret, and the 19th fret (same octave for both positions), are they written as corresponding to the fretted note at the 7th,... or the 19th? It sounds to me like the 19th,... aaand, that's the way I've been writing it, on-top-of-one-leger-line-above-the-staff. I'm looking for something on the net... but...

[snyprrr]

QUESTION:

Are the harmonics that occur at the 7th fret, and the 19th fret (same octave for both positions), are they written as corresponding to the fretted note at the 7th,... or the 19th? It sounds to me like the 19th,... aaand, that's the way I've been writing it, on-top-of-one-ledger-line-above-the-staff. I'm looking for something on the net... but...

DOH!

WRONG: I meant 5 ledger lines above the staff. Right?

[snyprrr]

I'm trying to figure out the general DYNAMICS of Guitar Notation. Can you tell me what the standards are? I've noticed that 'ff' is the upper limit of most guitar music. No matter HOW HARD I pluck a giant chords, it still does seem like 'ff' is the upper limit. I mean, I TRIED to go for 'fff', but it seems like the guitar is self limiting in this regard. I think Ferneyhough has 'sfffz' and things like that, but, when I listen to the recording as I'm looking at the score, I'm like, How can one possibly follow THAT?

Likewise, I'm finding 'pp' to be at the lower limit. Sure, 'ppp' sounds doable, but, in an auditorium, who's gonna hear THAT?

My music friend says it's all in CONTEXT, but, I feel like standards of this sort shouldn't be a mystery. I got a guitarist to play the first page of my piece, but, his reading of my dynamics was about 3-clicks lower than what I intended. He did not 'ff' like I thought he would. Does that mean I have to exaggerate everything, into the 'ffff'/'pppp' realm? Currently, I'm using 'mf-f', 'f-ff'. 'mp-mf', and the such like to visualize what I'm 'hearing'.

Anyone? Pleeeze...

[snyprrr]

There's a few others; Tristan Murail's Vampyr!, Laurence Crane has written at least a couple. I agree, though, the instrument has never realised its full potential in 'classical' art music.

Vampyr! is the single piece that tells me we have a LOOONG way to go before the Electric Guitar... well, there IS Eruption.

Come on guys,... you HAVE to admit,... Eruption


OK, I'll give you Murail, Reich, and 'Four on the Floor' guy,... but then, Fripp seems to emerge as greater then them all, though even he seems a bit self-limited in his concerns and interests.


Here is my (copyright alert!) Compositional Idea:

Mndeke-Ton-Tanne

for 2 Electric Guitars, 2 Electric Bass Guitars, 2 Percussions, 2 Pianos, & Brass Quintet

I simply ask your imagination run wild in a Meshuggah-meets-Xenakis-meets-Reich/Riley-meets-Fripp/Van Halen, African-Nordic...

mm? mm?

Writing the dribbling, 'Pick of Destiny' drums seems to be the big issue, along with notating the guitars,... well, the whole thing's a giant mess in need of a saviour! The point here would be to write a piece that people like us who love the history of the Electric Guitar finally get our day in the Gorecki Sweepstakes!