Continuing on with our series about strumming, let\u2019s talk about another common problem people have\u2026a lack of dynamics. In music, \u201cdynamics\u201d simply refers to the volume or sound of a note or chord when it is played. When you listen to a good guitar player strumming, for example, you\u2019ll notice that they can control how hard or soft a strum is, along with other aspects like palm muting or how long or short the strum is. These aspects contribute to the emotion of the performance, adding dynamics to the overall sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What we\u2019re going to talk about will apply more obviously to those of you who use a guitar pick, but the same rules apply when you are finger picking or strumming with just your fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is one example, a song by Dave Matthews called \u201cCrash Into Me\u201d. I picked this version of the song because he\u2019s playing it as a duo with Tim Reynolds and they are both playing acoustic guitar. It starts out relatively even, with a strum emphasized by varying bass notes in the intro and the first verse. What I want you to pay attention to is between the 1:03 and 1:10 minute mark, at the chorus or refrain. You\u2019ll notice that he suddenly brings the volume way down as he changes the chord progression and it softens up considerably through those few seconds. Then he goes back to his verse strumming pattern:<\/p>\n\n\n\n