Translating Emotion Into A Beautiful Song

NOTE: Finger pick your way to a beautiful song with Finger Picking Techniques

It has been said that music is the universal language of love.

Regardless of your background, most of us can relate to music as a sensual art.

In this article we will take a look at translating emotion into a beautiful song using a few simple techniques.

First off, throw your speedy hands out the window. Technique is a fantastic thing for every guitarist to master, and you will be using it for playing this style of music.

However, some of the most thought provoking music comes from slow and deliberate notes. Moving around your fretboard at lightning speed won't get you the sound you are looking for.

You might be surprised to read that playing music at a slower tempo (speed) can be harder than fast, technical riffs.

Why would slower music be harder?

This is where the art aspect of romantic music comes in... you feel it. When you're playing notes slowly, you hear the tone with clarity and notice if the musician is sincere with what he or she is playing.

The first thing you can do to work on your tone, is to brush up on some important techniques.

For starters, you want to master the vibrato technique. Take your finger and place it on any fret you wish. Then pluck the string and shake it!

Yes I said shake it (your finger that is.) If you played the technique correctly, it should make the note "wobble."

In its purest form, vibrato gives the impression of your guitar singing. Vocalists do the same thing with their voices on long tones.

Your guitar's purpose is going to change when you play romantic guitar. Usually, the guitar's function is to set a rhythm and lay down a lead to enhance the vocals of the song. Now your guitar is the vocalist. See the difference?

Your guitar will become the melody of the song and tell the listener a story. The guitar shifts from supporting the vocals to being the star of the show.

A great way to hear this is to listen to vocalists such as Andre Bocelli and Josh Groban.

They use their voices to evoke emotion from their audience and you 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 (gradually get louder or softer). You can slide to various notes, they can slur notes together. They can sing short and detached (staccato) and you can play notes short and detached. The list goes on.

Here are the basic techniques you will need to transform your guitar into a soloist:

• Vibrato
• Hammer On's / Pull Off's
• Slides
• Bends
• Trills