Adding Dynamics & Emotion
Adding emotion to your guitar when playing alone isn't hard to do
Two techniques are commonly used...
You don't have to learn anything new...
You only need to understand "what' to do…
Rubato and free time can add emotion and dynamics to your playing without learning new skills or techniques.
First, what is rubato? Rubato is the speeding up and slowing down of notes, but overall there is an implied tempo. It typically comes back to the original tempo. Rubato can be used with or without other instruments or accompaniment.
Free time is something different. In free time, anything goes. There's no tempo for any notes or groups of notes. It's tough to do with multiple instruments unless somebody's conducting.
You can use various combinations of rubato in a chord progression to create drama and emotion. One very popular rock song that uses rubato is the intro section to the song "Diary Of A Madman" - Ozzy Osbourne. Randy Rhoads's use of rubato is exceptional.
When trying out rubato for the first time, keep a simple fast-slow or slow-fast speed variation to what you are playing. This will help you keep the feeling of the overall pulse of what you are playing but still add emotion to what you are playing.
Think of:
push-pull
drag-rush
waves on an ocean
Thinking of imagery can help you.
As I said earlier, free time is when anything goes. There is no tempo for any notes or groups of notes. Free time is typically used when you're playing all by yourself. When playing with free time you can take anything you already know and experiment with tempo changes. See how it makes you feel. Then try it again and see if it is better or worse. You can randomly try different parts at different speeds to see what you like. If you want to take it a step further, you can pay attention to the movement of notes/chords in what you are playing and see if you can sense some emotional quality to those notes/chords. If you can, deliberately try to alter the tempo of those areas that give off a strong emotional quality. Try slowing down the tempo in a more somber section or speed up slightly when it isn't sad or melancholy. This is just one suggestion. You need to experiment and practice this technique to master it, but randomly changing tempos will immediately alter the feeling of what you are playing.
Rubato and free time can add drama and dynamics to your playing without learning new skills or techniques. Rubato typically has an implied tempo that you may return to, and free time is like the wild west, where anything goes, and it's typically done when you're playing alone.
Remember ...always have fun with your guitar, and I'll see you next time.
If you are looking to learn another excellent rhythm guitar skill, you can check out my FREE lesson on how to weave lead guitar melody lines to your rhythm guitar playing here: https://rhythmguitarlessons.net/Pro
Have you ever heard extra notes played between chords and wondered, "Why do THESE notes sound good?" or "How can I do that?".
Most guitar players struggle to find the right notes to play between chords to make their songs sound better.
The fact is, it's easy to do once you learn how. And the result is your guitar playing sounds much more complex than it is...
This is good news for you:
I've created a brand new eGuide (yes, it's free), where I show you an easy way to connect chords with single-note melodies to sound like a pro.
The best part is it's 100% FREE (no strings attached)!
Download your copy instantly so you can instantly make your rhythm guitar playing sound better. https://rhythmguitarlessons.net/Pro
About Mark Turko: Mark Turko is a professional guitar player and instructor with over 30 years of experience and teaches guitar lessons online.
About Mark Turko: Mark Turko is a professional guitar player and instructor with over 30 years of experience and teaches guitar lessons online.