I often review manuscripts and recordings for new projects submitted to Mel Bay Publications. I look forward to this aspect of my job as a music and text editor because I get to see and hear “the next big thing” in guitar music in a number of styles. Over the years, as I review so many projects, I’ve become more efficient at this kind of work and my own broad tastes in guitar music have become more defined. While I do my best not to become elitist or jaded in my opinions and keep an open mind and ear, let me tell you what I’m looking for in fingerstyle guitar music.

My basic requirements are quite simple. On first listening to a demo recording for a fingerstyle piece for example, I want to hear a melody, a groove, or an arresting chord progression or texture- or all three at once! A melody immediately implies awareness of structure or musical form and a groove at least supplies a catchy lick or rhythm. I am easily drawn to good melodies or accessible but rich harmonies, but I’m not immune to a groove either.

Guitarists who also sing are generally more aware of melodies in their compositions. After all, the human voice is the most expressive instrument of all and nearly all instrumentalists would benefit by emulating it. It is natural to accompany your own voice on the guitar, and yes, it would be just as natural to repeat an eighth-note picking pattern when accompanying a vocalist. In fact, the guitar with its limited sustain capability is extremely comfortable playing eighth notes.

To paraphrase Aaron Copland in his book, What to Listen for in Music, “American music is the music of eighth notes.” While there is considerable truth in this statement I encourage all guitarists to explore various time signatures and note values. Don’t let even eighths played at the same volume level and speed become a goal in themselves; rather, allow the music to stretch for emotional reasons rather than simply for effect. I don’t want to believe that even eighth notes are part of the American musical landscape or the fingerstyle genre any more than they are part of any other nation’s music or guitar style.

To my ear, an eighth-note pattern picking alone does not constitute a solo composition. All too often, fingerstyle authors get a 2-measure idea and repeat it; then they get another brief idea and repeat that without delivering a real melody. Recently I reviewed a manuscript that stated in no uncertain terms that playing fingerstyle guitar is nothing more than the piecing together of such fragments. Even with uncommonly good technique, the likely result of such an approach is an ongoing introduction rather than a memorable composition.

I call continuous eighths “accompaniment” rather than “composition”. Just remember to keep the other note values in mind when it comes to creating a guitar solo. Whenever I listen to a new submission, I try to give each track a fair shake, but if I hear two bars of eighth notes and then a repeat, then another two bars and another repeat with no variation in tone or tempo- I simply skip to the next track. I’m sorry, but life is just too short.

My principal guitar teacher in Spain, Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, once said ”Only one in ten guitarists has the ability to compose for the instrument.” Even so, you can still become an effective arranger for the guitar, and arranging uses the same skills and is just a step away from original composition. An easy source of rhythmic variation in arranging folk songs can be found in the lyrics to subsequent verses.

Tempo Changes
The easiest way to vary any given passage is to change the tempo, playing slower or faster as the emotion of the piece or composer directs. Even if you are stuck in playing an eighth-note pattern, changing the tempo will add interest and depth to your playing. A groove, however, should be played in a steady tempo; otherwise, you would lose the groove.

Dynamics
Perhaps because the guitar has a limited dynamic range, I especially appreciate dynamic changes in guitar performance. While high volume levels are common to rock and flamenco music, acoustic guitarists should not feel bound to playing all-out all the time.

Again, in terms of using dynamics effectively, guitarists can follow the example set by singers. For example, it is difficult to sing high and soft at the same time, so within a musical phrase, try playing louder as the melodic line ascends, and softer on the descent. Occasionally, for a special effect, you can do the reverse, playing loud and low; just be aware of the potential as you play. Similarly, it is difficult to sing or play both loud and fast simultaneously. So in a fast passage, play at a reasonable volume.

I once experienced the consummate lesson in dynamics during a flamenco performance in a tiny bar in Sant Cugat del Vallès near Barcelona, Spain- an area not known for its highly refined flamenco tradition. The singer/dancer and guitarist I heard were from the south of Spain. From them, I learned the importance of a moment of silence within a fortissimo passage. When the visiting performers reached a dynamic peak, re-entry after a moment of total silence just about knocked me out of my chair! That trick could be incorporated in any number of guitaristic situations. If you’re going to play loud, why not throw in a bit of silence just to see what happens.

Tone and Timbre
The guitar is the undisputed master of tonal variations or timbre. Practically no other instrument is so intimate and hands-on in terms of sound production, yet few of us exploit the full range of colors possible on the guitar. Start by exploring the tone variations that are easily accessible by playing the mellow sounds over the soundhole or moving to the metallic timbre closer to the bridge. Then there are the more subtle nuances in tone and volume that can be achieved by altering the force and angle of attack, or the mix of nail or flesh used in both rest stroke and free stroke. Here, nylon-string players have a slight advantage over steel-string players.

I do not own an electric/acoustic guitar so I’m not qualified to speak about how amplification, pickups, or recording technique figure into the recorded sound of the guitar. I do know that an acoustic guitar should not sound like plucked rubber bands. That is not the sound of a real acoustic guitar.

Fingerstyle guitarists need to learn to use changes in tempo, dynamics, and timbre as interpretive devices. With the various limitations of our beloved instrument, it only makes sense to use its assets to the max. As a music editor at Mel Bay Publications, I have had my fill of pattern picking with no variation in tempo, dynamics, and timbre- particularly as form is generally absent as well. Still, I look forward to hearing and reviewing new projects.