In this article I will address the subject of dynamics as applied to the acoustic guitar. I play both classical and steel-stringed guitars, and though the instruments are very different, the same principles apply. If you want to make your playing and more importantly your music stand out, learn to utilize dynamics in an effective manner. Music is ultimately a way of communicating using one or more instruments. Just as most people don't ramble on and on in a monotone when they speak, neither should a musician do so with his/her instrument.

We acoustic guitarists (acousticists?) have to face the fact that we play a very quiet instrument. Although the naked guitar has great variation of tone and volume, the outside parameters are very narrow. An analogy might be a 40-watt light bulb on a dimmer switch. The bulb's range would start at the point where the first glimmer of light is detected, and end at full power. It's never going to become a 100-watt bulb, however; It ain't gonna happen. It's when we try to make the acoustic guitar into something it's not that we run into problems.

Case in point: Many years ago, I sat in the audience while a deservedly famous guitarist performed Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with a symphony orchestra. The orchestra was great, but not until the guitarist came back for a solo encore did I hear one note of guitar. The reason given in the next morning's paper was, "The Maestro prefers minimal amplification- if any"! Apparently it was more pure to watch him play, than to hear him play. He was trying to make the guitar something that it's not- namely, loud. Even when amplified, the acoustic guitar is a personal, intimate instrument. Let's leave it at that.

It's easy to lose sight of the importance of dynamics in music, especially if one doesn't get out to hear it performed in a live setting. One reason for this may be the "compressed" nature of recorded music. For example, while I lived and worked in Nashville I was called to play jazz archtop on the final album (Blue To This Day) by the late cult hero, Mickey Newbury. I plugged into a wonderful studio tube preamp with a little compression and into the board (more compression). The CD was mixed and mastered with further compression both times. Get the picture? That's why people sometimes say that live music "jumps out" at them. We need to use this effect to our advantage as acoustic guitarists! Our instruments are much more responsive to dynamic input than electric guitars.

Don't forget, you don't have to be loud. I am reminded of the story of a famous jazz saxophonist who took the stage in a noisy New York club. He kept playing more and more quietly, finally stopping altogether to say in the microphone, "I'm playing as quietly as I know how to!" Remember, if you play quietly, when you up the volume, the perceived volume will be greater. Vary the tone and volume. 'Nuff said.

All this begs the question, "How should I approach a piece dynamically?" Here are a few suggestions:

First of all, does the composer state his or her feelings and intentions concerning their handiwork? Do your homework! You can play it any way you want to, but you'd be surprised how a little research can change your attitude and approach to a piece of music.

Also- and I can't stress this enough- if the music you are learning is a transcription, listen repeatedly to it as played on the original instrument/s. For example, when I was first enamored with the classical guitar, I listened to volumes of Bach, Scarlatti, Debussy, etc.-all on the guitar! I wasn't interested in anything but the guitar; in my mind, nothing else mattered. I did myself a real disservice with that attitude.

Next, look at the prospective piece as a whole- if it ends in a crescendo, and you have already whipped yourself into a frenzy 10 measures earlier- What now? Remember, you are in charge- or at least you should be. I can tell you from experience that compositions that take on a life of their own, can take on a death of their own.

There's an old saying in the music business, "Everybody's gotta squirm sometime". That doesn't mean that it's fun. Take the time and make the effort to look at the big picture and arrange the dynamics in a piece in an effective manner, deciding where to play a passage pp, and where to build. This logic naturally applies to your own original pieces as well. Your audience may not be able to quantify the difference between you and an amateur but believe me, they can tell.

I met Chet Atkins only a couple of times but I'll never forget his comment about the great Johnny Smith- "He did his homework".

Sounds like a plan to me!

Jim Caudill

Guitarist, composer, and arranger James Caudill grew up in the Lima, Ohio area that produced studio legend Brent Mason, saxophone giant Joe Henderson, and jazz guitarist Rick Vandivier, among others. James received his first guitar at the age of 10. A precocious learner, the young guitarist soon outpaced local teachers until he hit what appeared to be the “mother lode” of guitar instructors- Elliott Randell, who taught at a funky music store in Lima. Other than three or four lessons from Randell, however, he was destined to teach himself to play as Randall soon moved on to join the super group Steely Dan.

In the absence of a qualified teacher, James learned by copying guitar parts from records by musicians as diverse as Johnny Smith, Julian Bream, and his first guitar hero, Merle Travis. Active for many years as a classical guitarist, James participated in master classes under Oscar Ghiglia, and Carlos Barbosa-Lima. The latter proclaimed James, “a fine guitarist with refined musical taste... technically assured." Guitar Player describes his playing as, “clean and precise, utilizing a great sense of dynamics.”

Considered a pioneer in field of sacred guitar music, Caudill released the first album of hymns arranged for classical guitar and violin in 1976. He has worked in the Nashville area since 1990. His music has been heard on TV programs on TNN and ESPN.

Jim has released a solo CD entitled Pictures from America and his articles and arrangements have appeared in various publications including Just Jazz Guitar, Fingerstye Guitar, Fingerstyle Review, and several Mel Bay publications. He has appeared on several of the companion CD’s featured in Fingerstyle Guitar, joining many of the world’s foremost players.

Eclectic from the start, Caudill is one of the few guitarists to have jammed with players as diverse as Joe Pass, and Bill Monroe! His main influences in the classical area were Carlos Barbosa-Lima and Christopher Parkening, while in jazz, James is quick to mention Lenny Breau, Lorne Lofsky, and Ed Bickert.

After 15 years in the Nashville scene, James recently purchased a "hobby farm" in Ohio. He and Kathleen, his wife [of] 34 years, raise miniature goats and donkeys, and fish from their own stocked pond. Jim can be reached with questions concerning this article or for CD purchases via jcaudill@ohiolink.net.