How to play 'true' Legato. (Beginners?)

[GuyBoden]

A nice easy three note tune to practice 'true' legato, which literally means smooth and connected.

Play the tune on one string using slurs, swells, vibrato............

[pamosmusic]

A nice easy three note tune to practice 'true' legato, which literally means smooth and connected.

Play the tune on one string using slurs, swells, vibrato............

Hmm … I’m not 100% sure what the utility of this is to a guitarist.

Swells being the obvious example. Guitar doesn’t swell. Slurs are also tricky.

[Christian Miller]

A nice easy three note tune to practice 'true' legato, which literally means smooth and connected.

Play the tune on one string using slurs, swells, vibrato............

Legato is achieved by making sure there's no gap between the notes

So that means you have to very precise with your timing and technique

[pamosmusic]

Legato is achieved by making sure there's no gap between the notes

So that means you have to very precise with your timing and technique

Yeah, when I’m teaching kind of later beginners, I use “legato” as an aural cue for “using proper technique.”

I think because there are a bananas number of ways to disrupt legato on guitar — a cracked slur, planting the pick or right hand finger too early, slipping too far from the fret, inactive left hand finger brushes the string, and on and on.

Once folks have most of those basic technique things down, “legato” is a single affirmative thing they can strive for to make sure they’re not doing all that other junk.

[GuyBoden]

Hmm … I’m not 100% sure what the utility of this is to a guitarist.

Smooth and connected, the video is using 'Legato' for expression, holding a note, so that it connects with the next note. (Legato being smooth and connected with no gaps.)

For swells, you can obviously use your volume pot or even a foot pedal, I do. (Swells are slower changes in volume, similar to Tremolo, but slower.)

Yes, slurs are tricky, especially when changing string. (Slurs are Hammer on's and Pull off's)

I find that good Vibrato is the most difficult on guitar. (Vibrato is slight changes in pitch.)

I've deliberately put my definitions in brackets to avoid confusion.

[pamosmusic]

Smooth and connected, the video is using 'Legato' for expression, holding a note, so that it connects with the next note. (Legato being smooth and connected with no gaps.)

For swells, you can obviously use your volume pot or even a foot pedal, I do. (Swells are slower changes in volume, similar to Tremolo, but slower.)

Yes, slurs are tricky, especially when changing string. (Slurs are Hammer on's and Pull off's)

I find that good Vibrato is the most difficult on guitar. (Vibrato is slight changes in pitch.)

I've deliberately put my definitions in brackets to avoid confusion.

Right. Many of those things actually make legato somewhat harder on a guitar though, because it’s quite different than a saxophone.

The swells for example: most volume pots are logarithmic rather than linear, so you don’t get the same response you would from natural breath (and almost no response at all for about half a turn). And there is high end tone loss with a volume pot as well. So I guess I’m not 100% convinced that swells are aiding with actual legato on a saxophone, but on guitar they can actually disrupt the smooth connectedness.

Vibrato and slurs are just a tricky techniques. Vibrato might kind of give the impression of sustain on a longer note, I guess, but not really the same thing as actual sustain. And it can make movement from one finger to the next a bit tougher.

[Christian Miller]

Yeah, when I’m teaching kind of later beginners, I use “legato” as an aural cue for “using proper technique.”

I think because there are a bananas number of ways to disrupt legato on guitar — a cracked slur, planting the pick or right hand finger too early, slipping too far from the fret, inactive left hand finger brushes the string, and on and on.

Once folks have most of those basic technique things down, “legato” is a single affirmative thing they can strive for to make sure they’re not doing all that other junk.

You know I said that once and got poo pooed on this very forum haha


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[pamosmusic]

You know I said that once and got poo pooed on this very forum haha


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Well.

The world is wrong. We are right.

But for real … if I had a dollar for every time my classical teacher said “lovely, now let’s hear that passage again … but … (scratches chin pensively) … more legato.”

[pamosmusic]

Right. Many of those things actually make legato somewhat harder on a guitar though, because it’s quite different than a saxophone.

The swells for example: most volume pots are logarithmic rather than linear, so you don’t get the same response you would from natural breath (and almost no response at all for about half a turn). And there is high end tone loss with a volume pot as well. So I guess I’m not 100% convinced that swells are aiding with actual legato on a saxophone, but on guitar they can actually disrupt the smooth connectedness.

Vibrato and slurs are just a tricky techniques. Vibrato might kind of give the impression of sustain on a longer note, I guess, but not really the same thing as actual sustain. And it can make movement from one finger to the next a bit tougher.

And I guess to sum up all these random quibbles … i think there’s a lot to learn from trying to emulate other instruments, but there’s also this way in which going down the rabbit hole a bit too far can start to separate a person from the technical realities of their own instrument.

the way that focusing on a saxophone-like legato and these other techniques might actual disrupt an otherwise smooth sound produce by good guitar playing.

[Christian Miller]

Well.

The world is wrong. We are right.

But for real … if I had a dollar for every time my classical teacher said “lovely, now let’s hear that passage again … but … (scratches chin pensively) … more legato.”

It’s money for old rope


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[pamosmusic]

legato, shmegato. give me nice note separation. that's what makes a line bounce.

Or control over that contrast.

[GuyBoden]

legato, shmegato. give me nice note separation. that's what makes a line bounce.

Show some emotion, put expression in your lines, light up if you're feeling happy, but if it's sad then let those tears roll down.

[djg]

Show some emotion, put expression in your lines, light up if you're feeling happy, but if it's sad then let those tears roll down.

close enough?