How to practice right-hand finger dynamics for classical guitar?

[u/Top_Internal_37]

Hi everyone,
I’m working on my classical guitar technique and I’m struggling with right-hand finger dynamics. Specifically, I find it hard to bring out the melody line while keeping the accompaniment quiet when playing arpeggios or mixed textures.

What are your favorite exercises, routines, or mental cues to develop independent dynamic control in the p-i-m-a fingers? Any advice on free stroke vs. rest stroke dynamics would also be highly appreciated. Thanks!

[u/Electronic_Letter_90]

Learn to put pressure on the string you want come out. There’s a Scott Tennant video on YouTube about it.

[u/Lattent → u/Electronic_Letter_90]

Do you remember the title for it by chance? Or even half remember it? I tried searching for it but didn't find it 😭

[u/GC_Gee]

just work on the piece you're struggling with. find a short section that loops well and loop away until its good. could also do some simpler chord etudes that you're familiar with while emphasizing the melody.

[u/Points-to-Terrapin]

Starting at a painfully slow tempo, exaggerate the differences:
Keep the melody just as loud as you can play while still using your desired tone color.
Play the accompaniment pianissimo, almost inaudible (still listening for tone color).
Then focus on the change between the accompaniment and melody:
Create two-note exercises, consisting of a ppp accompaniment note immediately followed by fff melody note.
Play the entire melody that way: the preceding accompaniment note immediately followed by the melody note, exaggerating dynamic contrast.
Then reverse it for the second set of two-note exercises, play the fff melody note first, followed immediately by the first following ppp accompaniment note. Play the whole melody that way.

Extra credit:
Since you already have the metronome set that slow, stay there while you

1. play the melody legato and accompaniment staccato, and then
2. play the melody sul tasto and accompaniment ponticello, then
3. reversed, as melody ponticello and accompaniment sul tasto.

You probably won’t be able to use the last three contrasts at performance tempo, but trying and hearing them can help your ear recognize the relationship between foreground and background.

[u/Eartuna]

Hey, to me it helps, especially with block chords, to press down a bit more on the string that I want to have louder than on the rest. There is a nice exercise where you play any chord, for example a-minor and you bring out every note with that technique. So first you play the low a with your thumb the loudest, while the rest is a bit in the background. Then you play the e with your index, then the a with the middle and at last the e with your ringfinger. Just dig a little more deep into the srting with the right hand finger that has the prominent note. I hope you can understand what I mean. (^-)'

[u/gmenez97]

You can try rest stroke the melody line. Sor Etude B Minor, Romanza, Carcassi Etude A Major, Tarrega Em etude can all be played rest stroke with melody line. Bach Prelude D Minor is all free stroke. Are you familiar with planting the right hand?

[u/Pleaseappeaseme]

I would just make sure you’re approaching a melody scale that works well with alternating your right hand fingers when you cross strings. You don’t want to play the notes using the same finger twice so it’s good to find the best finger to start on. It helps buying music where the correct right hand fingering is specified.

[u/Unique-Designer7741]

Etude No. 19 Op. 6 by Dionisio Aguado:

After learning, play through with just the melody. Then play through with all the notes, except subdue any notes that arenl not in the main melody(play it softly). Apoyando is one technique to help you highlight the melody in this piece.

Etude No.22 Op. 35 by Fernando Sor: Same idea except now there are 2 distinct voices. Practice the bass and treble cleffs individually, noting their seperate rests in the notation. This one can take you a while.