Understanding Dynamics in Music
Understanding Dynamics in Music
Without dynamics, music wouldn't be enjoyable. If every song stayed at the same volume the entire time, it would get old very quickly. But using dynamics well is difficult. A beginner musician will often play with inconsistent dynamics. The volume may change at random times that don't make sense. An intermediate player will learn how to play at the same volume the entire time. But, they may change their dynamic level between sections of songs. Advanced musicians will add subtle dynamics to almost every note. These changes won't be drastic, but the nuance will add a spark to their playing.
What are dynamics? Dynamics are changes in volume. If you play loud, then soft, you played dynamically. Everyone plays using dynamics. The hard part is using dynamics to add nuance to your music.
So how can you get better at playing dynamics?
Dynamic Exercises
The easiest exercise to practice dynamics is to play one note. Pick a note and play it as quietly as possible. Then keep playing it louder and louder until it's as loud as it will get.
This will determine your dynamic range. You can do this exercise on any instrument: drums, bass, guitar, piano, or anything else.
You can then do the same exercise with chords. Not every instrument can do this, but the goal is to play multiple notes at the same time. Play the chord as quietly as possible, then play it louder until you can't anymore. This dynamic range will most likely be louder than the single note because you are adding more notes.
The next step is to incorporate dynamics into phrases. On guitar, play a strumming pattern where the first strum is louder than the rest. This will make your guitar playing come alive. You could also play louder on beats 2 and 4.
If you're playing drums, you can play the snare drum louder than the hi-hat.
This is the start of understanding where dynamic phrases come from. You don't want the sound to be drastically louder than the other parts because it will sound out of place. But you can add slight variation to make it sound dynamic.
Instrument Dynamics
Instruments also have natural dynamics built in. On drums, the crash cymbal is already louder than everything else, so you don't need to hit it harder. On guitar and piano, chords are louder than single notes.
Understanding these natural dynamic options is very useful. You don't have to play any harder to use dynamics all the time. But, it is still important to learn how to play dynamically, but the instrument can do a lot of the work.
You also have effects that can create dynamics. On guitar, an overdrive pedal can be set to be louder than your clean sound. Bass players can also use pedals. Keyboard sounds use multiple synth layers to add dynamics, as well as effects.
Perceived Dynamics
The final point of this article is to understand perceived dynamics. This means that certain notes can seem louder without actually being louder. If you play a high note on guitar or piano, it is easier for humans to hear it than low notes buried under a full band. Bass guitar plays low notes. If a guitar player tries to play low, they will get buried by the bass. But if you play in a range that nobody else is playing in, the perceived loudness of your instrument goes up.
The solo in "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd does this well. There are points where the guitar feels louder when David Gilmour plays higher. Then it feels quieter when he plays lower notes, even though the notes are roughly the same volume.
This concept can be reversed on bass guitar. If you play high notes, then drop low, it pops out more. Part of the reason is that low notes often sound louder on bass than high notes, but you can feel the difference.
