Dynamics and the Plucked String

• The classical guitar has problems with sustained dynamics
• Attack and decay are a part of every notes' sound envelope
• The length of the decay is short for a plucked string
• Dynamic change from one note to the next is difficult to perceive in slow passages but easy to perceive in fast passages

The sound evelope consists of an attack and the decay of the sound of the note that has been created through the attack. This decay is different for every instrument. A piano's notes have a longer decay than a guitar's notes.

The attack takes place when a string is plucked. The decay is how long that sound remains audible given that no other string or group of strings are played.

Dynamics is a rising or falling in volume of the sound in any specific passage of music. The decay is actually a natural falling of volume due to the energy being spent in the string. It is a natural dynamic movement from louder to quieter.

This information means that longer passages will decay more before the next note is played. Therefore, it is more difficult to acheive a desired dynamic movement in a slower passage. Faster passages don't have this problem because there is little decay before the next note is played.
To acheive a sense of dynamic movement in a slow passage, a player must attack each following note where the intial attack was from the previous note. If the play attacks a following not from the place of decay then no dynamic movement will be perceived by the audience.

The Mental Side

By understanding this idea of the sound envelope your mental understanding has already increased.

When thinking or hearing mentally, you must think of where your attack of the previous note was and adjust the next note's attach relatively.

Again, singing will connect this mental sound to the sound desired on the instrument.