Tremolo number of notes

[Ivan Kelsall]

As Tobin indicates,tremolo can be used in a variety of ways to give expression to the music. You can begin with a quiet,slow tremolo & build up the volume & number of passes to emphasise a bar or phrase in the tune, & then go back down. Experiment with it is the best way. Choose a tune that you like & know very well, & try variations of tempo & number of passes with the pick & see 'what works'. A tremolo intro. to a song such as ''Body & Soul'' can work very well using such variations. ''The Walls of Time'' is another good practice piece - try things out,
Ivan

[T.D.Nydn]

Starting a solo with a tremolo ed note is very ear catching,,and creates a very exciting sound when beginning a speed run...

[voie]

l've been working on tremolo technique for some time now and as befits I was looking everywhere on the net a little more precise information and rules on how many notes are actually one has to play when playing tremolo and to my regret I have not been able to find nothing about that topic.to clear things,l'm not talking about mathematical model which is mainly suggessted that certain note duration are to be picked in tremolo fashion in their full length, for instance quarter note is to be played as 8,or 16 sixteenth notes ... because listening to recordings I see that it often plays differently , ie, to emphasize the note that follows tremolo tends to be shorter, for example, instead of 16 notes for the first quarter, playing to 13,14 or 15 and continue to play the next note .... my question is if anyone has any advice on this topic

I saw a John Reischman video where he says that he always ends the tremolo on a downstroke. Keeping that in mind has really improved my metered tremolo playing. It means that if you play tremolo on 8th /16th notes, you will play 5 or 7 / 9 or 15 notes, and you will have a little space to jump to the next note and emphasize it.

On slower pieces I prefer to use a non-metered tremolo where I often lower the speed of the meter as I play for a lyrical effect.

Regards, voie

[jshane]

I think that my tremolo became decidedly better when I started thinking about it in the context of a violin sustaining a note while bowing.

It is decidedly not constant. There are variations in tone that are hard to describe, but, to me, include volume (obvious), "grit"--which I think has to do with bow pressure- and a tone variation I can't describe, but can hear, that I believe is related to bow speed across the string.

Once I started trying to imitate these tonal qualities with tremolo, I feel it improved a lot. Maybe it improved simply because I had something to shoot for.

[Mark Wilson]

I saw a John Reischman video where he says that he always ends the tremolo on a downstroke. Keeping that in mind has really improved my metered tremolo playing.

Based on a few hours playing this morning - that works well for me. Thanks for passing it on. I was probably doing some of that (by chance) anyway but that thought gets me on the next note without relying on my imperfect sense of timing

[pops1]

I don't think of how I end the tremolo, just how long it needs to be. I use it for effect and listen to what I am doing for the effect I want. I don't feel it should be the same each time as the piece you are playing is not the same. While I haven't thought of it like this, it is a good way to express what I mean. I look at it like an electric guitar player using a wah wah pedal, it should fit the piece it is in. Sometimes soft and smooth sometimes not. Poor example, but I am still drinking coffee.

[JonZ]

Why Freddie Mercury's Voice is So Great

[JeffD]

it should fit the piece it is in. Sometimes soft and smooth sometimes not.

Yes! Not only that, but ideally it should match the feelings and energy of the moment. The same tune played at different times for different audiences may require a different expression.

[JonZ]

And if the audience is drunk enough, do it any way you want.