Hey Friend,

Something I don’t hear talked about very much when playing guitar is the word “attack.”

And yet it is a very important term to understand, because using it properly can increase the levels of emotional effect on your listener.

Wait, you didn’t realize music is a battle? 

Everything in this life is a battle!  A battle for your attention, for your resources, for your essence.

Okay, maybe a little too philosophical… but it is Sunday morning, so forgive me a little pontificating.

Attack is the point at which a sound begins, and at what level.

When we talk in terms of guitars, attack is striking of the string with your finger or pick. How hard or soft you hit the strings determines the level of attack. 

So the level of attack helps determine how dynamic the notes, chords and performance are.

I’ve read articles complaining on the lack of dynamics in Rock music, and to an extent, I agree that we can do a lot more to vary how our playing sounds. 

Let’s look at some examples. 

Classical music gives us a lot to choose from with regards to the use of dynamics. One of my favorite pieces is Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade.” 

As you listen, pay attention to the rise and fall of the volume of the string section. Notice how you can hear the force of the bows against the strings? By adjusting the attack of the bow, they raise and lower the volume and force of the performance.

You can easily imagine the story unfolding as the music tells it through the dynamics (the rise and fall of the volume).

Now let’s look to a classic Rock tune - “Space Oddity” by David Bowie. 

Listen to the light strumming throughout the intro, verses and choruses. It’s a simple, straightforward strum pattern he uses.

But when we hit the bridge (at 2:39 in the video), he changes the dynamic of the strum by attacking the strings differently. It’s not a light strum anymore - he hits the strings forcefully to give a strong, abrupt attack. 

Learning how to use attack is something you can do to really improve your tone and the quality of your performance. We’ll talk more about this in upcoming articles.

Go forth and enjoy...

Peace~

Dave