Make A Difference

G’day Willis,
I am enjoying your website heaps, thanks for sharing your wisdom. My question is about right hand speed. My current understanding is the faster you want to play, the lighter you have to play. Is it as simple as that? What are your thoughts?
Thanks, Wayne

Hey Wayne,
You could say it’s as simple as that. But really, there’s a lot of advantages to playing lighter: fatter sound, wider dynamic range (more headroom), lower action, less fatigue and finally, yes, you’ll be able to play faster. One of the biggest advantages is to be able to influence the music. If you’re playing hard all the time then when it comes time to bring some idea you’re playing out that could have an influence on the direction of the music – you’re not going to be louder and your ideas won’t have any effect . Increasing your volume within grooves or at critical moments allows you to make a difference in the music.