Occasionally a solo guitarist might want to play two parts simultaneously. At first glance, this might seem impossible. It can, however, be accomplished through the technique of tremolo. This powerful musical tool simulates both a treble voice, which plays a flowing melody line, and a bass voice, which plays a rhythmic counter-melody. What seems like a flowing melody line is illusory, a line produced by rapidly repeating notes, which sound similar to a mandolin.
An advantage of learning tremolo early on is that the technique itself is a good exercise which will help you learn good right-hand technique. Tremolo demands that both your thumb and fingers move independently, your fingers each controlled separately. Lots of practice is necessary before you can play at the speed at which it gives the illusion of two instruments. You will, however, develop independent muscle control in your thumb and your fingers. If you practice faithfully, ever so slowly, with regular rhythm, you will soon be on the road to having a good tremolo technique.
The Flamenco Tremolo
Tremolo, as played in Flamenco music, has five notes per beat. It begins with a thumb stroke on a bass note, followed by four tirando finger strokes in the treble. The notation for the tremolo is ‘p’-‘i’-‘a’-‘m’-‘i.’ Observe that the Flamenco tremolo has one more stroke than the one for the classical guitar, written ‘p’-‘a’-‘m’-‘i.’
You must categorically keep a steady rhythm in order to create the illusion of a flowing melody in the treble voice. Strike each finger distinctly, with equal force and tone, with strict regularity spacing the strokes with your thumb and with each finger.
Often you will hear musicians call tremolo ‘an arpeggio on a single string.’ If you view it this way, it will help you focus on the evenness in which you must time and space the notes. Make yourself begin slowly. Make sure that the intervals between ‘p,’ ‘i.’ ‘a.’ ‘m,’ and ‘i’ are all equal. This way of viewing it will help you to concentrate on keeping your notes spaced evenly. Relax your hand, moving your fingers mainly from your knuckles. Do not be tempted to rush in your desire to master the illusion. Keep in mind that doing it slowly will also have the added benefit of improving your muscle control. If you rush, you will develop bad habits, which cause the rhythm to be uneven, not flowing smoothly. Relax. Your speed will come naturally with careful attention to detail in practice.
The Thumb in Tremolo
The thumb plays apoyando or tirando, depending on the effect that you want to achieve. When the bass notes are sounded in an ascending sequence of strings, such as the sixth, followed by the fifth, then the fourth; your thumb, if playing apoyando, follows through, striking each one without being lifted and swung back after each string has been played.
