Glissando
A continuous slide between two pitches, with every intermediate note heard as the finger travels along the string.
On guitar a glissando is produced by keeping the finger pressed firmly enough to keep the string sounding while it slides, which works well upwards and slightly less cleanly downwards, when the finger must stay in contact without catching a fret. Players use it for dramatic transitions, for imitation of a slide or vocal portamento, and as a way of covering a large interval quickly. Without enough pressure the note dies, and with too much it squeaks audibly against the wound string.
Example: A slow blues phrase that smears from the fifth fret to the tenth and back, rather than jumping, is using a glissando.
See also
Related
- PageSlide technique
- PageLegato
- PagePortamento
- PageAccent
- PageAction height
- PageAlternate picking
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley