Volume swell
Removing the attack of a note by turning the volume up after the string has been picked, so the note fades in.
A volume swell hides the percussive click at the start of a note, producing a violin-like entry. On a guitar it is done with the volume knob, a volume pedal, or in modern playing with a swell pedal or an automated setting. The string is picked with the volume down and then brought up smoothly, so the note has no transient. It is a core part of ambient, post-rock and worship guitar, and in the hands of a pedal steel player it is a whole style.
Example: A pad-like guitar part that fades in without any pick attack and then fades out again is built from volume swells.
See also
Related
- PagePedal steel guitar
- PageAccent
- PageAction height
- PageAlternate picking
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley
- PageAd-Rock
- ReferenceCircle of fifths