Sebastian Stenzel
From a luthier’s notes: Sustain and the classical guitar
Under the deliberately expansive title “Sustain, or the metaphysical position of the classical guitar in organology”, the author reflects on one of the most discussed aspects of guitar sound: sustain.
Outside the field of acoustics, sustain is commonly understood by guitarists and lute players as the duration of an individual note. In acoustical terms, however, sustain refers to a phase in which the amplitude of a sound remains relatively stable before decay. In strictly physical terms, this phase does not truly exist in plucked instruments. Or does it?
Julian Bream once described this phenomenon with remarkable clarity:
“I think there is something fascinating about plucked sound. The plucked instruments, most of them, if not all, come from the east, and perhaps it has to do with eastern mysticism and religious experience, but plucked sound has a remarkable quality, because the actual pluck is the apex of the sound, and thereafter it dies. And if you are playing a phrase of, say, six or seven notes, you are dealing really with six or seven births and six or seven deaths. We hate death and we do not know how to deal with it. So, in fact, we sustain our lives as long as possible. The excitement is also in the spaces between the notes. And therein lies the perk of plucked sound.”
From a more pragmatic perspective, plucked sound can be described as a percussive event with a defined pitch. When examined within the broader context of musical instruments and their acoustic behavior, this characteristic places the classical guitar in a unique position within organology.
Further reflections on this topic can be found here: read more
