HOW TO ROLL A CHORD
Part 2 of 2

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Rolling a chord is an effect, not a technique to use constantly — overdo it and you catch what guitarist Frederic Hand calls "rollitus." Part 2 of 2 covers rolls in real repertoire: rolling without planting, varying speed and volume, reverse rolls, emphasizing a melody note in the middle of a chord, using the little finger "c", and the barely-heard subtle roll.

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In actual repertoire, one is often not given time to carefully prepare the fingers on the strings before executing the roll. Or, planting may not be desirable because it would cut the sound off of a previously ringing chord. In real life there may be no planting at all or just a sensation of touching the strings a little early to roll the chord.

Rolling a chord is an effect, not a technique one should use constantly. It is easy to overuse the effect. When overdone, it loses its effectiveness. In fact, guitarist Frederic Hand calls the overuse of rolls “rollitus”. I have heard guitarists referred to by other musicians as “rollers”. On the other hand it is a crucial element in guitar performance. After all, it is hard to imagine a musical and inspired performance using only block chords.

So, choose carefully when and where to roll chords. Guitarists often roll the final chord of a piece. But sometimes even the ending of a piece is better without a rolled chord. Understatement can be a plus.

In addition to being able to execute the basic technique, also practice varying the speed of the roll. Also practice at different volume levels. Always pay attention to the tone quality of all the notes. No clicks should be heard and if playing a typical low to high-note roll, the tone quality of the highest pitched string (usually the melody) should be carefully monitored.

Some of a roll’s common uses are to emphasize dissonances and climatic points of crescendos.

One may also execute a backward or reverse 4-note roll. This can be useful if the music dictates that the bottom (lowest pitch) note needs to be emphasized.

When the melody note in a chord is not on the top string or bottom string, the roll can be an effective solution to emphasizing the melody when it falls in the middle of the chord as in Granada by Isaac Albéniz or Prelude No. 5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

It is also possible to separate the notes of the rolled chord so slightly that the arpeggiation is just barely heard. Christopher Parkening uses this effect in his recording of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Because of its subtlety, this allows one to have some of the benefits of rolling (emphasis of melody note, tone quality) without sounding like you are overdoing it and rolling chord after chord just out of habit.

The right-hand little finger (“c”) may also be brought into play. Usually I use “c” not for rolled chords but to avoid having to roll a chord.

But once in a while “c” does come in handy in a rolled chord as in Debussy's Girl with the Flaxen Hair.

One can also use a “throw” or flick of the hand to the left or right to emphasize the high note of the chord and alter the tone of the chord. As mentioned earlier, it can be compared to flicking lint off one’s coat.

So we can rotate or "slice" to the left or to the right, producing a shimmering tone.