Ornaments: From plain to magical
When I think of ornaments, I’m reminded of a Christmas tree.
Can you imagine a Christmas tree without ornaments?
This is what playing some styles of music without ornaments is like - a Christmas tree with no decorations!
Many Baroque pieces are in two sections, each being repeated. These repeated sections give us an opportunity for ornaments to be added.
Keep in mind that ornaments are sometimes notated, but often they’re not.
Dance movements are probably one of the most common examples, like this Allemande from Suite BWV 996 for example:
Starting in September, we’ll be focusing on composing an Allemande in the style of Bach. If you join CCG, you can also do this anytime at your own pace.
Virtually all of Scarlatti’s 555 Sonatas are in two sections, each being repeated. It’s during these repeated sections that ornaments can (and you could argue, should) be added.
Think about this too: the way you put ornaments on the tree can vary in so many ways. From the types of ornaments to their placement. The same is true for music.
It doesn’t take much. Just sprinkling the ornaments around like you would on a tree can make a world of difference. Like many things in guitar playing, attention to the small details elevates your playing to new realms.
Complicated no more
The process of adding ornaments can seem really complicated, but I want to show you a simple approach.
CCG member David Reynolds used the methods given below to add ornaments to Scarlatti’s Sonata K. 208 (video below). These are also the same kind of techniques I used to ornament the Allemande above.
If you’re playing any Baroque music by Scarlatti, Bach, etc, then you’ll be able to use these techniques. They’ll generally work best for repeated sections or phrases.
Ornament method #1: Add grace notes (trills, mordents, etc.)
Grace notes are subtle types of ornaments, that are indicated by signs or small note heads. They are sometimes included in the score, but very often won’t be.
It’s very helpful to first practice these ornaments, getting them drilled into your fingers. Once they’re more or less second nature for you, then they’ll be much easier to add.
Three of the most common types of grace notes are (click chart below to download):
Trills
Mordents
Acciaccatura Acciaccatura
Here’s how David applied grace notes to the repeat of the A section
Remember that it just takes 2-3 grace notes to make a world of difference!
You can learn and practice grace notes in CCG’s Method Book Walkthrough
Ornament method #2: Add divisions (fill in extra melody notes)
Divisions are a way of adding extra notes to a repeated melody. They’re very commonly used in Renaissance music by composers like John Dowland.
Below is a table that shows how you can add divisions to a melody of three repeating C’s. There are 21 different variations given here - try playing some!
Again, like method #1, it’s important to first practice these and get them drilled into your fingers.
An easy way to think of a division is to simply add extra notes to a melody by scale motion. This is what David did in his ornamentation.
Remember that it just takes 2-3 divisions to make a world of difference!
Take a listen to David’s ornamented version of this popular sonata by Scarlatti.
Listen out for the two types: Grace notes and Divisions.
Try to add 2-3 ornaments to a simple Baroque piece. If you don’t have one to play, then try using Bach’s Minuet in G - score below.
