Question. When I play chords I always touch the strings that I should be playing open. How can I avoid this?
Answer. Touching the wrong strings when you play chords is a common problem that many beginners face when learning the guitar. Today we will look at some simple solutions.
1. Try and press your fingers straight down. Your finger should be at a 90 degree angle with the string. This means that only the tip of your finger should be connecting with string.
2. Are your fingernails short? If your fingernails are long, your fingertip will not be able to sit on the string and your fingers will touch the other strings on the guitar.
3. Place your thumb directly on the back of the neck of your guitar. This puts your hand in a good position to keep your fingers clear of the wrong strings.
4. Practice with chords you find easy. Look at how your hand sits when you play these chords. Try to use the technique that you use on easier chords with more difficult chords.
5. Using a capo at higher frets can make it easier on your fingers as the frets are closer together. However for people with big hands this can make it more difficult. So experiment with a capo to see if it helps you.
Each person has different size hands, finger shape and flexibility. For this reason there is no universal rule that will change your playing to avoid touching the wrong strings when playing. You should practice chords as much as you can until you feel confident and comfortable with them.
“Goddamn Jimmy, that’s some serious gourmet s**t!” Jules (Pulp Fiction)
In an industry that is, according to some, rapidly becoming mechanised it comes as no surprise to find that at least one company still produces affordable guitar strings by HAND. Yes, its true, by hand.
Approximately 85%+ of a guitar’s tone comes from the strings – the guitar itself only colours the basic tone created by the strings. The grooves in a roundwound string provide most of the upper order harmonics which are percieved as the brilliance and the attack – this is why a flatwound string has a more dull sound. As a string gets older these grooves fill in with dirt and through corrosion or wear and tear the string will loses most of its brilliance over time.
Up until the Second World War animal gut and silk were the materials from which guitar strings were manufactured. Albert Augustine, an instrument maker from New York, USA, was the first to produce guitar strings in Nylon. Augustine organised a blind test with company representatives from DuPont and they happened to choose nylon over gut as having the best sound. The DuPont company then supported Augustine’s initiative. When Andrés Segovia, the great Spanish guitar virtuoso, discovered Augustine’s strings he was an immediate convert
Richard Cocco Senior was born in Italy and came to the United States of America in 1951. Richard entered the string manufacturing business at the time when the first electric bass guitars were introduced. Fascinated by this new instrument, he developed the Cocco method of hand winding to make new strings which proved to be so fine that some of his first customers were America’s legendary electric bass guitar inventors.
After 10 years of collaboration, Mr. Cocco recognized in Mr Alfonso Annecchiarico the only one capable to continue his legacy. Today Alfonso Annecchiarico is the sole owner of R. Cocco strings and the only depository of Richard’s secrets. The best materials and the same machines designed and developed by Richard Cocco, Sr. continue to produce guitar strings that are exceptional.
Richard Cocco Strings are universally acclaimed by musicians for the perfection and purity of sound, which they product. The dedication to quality is heard in each set of hand woven and inspected strings. Today, these strings are sold in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia and sales are expanding every year. In keeping with this very rich tradition, we intend to stay ahead of the rest . . . to improve the best even though we make the best! From my hands to yours . . . . .
If you`d like to find out more about guitar strings check out Professor String here or for his article with a focus upon hand produced strings click here:
Handcrafted strings on a guitar or bass, are truly something to experience and hear. Some guitarists (particularly those recording) pay big money to have these strings on their guitar. In fact, some refer to these as “session strings”, as they are saved for recording their best tone tracks. The buttery smooth feel of a handcrafted string is second to none. They have a tone that is unmistakable and highly desired in the recording world. – Professor String
One of the sure fire ways to ensure that you go through copious amounts of electric guitar strings is to play them fresh out of the packet without stretching them. It`s a common mistake that beginners make and I`m here to help you avoid this common mistake.
Once you have restrung your guitar you should tune your strings up to concert pitch. At this point in time the strings still have a certain amount of settling in to do and any vigorous playing will send them clean out of whack tuning wise.
The secret to getting your new strings to stay in tune is to stretch them. So for each string follow the following procedure:
1. tune your string to the required pitch, leave your tuner plugged in.
2. using your thumb and forefinger somewhere between your neck and bridge gently pull the string away from the guitar backwards and forwards at a rightangle to the scratchplate.
3. play the string – it should be flat – so retune it bringing it back up to pitch.
4. repeat steps 2 and then three until the string stays in pitch.
5. repeat for all new strings.
Now, your strings will be ready to rock and roll so plug into your amp and give it some.
For those of you who are new to the guitar here are some general pointers regarding guitar strings and how to choose them. I`m going to use the sets provided by Ernie Ball because I’ve been using them for 20+ years but also because they offer sets of strings in convenient readily available configurations that make sense.
ELECTRIC GUITAR STRINGS
The thicker your guitar strings are the fatter and richer the tone, sustain and volume BUT the harder they are to bend and manipulate, in short they become harder to play because more tension exists in the string. If you are a beginner then perhaps opt for a lighter guage of strings as this will improve your fretting and playing comfort.
When you buy a packet of strings you will see a series of six numbers on the packet – these numbers tell you the guages of the strings inside – basically how thick or thin each string is. As an example consider the following guide:
A great set of strings to start with is a set of ERNIE BALL regular slinky because these give you a lighter top end string and medium to heavy bottom end strings for the bass tones. You will find that the bass tones will have enough inherent bass but that you `ll still have a good enough tone across the board and the ability to perform bends and vibrato. If you’re determined to become a blues legend you might find that you need some POWER slinkies of if you`re a METAL player using dropped tuning try some NOT EVEN slinkies.
Just to give you all an insight into what this all means you might find that you enjoy playing a third string (g) at .17, and prefer a .10 on the top (E) because it allows for bends but without the sacrifice of the thinning tone of a light .9
You may also prefer to play with a .46 on the bottom (E) because its got enough bass. You would be looking at a packet of ERNIE BALL regular.
The best strategy is to start out with something like the regular slinky strings and if you are inclined then try some hybrid slinky for a lighter top end, or try moving the other way to some heavier guage sets such as the Power slinkies. If you happen to own two electric guitars then string up each with a different set and spens some time comparing the TONE and the PLAYABILITY of each. You can of course develop your own completely individual preferred sequence of guages, but to begin with it’s probably best to try some of these pre-configured sets. Then perhaps after youve spent some time playing different guages and found one you really like then you can consider the tonal charachteristics of string materials.
There are several options for materials to bear in mind:
1. nickel wound – produce a well balanced tone.
2. titanium coated – a vibrant tone with longer life, less corrosion, longer tuning stability.
3. pure nickel – a richer, warmer tone.
4. stainless steel – a crisp bright tone
5.gold plated – more expensive but bright sustain and long life.
When to change your strings:
The more you play your guitar and the harder you play then the quicker your strings will become tired. Things like sweat, moisture and dirt from your fingers all add up to a strings wear and tear and if you really want your strings to last:
1.wipe them gently with a soft cloth after playing
2.detune them when not playing so that they aren’t all tight and wound up.
Unless you are desperately down on your luck then avoid second hand strings altogether and pay attention to how your strings sound. If they feel rubbery and the sound is lackclustre with no brightness, sheen, clarity, zing or life then its time to put some new ones on. Similarly, if they become hard to tune, if that point where they`re in tune is becoming more and more elusive then throw `em in the bin. You cannot boil them up in hot water to make them last longer – neither should you put them in the freezer with your old pet dog.
One more thing, if you`re finding that you’re going through strings like nobodies business then perhaps you aren`t stretching them enough when you put them on!
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