Guitar Questions and Answers 2
More Guitar Questions And Answers
Yes ladies and gentlemen – boys and girls … it’s time for another round of the guitar playing stuff that may help you on your quest to learn electric guitar sooner rather than later. So, since you’re probably in a hurry to be rockin’ and rollin’, let’s dive right into it!
If you have any guitar or learning guitar question, please feel free to leave your question in the comment field below or contact me; don’t be shy!
Changing guitar strings – how often?
Q: How often do you recommend I’d change to a new set of strings? When they break? What’s this thing about new strings anyway?
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A: In general, you would commonly want to change your strings as often as you can afford … unless you like a duller, more lifeless sound (which some players actually do).
Before discussing this issue further, I’d like to point out that classical (nylon) guitar strings differ slightly from nickel or bronze strings (electric or acoustic). The three treble, unwound nylon strings on a classical guitar is usually changed less frequently than the wound ones.
As for electric or steel string guitars you normally change the whole set at a time. The exception is when you break a string prematurely. If you play hard and/or the guitar is not properly set up, you may find the high E and B strings snaps at frequent intervals.
Why would you want new strings? Well first and foremost they simply play better and sound far better.
They also tend to be better in tune (the intonation is more correct), as there’s inevitably some build up of sweat, dirt and grime on older strings – even if you clean them on regular intervals. This makes the older strings vibrate more unevenly, leaving the intonation slightly off.
As for keeping your strings last longer, you should clean the strings with a dry, clean piece of cloth after each session – don’t forget the fingerboard also!
A dirty fretboard will kill the sound of your new strings fast. The grime will simply stick on those new strings you just put on … bad idea.
Proper guitar care and maintenance is so important!
You may also use coated strings since they stay bright for a longer period of time than non-coated ones. The downside is that these guitar strings are quite a bit more expensive.
So how long can you keep the strings on? Apart from the sound, tuning and the dirt issue, it is no direct sin to keep them on for months at a time! But let me put it this way – there’s a reason why some pro guitar players change their strings as often as every other day…
…And no, that is not to impress the musos :-)
Any advice on staying motivated?
Q: These days I get easily distracted or bored with the guitar playing. Any tips on how to stay motivated?
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A: First of all I would sincerely urge you to hang in there. Don’t give up! You will most likely beat yourself at a later stage if you quit.
One piece of advice is to sit back and listen to some of your favorite artists and players. Me, I like to try and figure out the guitar parts … keeps things fresh and interesting. How do they do this or that? How do they get that sound?
Challenging yourself and going outside of the box is another way to stay on your toes. Why not try out a new, open tuning or slap on a capo? Try to approach the way you pick or play – swap your pick for your fingers or vice versa. Personally, just for the fun of it, try to teach myself a totally new way of playing guitar … something I’m not comfortable with at that point
You know, even as simple and “boring” as putting on a fresh set of strings can bring back that old love affair – breathing new life in old trusty (that’s your guitar in case you wondered :)
Some day, further down the line, you may be thrilled you kept at it – learning how to play. Or, you may be very unhappy with the fact that you quit. It’s totally up to you.