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As you progress you might find that you can play faster and faster. This can have adverse effects like tendonitus, a repetitive strain injury informally known as tennis elbow. A condition which can cause cramps and damage to the tendons requiring temporary or even permanent abstinence from playing. This can be avoided by warming up first. Don't pick up your guitar and start full belt into fast sweeping arpeggios or death metal down strums etc. Start slowly with some warm up exercises first. About 5 minutes should do before you get into full flow. It may seem ridiculous but if tendontitus does strike then it could end your playing days for ever (Fast stuff anyway) Ý Top of Page Þ Next
Light gauge Pros - Easier to press down, good to learn and practice with. More forgiving especially rake and sweep picking. Easier to bend. Cons - Duller and quieter. More of a tendency for fret buzz. Heavy Gauge Pros - Fuller tone and louder. Less fret buzz. Cons - Harder to play. Increases the possibility of tendonitus. I find a medium gauge string is the best choice like 009 or 010 (top E), but its down to your choice. I have a lighter gauge of string on my electric guitar but heavier on my acoustic where the sound quality is more important since its live, an electric guitar is going to be amplified and possibly going to go through an effects processor so the sound can be tweaked to get the sound that you want. Acoustic guitar strings are usually bronze-wound whereas electric guitar strings are nickel wound. There are those that says that this is the rule but I say its up to you! I use nickel for both. Don't be told what to do. Try each and stick with which you prefer. There are also Flat wound and round wound. Flat wound strings are duller but don't make that squeaky sound when you slide from chord to chord. Round wounds are much brighter and I think worth it. The squeaky sound will still be there but only if you listen out for it. Ý Top of Page Þ Next
It really depends on what style you are going to play. If you want to play with a plectrum then it doesn't really matter about your right hand nail lengths. For playing lead guitar then your left hand nail length is also less important (As long as they are not long). If you wish to play classical finger picking etc. then you should keep your left hand nails short and your right hand nails long (For right handers - mirror this for left handers) Ý Top of Page Þ Next
Choosing a guitar can be even more important when learning especially starting to play the guitar. It seems that a learner may choose a cheap crappy guitar because he's only just starting out and doesn't even know if he will keep it up. Unfortunately this is probably when you will benefit from a good guitar the most. The action of a guitar is the distance between the strings and the frets and determines how easy the guitar will be to play. You can lower this but on a cheap guitar this will increase fret buzz (Where the string actually catches the next fret to the one you are playing on and produces a buzzing sound) Also on an acoustic guitar it will decrease its volume. A good guitar will have a good natural action without the need for adjustment and will increase the enjoyment and ease of playing thus increasing the chances of continued practice and getting past the awkward first months of learning. Starting to learn guitar is the hardest part or learning, learning to hold down strings in chord formations trying not to kill the notes. If the guitar is hard to play this will compound the problems and the learner may give up before he has even started. A classical guitar has nylon strings and may be a better choice but the neck is usually wider than an steel acoustic and involves more stretching. A good steel guitar with light gauge strings and a good low action will help a learner no end! An electric guitar requires more accessories than an acoustic. You will also need an amplifier and a lead not to mention an effects processor and patient neighbours! Most of all I think that a guitar that sounds good and plays well will reward the player more and inspire a learner to persevere through those difficult first stages.
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To increase the durability of your strings make sure that you wipe them after you have finished playing to remove any sweat that will oxidize your strings. Also avoid putting your guitar in its case unless you wish to transport it. Ý Top of Page |
