Tips and tricks on Acoustic guitar

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Comment by Mike Nepper on November 26, 2012 at 5:29pm

I haven't been on in awhile so I thought I would pass on an interesting item I recently found. I have a couple of short scale 12 fret guitars that I play daily and I use light gauge strings with pretty low action. I also play in DADGAD quite a bit and noticed that I sometimes get some buzz on the low strings. I decided to raise the pitch up a half step and found it was an amazing difference. The increased tension also produces a much better overall volume and tone quality! As long as it is an instrumental, this is a great trick that I use all the time now. When I used to play large dreads or jumbos with mediums, I did the opposite and tuned them down a half or a whole step. I also used capos alot back then and almost never use them now unless I'm learning something by ear or transposing the key.

Comment by Jud Hair on July 26, 2011 at 2:48pm

@ Mike ... I was a little confusing with my  statement.  The string spacing on both guitars is definitely wider at the bridge than the nut.  It's just that string spacing on both guitars are the same at both places even though the freboard on one is wider.

Comment by Mike Nepper on July 26, 2011 at 2:45pm

Sorry, I probably misunderstood you. Yes, the spacing at the bridge could be the same.

Comment by Mike Nepper on July 26, 2011 at 2:43pm

Yeah, the 1.8" is the 1 13/16" well actually 1.8125 but the slots in the nut can be cut wide or narrow depending on your taste. String spacing being the same at the bridge kinda surprises me! It is almost always wider there because the neck tapers down to the nut. Typically bridge spacing is about 2.25" to 2.375" measured between the high string and the low string. Maybe you should check it again?

Comment by Jud Hair on July 26, 2011 at 2:15pm

@ Mike ... This surprised me.  My Seagull S-6 has a 1.8 inch nut.  My Martin DCPA4 has a 1.75 inch nut.  I recently found out that the string spacing at the nut and at the bridge is exactly the same on both guitars.  The only difference was that the Seagull gave me a little more room on each edge of the fretboard before I pushed the string off.

Comment by Mike Nepper on July 26, 2011 at 11:16am

Lately, I have been playing a Taylor 12-fret (GC) body with a short (24 7/8") scale. Playing a short scale is probably the best thing I could have done for my continued playing and musical growth. It has allowed me to grab chords and stretches previously impossible for me. I am revisiting unfinished arrangements and songs I had to give up on simply because I couldn't make the stretch! I highly recommend this for anyone with small or arthritic hands. I am also looking at string spacing closely. It seems that a standard 1 3/4" nut width like my Taylor, is a bit tight for my fat finger tips. I have tried a couple 1 13/16" guitars that work quite well for me. Although 1 7/8" is a little too wide.

Comment by Mike Nepper on March 1, 2011 at 7:27pm

Ok, so this is my tip for avoiding pain. Sit straight up in an armless chair and hold the instrument so that you don't actually have to "hold" it. It should pretty much stay vertically on your right or left leg with the neck at an up angle, with the body maybe just resting lightly against your chest. You may want to put your chosen guitar leg up on a footrest. Try not to squeeze the guitar body against your chest with your picking forearm. It should just be lightly resting there with your picking hand not touching the guitar body at all, and a slight comfortable bend at the wrist. Also, your fretting hand should be at a comfortable right angle to the neck with as little stress as possible. If you have developed bad habits and you are having pain like I was for years, you may find this difficult at first. But, with time you will realize a big improvement in your playing and tone production. Playing guitar should be fun, not painful!

Also, try not to play for hours on end - take breaks every 15 - 20 minutes. Get up and stretch and breathe for 5 - 10 minutes and think about what you are working on. Take small sections of a piece, maybe just 2 or 3 measures and play them SLOWLY till you perfiect it before you build speed, and then move on to the next section. Keep reminding yourself to keep the tension out of your hands and arms and shoulders - focus, breathe and stay relaxed! Good luck!

Comment by eugene oppong kyekyeku on January 12, 2011 at 12:41pm

BACKACHES: i had backaches from sitting a playing guitar

(guitar is on my right lap).... finally i realise that letting the instrument go for a month would help a lot and it did but most importantly picking it again ,i realised new ideas were flowing..sometimes i think one needs a break with the intention of coming to improve.

Comment by Patrick Smith on November 29, 2010 at 8:10pm

As far as injury & discomfort I wrote a blog post on this a while back. I had a nasty case of tendinitis in my left wrist and worked with various modalities. You can view here I is for ?

Comment by Ed Mehollin on November 29, 2010 at 8:01pm

I have had discomfort from time to time but usually from mousing on the PC too much. One thing I found helpful was a neoprene wrist band I got from WalMart a few years ago. It is about 1.5 inches wide and has magnets in it. Closes with Velcro.

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