What You Should Know About Guitar Strings
Generally speaking there are two types of guitar strings that are made.
Steel – used on electric and acoustic guitars
Nylon – primarily used on classical and flamenco guitars
Guitar strings are normally wound with either type of nickel, brass, or copper alloy. On most standard set of strings for an electric guitar, the 1st – 3rd string is usually unwound, but the 4th – 6th string is wound. Each individual string is of a different thickness, and they each have a specific note to be tuned to. The 12 string guitar is the alternative to this, because they have 12 strings to tune instead of six.
Electric guitar strings that are wound are created by rolling a string made of white metal around a centrally located string. The different types of material used for wrapping around the central string depend on the durability and tone wanted by the musician. Typically you will find that an electric guitar uses a nickel or nickel alloy material.
The thickness of the string is referred to as the gauge of the string. The guitar string is measured by fractions of an inch.
Light Gauge String
(.008 – .038) (.009 – .042) (.009 – .046) (.010 – .046)
Easier to push down, and you will be able to bend them without any problem.
Allow you to be able to play much faster
Do not hold their tune very well
Have very little sustain
Produce very little volume
Not good for lower tunings
Heavy Gauge Strings
(.011 – .050) (.010 – .052) (.012 – .052) (.013 – .056)
Heavier gauged strings are preferred by many of todays guitarists because of the tone and the feel of them.
Good for guitar players that prefer to have their guitars tuned down lower than standard (drop D, drop C, drop B etc.).
Will hold their sustain much longer in the drop tunings
Why Your Strings Break
As annoying as it is, you will have guitar strings break on you, and there are many reasons for this to happen. Here are the four main reasons that you may experience this problem:
Aggressive Playing
- This happens to be the most common reason for breaking strings
- No doubt, you will get so deep into your jam session, that you will tend to strum a little to hard with your pick and snap a string. Unfortunately there is no way to fix this problem other than change your playing style, but I don’t recommend that at all.
Old Strings
- Over time your guitar strings will loose their elasticity simply from the constant stress that is put on your strings.
- If you have not played or changed your strings in a long time, they will rust over, and become very susceptible to breaking.
Over tuning
- This simply means that when you are tuning your guitar, you may wind the tuning pegs to high, resulting in a broken string.
- Because this could very easily happen, it is wise to tune your guitar with the strings facing away from you.
Sharp Objects
- You may find sharp areas on the guitar that are capable of breaking a guitar string. These areas include but are not limited to: The bridge, the nut, tuning peg.
Guitar strings are the heart and soul of any guitar. Without them, there would be no possible way to create sound. To get the best sound out of your guitar, you should change your strings on a regular basis. This is an easy way to experiment and try out different gauges to see what tone fits your style.
A Beginners Pick: Choosing the Best Guitar for Learning
So you ask, what would be the most appropriate and best type of guitar to use and prove your skills on being an artist someday? Would that be the bass or electric? The answer is within you.
Try to ask yourself what suits your taste for music. Are you the moody type? An alternative type perhaps? Are you more on the jazzier side or just plainly characterized by the Spanish feel? Choosing depends on the kind of music you listen to or appreciate.
Every beginner has some confusion in selecting the finest guitar they could posses. The difficulty in purchasing a guitar is as difficult as deciding who is hotter, Angelina Jolie or Jessica Alba? To get over with the hassle, below are some tips on picking the best type of guitar that would fit your desire for melody and tune:
1. Reflect on your music. This matters a lot. This is all that matters. In fact, it is the music that we listen to that influences us to play something. When you hear the strumming of a guitar, do you consider yourself listening to the lighter side of things or more on the hard core part? The music that you listen to is the very basis of your choice.
2. Check your budget. How much would it cost? Is it worth the savings? Try to question your better judgment on how to determine a cheap yet good guitar. If you have a limited amount on your hand, go with the one that matches your money. Don’t settle with something you love yet the price isn’t that friendly. But if you saw something that made your heart melt, and you’d really, really, really like to have it, ask someone who works inside, a saleslady, perhaps, who could help you work out on something, like paying for it on an installment basis. Good communication results in better understanding.
3. Decide on the type of features that your guitar would have. Once you have gathered your resources, specifically financial resources, it’s time for you to get your hands on that guitar you’ve set your eyes for months. With a wide variety of guitars nowadays it’s hard to determine whether you have made a good choice, from electric to bass, acoustic to classical, and so much more to choose from. Most beginners elaborate more on the tune, while others side with the style.
Still, if you can’t decide between two great choices, have a friend who is adept on playing a guitar accompany you and let him determine which one would be more appropriate. Never be secluded on your decisions.
4. Choose between acoustic or electric. There are two sides when choosing which is which. The pros and the cons are oftentimes weighed. Compared to an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar is easier to operate but is more complicated with all those strings attached and buttons to push. Once you play an electric guitar, you need to buy other equipments like an amplifier, cable and pick.
The only disadvantage with an acoustic guitar is that it is harder to manipulate than that of the electric guitar. Aside from that, it is the most advisable type of guitar to play with. No picks needed. You can play with it just by strumming the tip of your fingers on its strings. And, it’s cheaper than an electric guitar.
Now that you have your options, start deciding on what you think will suite you. Choosing is not difficult but you have to consider a lot of principles.
