Questions tagged [strings]
Flexible material that provides vibrations in string instruments
60
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How to minimize the pain for a beginning guitar student so they won’t give up before they develop calluses?
This is a common problem and solving it will ultimately lead to a much higher success rate for beginning guitar students. So I wanted to share the information here on Music and Theory.
Many of my ...
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How often should I replace the strings on my guitar?
When and why should you replace your guitar strings?
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How does string gauge affect a guitar's sound and playability?
Guitar strings are available in a variety of gauges.
What effect does my choice of string gauge have on the sound of my guitar?
What effect does it have on playability?
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votes
12
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How do I properly stretch my newly strung strings?
I came across this string stretcher device.
It's called The Stretcha.
It claims to properly and evenly stretch new strings and maintain tuning.
I never really made a point to properly stretch ...
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16
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3
answers
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Putting steel strings on a cheap nylon guitar
I was trying to get back into playing guitar. I only took lessons for a few years with a nylon string guitar that was fairly cheap. When I pulled the guitar out of the attic it needed new strings so I ...
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15
answers
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Why shouldn't I put electric guitar strings on my acoustic guitar?
I've always found even the lightest acoustic (bronze) guitar strings to be a bit too heavy to play comfortably. Electric (nickel) guitar strings tend to be lighter. But nobody uses electric strings on ...
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1
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How do I use string gauge tables?
I have seen that string manufacturers publish tables of string gauges and tensions.
For example, this one.
How can I use these to choose a set of strings for my instrument?
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3
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Which strings should I use for DADGAD tuning on my acoustic guitar?
I have recently switched to DADGAD tuning, before that I was using light tension strings ( 12 16 24 32 42 53 ).
But because of DADGAD, to compensate for the lack of tension on the neck, I wanted to ...
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votes
21
answers
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Changing the strings: one by one, or by taking all strings off at one time?
The title says it all. Should I change strings one by one, or take them all at once? Does this matter at all?
If I take all strings off, will it damage my neck in any way, because the pressure is ...
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votes
15
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Coated Strings—Gimmick, or worth the money?
Never used them myself, but I had a friend who used to swear by the plastic-coated strings he bought for his electric to try and help keep them cleaner. While I realize this probably does do ...
Kaji
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4
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Drawbacks to using fine tuners on all violin strings?
I almost never see violins with a fine-tuner on any but the E string.
Is there any drawback to placing and using fine tuners on lower strings? (Other than the need to use strings with loop ends.)
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How do Tape-Wound strings compare to metal Flatwounds?
I recently discovered that the nylon-coated Tape Flatwound strings, which have long been available for Bass, are available now in guitar sets (with plain b and e). How do these compare in tone, scrape ...
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votes
5
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Why does the D string in a guitar breaks so often?
Well... that's about it. D strings (on acoustic nylon guitars at least) break way more often than the others.
I guess there's a physical explanation but I wasn't able to found anything on the Internet....
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5
answers
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Why do lower pitched string instruments have a larger body?
I know that increasing the length of the string will decrease the pitch, but that doesn't explain why the body of a cello is larger than a violin, only longer.
What would be the "problem" with ...
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votes
7
answers
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How does string gauge affect intonation?
I have a problem with intonation adjustment on my g-string on my Epiphone Les Paul. It's correct now but the bridge saddle cannot be adjusted any farther in range.
I need to change strings but I don'...
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11
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How can I stop my electric guitar strings from rusting so quickly?
I suffer from hyperhyrdosis which means my hands sweat quite a lot. The problem is that because of this my electric guitar strings seem to rust quite quickly because of this. Is there anything I can ...
13
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7
answers
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What's the difference between two notes played on strings of different thickness?
I'm working on this piece of music on a sequencer, and I'm trying to emulate the effect of playing the same note on different strings of a guitar, say, an E3 on the 5th fret of the B string and an ...
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2
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String ordering - Top vs bottom?
I've always been dyslexic when it comes to this turn of phrasing - Top strings connote the strings at the top of the fret-board in my mind. Even after years of playing, I sometimes have to wrench it ...
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votes
3
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Guitar Strings have no magnetic properties
I stumbled into Fender copycat electric guitar strings in ebay. (They had Fender packing and print)The price was 1€ per set.Great! I found the most peculiar reason in my life for that price. Three ...
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votes
4
answers
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Problem with choosing the right string gauge - switch from medium to extra light?
I am beginner acoustic guitar player ..
My current guitar' strings are "medium" ,, but I found them hard to play, they make buzzing sound, that's why I hate my guitar now -_- and i'm thinking of ...
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2
votes
5
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14k
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String vs Percussion - What is a Piano?
Online, I have researched what a piano is, and it says it is a percussion instrument. But when you look inside a piano, there are many strings, which are hit to give the piano its noise. Also, you can ...
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2
votes
2
answers
543
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Is there a chance for heavy violin strings to harm the instrument?
Is there anything like that that heavy or other kinds of violin-strings should break down the instrument?
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vote
1
answer
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Tips on how to transcribe string parts from a song by ear
I am a huge fan of ballad type music and want to get better at writing for strings but have not been able to find some scores or transcriptions of songs that I like so I have decided to try ...
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2
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Strings on guitar quickly lose tension
I have a mim fender squire. I'll be playing my guitar and over a short time my string tension loosens. I just put on some new (used) locking tuners and a better bridge. What else can I do to fix this ...
-3
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1
answer
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In one note played on a piano, say C4, what can we say about the phases of the different frequencies heard?
Say C4 is played. There are the harmonics, and then other frequencies of lesser amplitude. Based on how a string vibrates, can we describe a pattern to the phases of these frequencies?
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When tuning a guitar, should you always end with tightening the string rather than loosening it?
I used to have a guitar teacher that said you should always finish tuning each string by tightening/sharpening the string. So for example if the top E is a little sharp, you should turn the peg to ...
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6
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Does leaving a capo on "hurt" the strings?
On occasion I've accidentally left a capo on (overnight). Does this decrease the life of the strings, staying in tune time, hurt the neck, or anything else that's bad?
bobtheowl2
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3
answers
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What's the difference between the "smooth" strings and the "rough" strings?
On my acoustic, the first 4 strings are "rough" - that is they are covered in a type of metal corkscrew. The last 2 strings though are completely smooth, and don't have a corkscrew finish.
Why are ...
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Piano vs Guitar Strings? Tension vs length?
Why do pianos have different length strings, while guitars have the same length strings? According to the guitar, it would seem that the pitch of a string is determined based solely off of tension, ...
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votes
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Does anyone make nylon strings for a standard acoustic guitar (non-classical)?
This may seem crazy, but I really love the sound of nylon strings, and I DO NOT want to buy a classical guitar though.
I was wondering if any manufacturer makes nylon strings for a "normal" acoustic ...
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5
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Why are guitar strings numbered this way and not the other way around?
Considering that pitch goes up from low E to high E through all 6 strings, why is the high E called the 1st and low E the 6th string?
I find it a bit confusing... just curious if there are any ...
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votes
7
answers
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Is it good/bad to play guitar with low tension string?
When I started playing my acoustic(at an early age) I tuned the guitar just by matching notes. Like, matching the note of 5th fret of 6th string to open fret of 5th string and so on.
I didn't used any ...
- 1,702
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votes
1
answer
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Flat-wound vs round-wound strings
What difference can you expect when playing with flat-wound vs round-wound strings on an electric bass/guitar?
I know that they feel different - I am asking explicitly in terms of sound.
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3
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Can I split guitar string gauges?
I want to know if I can split guitar string gauges, ie. using 12s on the bottom and 10s on the top, both for standard and drop tunings.
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7
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Can I use nylon with steel string guitar?
I was wondering if it possible to put nylon strings on a steel string guitar.
Is it possible? If not why?
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Restringing a 12-string guitar with heavier strings - is it possible?
I'm considering using a 12-string guitar I don't play all that much as a testbed: Is it possible to restring an acoustic guitar as a baritone guitar, or even just string it so I can tune it down a few ...
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Beginner replacing guitar strings
I am a beginner at playing the guitar, so I recently bought myself one and then managed to break a string whilst trying to tune it. After getting over the initial disappointment, I have ordered some ...
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3
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Buying nicer violin Strings
I have been playing violin for a little more than a year now and plan to continue playing. I play for about 20-30 minutes a day.
I want my new strings to make a marked difference in the sound of my ...
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votes
3
answers
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Which strings do I need to play these notes?
I have been looking into creating the sound of a rainbow, (having taken four proposed ranges for each colour band, translating Terahertz to Hertz and taking the mean average mid-points of each colour ...
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votes
6
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Upgrading from 0.009 to 0.010 string gauge. Do I have to do a guitar setup?
I usually use the lightest gauge d'Addario's. And I've been thinking about trying out slinky 10 gauge strings on my guitar.
I understand the differences in sound and playability about installing ...
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2
answers
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Is it normal for new bought ukeleles to be out of tune every few minutes?
I've bought a new ukelele and it's been quite a while since I've last held a musical instrument (a year, maybe), so it might be possible that I'm just quite rusty with toning a guitar/ukelele.
I ...
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1
answer
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Microdynamics of bow rosin and strings
Discussion in comments here questions whether the rosin on bow hairs changes physical characteristics in the course of stimulating vibration in a string.
Consensus seems to be that: the physical ...
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2
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Notation for spiccato?
An older revision of Wikipedia article on Spiccato has an image showing what looks like a staccatissimo, with the caption "Notation for spiccato."
I question that—it may be that strings can use ...
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4
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How to keep guitar strings from breaking so quickly?
I have a takamine g350 acoustic-electric guitar (not that it really matters for this quesiton), and my strings tend to break every two or three weeks. I do like to experiment with different tunings, ...
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4
votes
1
answer
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How can I prevent loss of tuning when changing strings set from 0.11 to 0.12?
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Custom and it's tuned in standard C and my playing style is mostly Desert Rock. I'm using a set of 0.12 strings and considering changing to a 0.11 set to have less tension ...
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2
answers
3k
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Floyd Rose in Standard Tuning with .011 gauge strings
I have always played with medium to heavy gauge strings in standard tuning. I got used to that feel while in school for Jazz Studies and have stuck with it ever since.
I'm interested in learning ...
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1
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Why are violin string so expensive?
What exactly is about violin strings that make them so expensive in comparison to guitar strings? Is there something about the manufacturing process that is just more expensive?
Does it have ...
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5
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Difficulty tuning in Drop D
I went to a guitar shop yesterday to buy a new set of strings and had them replace my old ones. The guitar sounds fine like the usual eadgbe sound but when I tried tuning it to drop D using a guitar ...
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2
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Best way to practice difficult runs
Runs are very common in music; a typical run is a sequence of quick, short, slurred (not always) notes that either ascend or descend and often involve multiple shifts.
The approaches
I've learned a ...
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Are there any special strings for half-scale-length (nut to bridge) electric guitars?
I have bought a cheap Burwood childrens (?) electric guitar, but it goes out of tune VERY easily (all the time!); the tension in the strings seems to be way too slack when tuned in same way as normal ...
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