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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
 Posted - 01/15/2007 : 5:29:43 PM
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I hope you enjoy the reality show title :)
Ok this is post 100, I wanted to wait until I had something non-trivial to ask. Hopefully I am not ending a really great trend.
Here goes.
I play guitar about three hours a day (because I like to) and my finger tip calouses have been getting very thick and are deeply grooved.
The grooves have become semi-permanent and are causing problems. Sometimes I have sensititity in the grooves but my biggest problem is that I can't play some passages consistently because my grooves snag on the strings.
An example: while playing Moe 'Uhane my finger tip grooves are making the push/pull offs very problematic.
Lately I have had to resort to parking my guitars. I am messing around with my bottleneck to fill the void, but hey, it's not slack key--know what I mean Vern?
This could be a common problem for those members that play a lot.
My question is:
How can I minimize or eliminate this problem?
And no, I do not want to stop playing guiar.
Advanced Thanks to all
Bob
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 03:45:39 AM
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My experience, Bob, is that I don?t really need quite all the callous buildup, so what I do is take a nail file, one of those foam-core flexible kind, and gently buff down my callouses to reduce the groove and any rough edges, which do indeed snag up on those hammer-on/pull-offs, I haven?t suffered from too little callous as a result of smoothing them out.
aloha,
Sarah |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 05:08:18 AM
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| I have also filed a callous in order to smooth it out. Longer term, though, I think that deep grooves are likely the result of pressing down too hard. Perhaps your action is higher than it should be? Can you play with a lighter touch? |
Andy |
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Podagee57
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 07:45:55 AM
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| I'm with Andy on this one. My first guitar was a 12 string...and not a real good one. The action was high and the strings hard to push down. It really retarded my progress as a player because it was too hard to push the strings down beyond the 3rd fret. That was 30 some years ago. As a consequence, to this day, I have a tendency to push really hard on the strings. Even though I have a guitars with very easy action, I still, because of that first guitar, push too hard. Examine why it is that you have to push so hard. Is it because you can't get a clean sound unless you do? If so then consider getting an adjustment on the guitar to lower the action. If not, try to make a concerted effort to be aware of the amount of pressure you are applying and try to lighten up a bit. Sometimes when I find myself pushing so hard I have to tell myself to ease up. Experiment and see just how little pressure you have to apply and still get a clean sound. It will help you figure out if it's just you or the guitar, or maybe a combination of both. |
What? You mean high "E" is the TOP string. No way dude! That changes everything! |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 1:18:21 PM
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I may be using excessive pressure and I will pay more attention to it now.
As far as action goes, my guitars are at the hight side of normal measuring approx 3/32 at the 12th fret.
I cannot get my action really low because of buzzing and I have played around with both neck relief and string hight.
In my electric days, my action was really low because the buzzing didn't show up through a distorted amp. Wish I could set it that low on acoustic.
Action is one of those things that drives me crazy. I want it lower but can't get there with any of my acoustics.
Medium or light/medium strings have also been a tough adjustment for me coming from nylon.
I will try filing my callus and playing with a lighter touch.
Thanks for the two good suggestions.
Bob
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Reid
Ha`aha`a
Andorra
1526 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 1:43:59 PM
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The Taylor spec is a good one for fingerstyle: 4/64 at the 12th, 1st string; 6/64 at the 12th, 6th string, as I remember. That's what all 9 of ours are. Unless you are a gorilla, you have a kind of Bluegrass action height, if your measurement is of the 1st string.
If you come from nylon (which also has a high action because of the string requirements) go for lights, get a good tech to set up your guitar (usually it is a high saddle, or bad neck set for the kind of music you are playing, or just the wrong guitar).
Also, work on your right hand ergonomics - are you plucking *up*? If so, guaranteed to be bad buzz. Read a bit about tone production.
It is the guitar's job to produce a loud and pleasing sound. It is up to you to find that guitar and make it happen.
...Reid
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2007 : 5:40:54 PM
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Reid:
String height was from the 12th fret 6th string and both of my steel string guitars are about the same. They are closer to 7/64.
Thanks for making me aware of the up-stoke.
Bob |
Bob |
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RWD
`Olu`olu
USA
850 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2007 : 5:37:41 PM
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A note to Sarah and Andy:
The callus filing worked. My fingers are a little tender from playing now but they are not deeply grooved or snaging the strings anymore.
I thought this was going to be a really bad problem.
Thank you both.
Bob |
Bob |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2007 : 7:24:07 PM
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| Excellent. Glad that it worked for you. |
Andy |
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Sarah
`Olu`olu
571 Posts |
Posted - 01/23/2007 : 04:39:28 AM
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Great, Bob. Happy fretting!
aloha,
Sarah |
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