Nancy Hart
Well-known member
"Miss Kubelik" (Shirley MacLaine) in The Apartment:
Just send her a fruitcake every Christmas, Boys:

Just send her a fruitcake every Christmas, Boys:
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Use D' Addario J45s. They last the longest and are very reasonably priced. Be very careful if you file out the nut. Keep the nut face flat or you may change intonation. I would suggest not messing with the nut or saddle unless you have an accurate metric ruler. Is your scale 650mm? That is most common. What is the make of your guitar? Is your bridge 6 hole or 12 hole? I have made 6 string nylon string guitars with both 6 and 12 hole. The 6 hole requires more wrapping. The thing about the 12 hole is the break angle is better and less likely to have buzz with a low action. The G string is less likely to slide on the saddle, which is what cause many G strings to sound dull. A 6 hole can be drilled out for 12 hole, but it is tricky and requires a hand made tool. Basically a drill bit on a long aluminum tube.It's not that I've become a GSS (guitar string snob). So far the only thing I can play on this new guitar is 8 bars of Deep River (at the same speed as the river).
It's that the G-string is clunky---it doesn't ring like the others. I learned that this is not uncommon because the 3rd (G) string is the fattest of the nylon strings. Sometimes it does not fit in its groove well. I don't want to start haphazardly filing out wider grooves. Found a whole set, all 6 different from the factory defaults, with a thinner 3rd string. These are also normal tension strings. The factory ones are high tension. The new 3rd string does sound better.
There was considerable apprehension involved in changing my very first guitar string. There are almost as many ways to tie knots as there are YouTube videos. I need to get up the courage to change the others now.
Savarez 510MRP Normal Tension Nylon Guitar String Set
Made in France and cost $16. You can pay as much as $65 for 6 strings, or as little as $5. Some people have tried fishing line.
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What is this "harmonic" thing?... see if the harmonic at the 12th fret is centered over the fret.
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So simplify, if you hold your finger gently touching the string over the 12th fret (no pressing) on the E1 string, then the high sound you get is a harmonic of E. All notes are the same on the 12th fret as the open string note, just an octave higher and the harmonic is just a super high version of the string note, if it is played on at the 12th fret. Harmonic are the chime or bell like notes you hear on some guitar solos. You can also get nice harmonics at the 5th and 7th fret. Some players play entire verses using harmonics. Fun to mess with even just beginning. Search Youtube on how to play harmonics.What is this "harmonic" thing?I Googled it, and they start talking about wave lengths. Am I overthinking it?
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OMG, I was UNDER-thinking! As if a guitar isn't already complicated enough. I'll go off now and try to find some harmonics. Thanks, Faye.So simplify, if you hold your finger gently touching the string over the 12th fret (no pressing) on the E1 string, then the high sound you get is a harmonic of E. All notes are the same on the 12th fret as the open string note, just an octave higher and the harmonic is just a super high version of the string note, if it is played on at the 12th fret. Harmonic are the chime or bell like notes you hear on some guitar solos. You can also get nice harmonics at the 5th and 7th fret. Some players play entire verses using harmonics. Fun to mess with even just beginning. Search Youtube on how to play harmonics.
I think most important is to learn arpeggios fingerpicking. What kind of music do you want to play?
You are closer to fingerpicking than you think. House of the Rising Sun is a good one for learning arpeggios and basic chord switching. Do you know how to read tab? If so I will see if I can dig out some of my old beginners stuff. I Walk the Line is a good simple one to learn bass runs then chords.The "harmonics" are all centered right above the 12th fret on all 6 strings. You sneak up a string toward the fret from either side, and all the sudden it rings out. Like magic!
Get with it, Riley (@Joe Riley)! Pull out your guitar and try it. It's fun.
I like popular music. The guitar should play the melody. No singing. Maybe it's called chord/melody style? I still use a pick. I'm so far away from learning fingerpicking, it's pathetic.
That's How The Cookie Crumbles
That made me think of "Five finger discount"!Thanks @Faye 2.0. I have to go do some pink spackling now. Will study your posts. I think you overestimate my humble abilities. Eight bars of Deep River, does not a guitar player make. They gave me 5 free picks when I bought the guitar and I've lost all but one. When I lose this one I'll tackle finger-picking. It won't be long.