# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 93
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1842 "2011-07-23T14:43:57Z")
> [@Stauderhorse](#): > > I bought a guitar for the first time about a year ago, figuring I could pick up how to play from the Internet and books. Then school and being busy all the time got in the way, and I’ve been very unmotivated to try learning. I know a couple of chords (G, C, A, D) but have a hard time transitioning from one to the other. I also have the problem that, when I listen to the guitar part on a song, I have trouble translating it into what I’m actually doing. My final problem is that my guitar frequently goes out of tune, but I don’t know when or how much it’s out of tune, because I don’t know how each chord naturally sounds. I bought an electric tuner, but sometimes my playing and strumming sound awful even when the tuning is supposedly right. So I want to learn how to tune by ear. I’ve been meaning to go to an instructor to iron out these initial bumps, but I really can’t afford one right now. > > Any help for a struggling newbie? Well, a couple of things. I don’t mean to pile on, but another human being in the room with you at arms’ length is a really useful thing. Whether that’s an actual ‘teacher’ or just ‘a friend who plays guitar who is willing to act as a mentor in exchange for a good meal and a six-pack’ is up to you. It’s just that your tuning question could be answered very quickly if a fairly good player had your guitar in his hands for a few minutes. The answer could be that you’re not used to tuning, that the guitar needs new strings, that the tuning pegs are shot, that you haven’t sacrificed to Apollo recently… Some things I can suggest on the intarwebs - When playing chords, try starting out by strumming the chord just once, and then taking the full time left to shift to the next chord. Strum the next chord just once, then take the full time to shift to the next chord. In taking that time, figure out what is the best way to move the left hand from the first chord to the second chord. Is there a finger that stays on the same string but changes frets? Is there a finger that stays on the same fret but changes strings? Is there a finger that stays at the same fret on the same string in both chords? Those three things (guide fingers, parallel fingers, pivot fingers, respectively) help tremendously. When strumming chords, the left hand isn’t doing much until the split second when it changes to the next chord. So, get your left hand used to where it needs to go in a longer period of time, and then as you get used to it, shorten that time. Go back and forth between two chords, so that you truly get the notion that going from A to D or from D to A is like walking down the block to the next intersection. I make my students do this exercise all time. Take those two chords, A and D. First, play them like this - |: A | D 😑 |: O | O 😑 (In whole notes - count 1 2 3 4 and strum on the '1’s; take all four beats to shift the left hand.) then |: d d | d d 😑 (In half notes - count 1 2 3 4 and strum on the '1’s and the '3’s; take all two beats to shift the left hand.) then |: l l l l | l l l l 😑 (In quarter notes - count 1 2 3 4 and strum on each number; take the time available between ‘4’ and ‘1’ to shift the left hand.) In terms of ‘the guitar part of a song’, I’m not entirely sure what you mean, so I may be way off in saying this. Still - if the song you are practicing was not performed as a solo guitar piece with strumming chords, then what you are likely working on is an arrangement. The recording may well have had guitar(s), bass, drums, keyboard, vocals, sax,… The recording also may well have used overdubs and/or the best available take. All this by way of saying that what you are playing may be chords that someone felt went with the original recording, but the guitar part on that recording may be a riff that the guitarist invented. You strumming the chords under the riff may not sound like it fits… To further complicate things, the chords you are reading may be simplified. Even if they’re exactly the right chords, the guitarist on the recording may be playing them in a different ‘voicing’, eg. the same chords higher up the neck so that a different note of the chord is on top. I was working on Adele’s ‘Daydreamer’ with an adult beginner student last night, and this was the very issue that came up. In that particular case, the riff is very simple (but effective) and sounds much better than strumming the chords that a publisher printed above the staff. So accept, for the moment, that it is an arrangement, a simplification of the original piece and try to hear how it relates. As you get better as a player, you can improve the arrangement to your tastes, until you get good enough that you’re doing your own arrangements. And my apologies if I misunderstood your remark… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1843 "2011-07-23T17:42:02Z")
**Staud** these guys are all giving great advice - I always recommend youtube searches to see the tons of lesson clips. Tons of luck! Oh and when you get frustrated with chords after a few minutes, take a break and play a cool riff on one string - have a friend show you one for a song you like. Enjoy the groove - groove is MORE important than chords, so rock out a little and have fun. Then back to chords, okay? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1844 "2011-07-23T17:43:44Z")
> [@Clockwork\_Jackal](#): > > Here’s some crappy photos taken with my iPod touch. > > [Ukulele 001 | clockworkjackal | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/clockworkjackal/5957931339) Hey wait - is this the one you want someone to take a look at? This post slipped right past me… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1845 "2011-07-23T23:59:51Z")
Phew, got all my soldering done on the Xavie e rewire. It took me forever because the crap soldering iron I had wasn’t quite powerful enough to solder several wires to the back of the pots in one go, so I soldered 2-3 on the back of each pot, one at a time. I shoulda popped over to Radio Shack and picked up a new solder gun, but wanted to power through and finish. …Aaaaand, it doesn’t work. At all. I haven’t strung the guitar, but my pass/fail first test was to hook a guitar cable to the jack and tap the pickups, click click, to make sure it was worth going further. And in the bridge position of the pickup selector, I get a ton of hum and _both_ pickups seem active. In the middle or neck position, I get nothing. I’ve unwired the tone cap to simplify, no change (although before that in the “hum” position, the tone pots did seem to roll off the click’s and hum’s treble). I’ve used a continuity beeper and I think the switch and wires to same are working correctly, and so are the volume pots. I guess I’ll unwire everything and begin again, first sending a pickup straight to the jack and test, then add a volume pot and test, etc, incrementally. Bah. One quick question: there are two leads (one white, one black) _and_ a shield that come from the pickups. One lead gets sent to ground along with the shield. Does it matter which one? I’ve been using the white lead as “hot”, sending black to ground. ---
**Author:** ![I-VI-ii-V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@I-VI-ii-V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-VI-ii-V)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1846 "2011-07-24T02:03:26Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I make my students do this exercise all time. Take those two chords, A and D. First, play them like this - > > |: A | D 😑 > |: O | O 😑 (In whole notes - count 1 2 3 4 and strum on the '1’s; take all four beats to shift the left hand.) > > then |: d d | d d 😑 (In half notes - count 1 2 3 4 and strum on the '1’s and the '3’s; take all two beats to shift the left hand.) > > then |: l l l l | l l l l 😑 (In quarter notes - count 1 2 3 4 and strum on each number; take the time available between ‘4’ and ‘1’ to shift the left hand.) It is amazing how effective this method is for beginning guitarists. I use this technique with small groups of students when they first learn chords and it doesn’t take long to get them playing more complex patterns. The only thing I would add to **Le Ministre’s** explanation is to play with either a metronome or drum machine and get your foot tapping. 80ish bpm is a good start…slow it down if needed. It is important to hit the 1 when you change chords and you need to internalize the beat to allow you to, as **WordMan** said, groove. And **CookingWithGas** is right on the mark with the study buddy advice. Hopefully someone a little more experienced than you. You know G, C, D, and A. Get E under your fingers and you are ready to play lots and lots of tunes. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1847 "2011-07-24T11:50:50Z")
Squeegee - bummer. I am at a lake - limited connectivity on a smartphone. Your solders sound like the issue? Black for ground sounds right but I _always_ use a wiring diagram from the maker like Duncan or Fender so I don’t have to think about stuff like that. Keep us posted. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1848 "2011-07-24T11:57:29Z")
Squeegee - bummer. I am at a lake - limited connectivity on a smartphone. Your solders sound like the issue? Black for ground sounds right but I _always_ use a wiring diagram from the maker like Duncan or Fender so I don’t have to think about stuff like that. Keep us posted. ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_Jackal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Clockwork\_Jackal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_Jackal)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1849 "2011-07-24T14:41:56Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Hey wait - is this the one you want someone to take a look at? This post slipped right past me… Yep. I spoke with the luthier at the music shop, and he says there’s nothing he can do to it/for it except to restring it and tighten the tuners. He says he doesn’t know how he’d tighten up the fretboard, because it’s made of plastic. I could’ve done all that. He was kinda like, “It’s not worth fixing” So I’m thinking I’m just going to pick it back up when I get back into town and do it myself. Very disappointing. And I’m not too happy with the luthier at the music store either. He was super hard to get ahold of, and had kinda a bad attitude. Wouldn’t recommend them. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1850 "2011-07-24T16:33:08Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > One quick question: there are two leads (one white, one black) _and_ a shield that come from the pickups. One lead gets sent to ground along with the shield. Does it matter which one? I’ve been using the white lead as “hot”, sending black to ground. It doesn’t matter as long as you use the same coloured wire on each pickup. If you wire one the opposite to the other, the pickups will be out of phase with each other, and you’ll discover why that’s a pretty unpopular option. With your wiring problem, I blame the selector. It’s _always_ the selector. Make sure you’ve wired everything properly, then try jiggling the selector around a bit. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1851 "2011-07-24T17:03:28Z")
Try wiring a pickup straight to the jack to see how things work. It’s fun! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1852 "2011-07-25T12:59:51Z")
> [@Clockwork\_Jackal](#): > > Yep. I spoke with the luthier at the music shop, and he says there’s nothing he can do to it/for it except to restring it and tighten the tuners. He says he doesn’t know how he’d tighten up the fretboard, because it’s made of plastic. I could’ve done all that. He was kinda like, “It’s not worth fixing” So I’m thinking I’m just going to pick it back up when I get back into town and do it myself. Very disappointing. And I’m not too happy with the luthier at the music store either. He was super hard to get ahold of, and had kinda a bad attitude. Wouldn’t recommend them. ☹ Okay - I will send a link to the photo to my mom. Hold up for a few days and certainly don’t do anything to it yet. Just because this guy turned his nose up at it doesn’t mean anything - he clearly doesn’t know ukes. Kay was a big brand in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s - true, they made instruments priced to sell inexpensively, but some are very cool. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1853 "2011-07-25T14:29:27Z")
Seriously, Shakester, it’s time to diagram, isolate, and think really hard. A: Diagram what the wiring pattern is. B: Isolate what you’ve changed. C: Analyze what the problems are, and see what’s connected to what. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1854 "2011-07-25T14:43:49Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Seriously, Shakester, it’s time to diagram, isolate, and think really hard. > A: Diagram what the wiring pattern is. > B: Isolate what you’ve changed. > C: Analyze what the problems are, and see what’s connected to what. Fair enough. Sometimes the situation does call for a complete re-think. It isn’t _always_ the selector, I was exaggerating a bit. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1855 "2011-07-25T15:03:33Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > It isn’t _always_ the selector, I was exaggerating a bit. Sometimes the butler did it. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1856 "2011-07-25T15:27:38Z")
Picked up a used Ibanez PF15CE last week (very cool looking deep blue color) for a great price… great sound, intonation nearly perfect, and action feels great… the only problem is that it is REALLY dirty. Been searching around for info on cleaning an acoustic, and there appear to be two main approaches: 1. Guitar polish, clean cloth/diaper/cotton shirt 2. Cloth/diaper/cotton shirt made damp with water, rub and dry immediately I wonder what approach would be best for a guitar with built-up dirt. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1857 "2011-07-25T15:31:36Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Picked up a used Ibanez PF15CE last week (very cool looking deep blue color) for a great price… great sound, intonation nearly perfect, and action feels great… the only problem is that it is REALLY dirty. Been searching around for info on cleaning an acoustic, and there appear to be two main approaches: > > 1. Guitar polish, clean cloth/diaper/cotton shirt > 2. Cloth/diaper/cotton shirt made damp with water, rub and dry immediately > > I wonder what approach would be best for a guitar with built-up dirt. Always better to start with “less is more.” Try a soft damp cloth and lots and lots of elbow grease. If you do try a chemical - even just guitar polish - research it a bit and when you try it, try it on a test area first. But I have yet to encounter grime that you can’t get at with the most basic TLC…the question is whether the stuff on your guitar is more than grime… …oh, and ETA: by the way, congrats; always nice to score a good deal on a guitar you like. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1858 "2011-07-25T15:55:28Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Picked up a used Ibanez PF15CE last week (very cool looking deep blue color) for a great price… great sound, intonation nearly perfect, and action feels great… the only problem is that it is REALLY dirty. Been searching around for info on cleaning an acoustic, and there appear to be two main approaches: > > 1. Guitar polish, clean cloth/diaper/cotton shirt > 2. Cloth/diaper/cotton shirt made damp with water, rub and dry immediately > > I wonder what approach would be best for a guitar with built-up dirt. On the fretboard you can use 0000 steel wool to clean the frets and even the wood itself. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1859 "2011-07-25T19:40:23Z")
Don’t use the wool on the wood unless you know what you’re aiming for. Masking tape between the frets, rub the fretwire smoothly and firmly. As far as Xavie e, it also sounds like it’s time for some circuit testing. Might be a loose ground. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1860 "2011-07-25T21:36:55Z")
> [@Clockwork\_Jackal](#): > > Yep. I spoke with the luthier at the music shop, and he says there’s nothing he can do to it/for it except to restring it and tighten the tuners. He says he doesn’t know how he’d tighten up the fretboard, because it’s made of plastic. I could’ve done all that. He was kinda like, “It’s not worth fixing” So I’m thinking I’m just going to pick it back up when I get back into town and do it myself. Very disappointing. And I’m not too happy with the luthier at the music store either. He was super hard to get ahold of, and had kinda a bad attitude. Wouldn’t recommend them. ☹ Okay - already heard back from the expert, aka Mom: > [@](#): > > This is my second uke question today! It is a very common uke of it’s day and has a plastic fret board and made of plywood. It dates from the 50’s on I believe. It is not worth a repair bill from a luthier but is the kind I would treat to TLC and give to a student. If it plays even with some splits and cracks, it makes a good beginner uke or travel uke that you can knock about. It doesn’t really have any collectible value. Hope this is the information you needed. Similar to the info from the luthier, but with more support. Fix it up and enjoy it - that’s what ukes are for! ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1861 "2011-07-26T02:07:10Z")
Found another! [http://www.drewandsebastian.com/Reviews.html](http://www.drewandsebastian.com/Reviews.html) One telemaster, cost, $2000. This one’s got a compensated bridge. Well, so do I. And I’m not compensating for anything, do you hear me! Drew & Sebastian Avenger. Still can’t find an earlier one than a Malden. So far, found them with a minihum neck, a P90 neck, and variants of standard. The Xaviere is still my favorite… though that Firenze is very tempting. And gorgeous. But still, minihum neck. And the quarter pounder bridge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=92) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172.md?page=94)