'Nother Guitar and Forum Newb

DeliriumTremens · #1 March 31st, 2008

Hello all!

I'm Dee Tee and I'm new to this forum and to playing guitar. I've always wanted to play guitar, but my parents were determined to make me a trumpet player as a child. I stuck with it for a couple of years, but I allowed the onset of braces in the sixth grade to end my already questionable trumpet-playing career. The ill-fated trumpet experience was really my only musical instrument experimentation to date.

A friend in college tried to teach me how to play his acoustic guitar, but I found my insanely small hands to be somewhat prohibitive. He kept telling me that, with practice, my hands would learn to stretch the way they needed and I wouldn't be so clumsy. I didn't really have the time (or initiative) to practice that way in college.

Now, finally, I have the initiative (maybe not always the time) to take up the guitar. I bought my first guitar (a Fender DG-8S) on a whim about two months ago. I practice when I can. I'm trying to put in at least fifteen to thirty minutes at a time, but unfortunately, I sometimes go a couple of days in between practices. All of the memories of the painful, tender finger tips and cramping hands are coming back to me. But, I'm determined to work through it this type.

This forum is great. It's a fabulous wealth of knowledge for the casual learner who is attempting to teach herself. Thanks for all the info! I look forward to learning, playing, and hopefully, contributing to the forum.

si16 · #2 March 31st, 2008

Welcome to the forum DT. Glad you're enjoying the site.

allthumbs · #3 March 31st, 2008

Glad you found us.

DeliriumTremens · #4 April 1st, 2008

Thanks for the welcome guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by allthumbs

Glad you found us.

Me too!

carol m · #5 April 1st, 2008

Hi DT. You'll have lots of fun, support and info here. There are lots of other beginners here too. Welcome

GotDeeBlues · #6 April 1st, 2008

Welcome, DT, have that Fender looked at by a tech to see if the action can be lowered a bit, that will help with the sore fingers and make it a bit easier to play. Good luck.

DeliriumTremens · #7 April 1st, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by GotDeeBlues

Welcome, DT, have that Fender looked at by a tech to see if the action can be lowered a bit, that will help with the sore fingers and make it a bit easier to play. Good luck.

Now, possibly a stupid question here. But, I've heard (and read) references to "lowering the action." What exactly is meant by that? I mean, I've heard that in connection with playability- meaning the lower the action the easier it would be to play (at least in theory). But what does lowering the action actually do to a guitar?

coldethyl · #8 April 1st, 2008

Welcome Dee Tee.

knight46 · #9 April 1st, 2008

Hello DT and welcome to the forum. Lowering the action means to adjust parts of the guitar to make the strings closer to the fretboard. This makes it easier to fret the strings as you don't have a far to push to get a tone.

DeliriumTremens · #10 April 1st, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight46

Lowering the action means to adjust parts of the guitar to make the strings closer to the fretboard. This makes it easier to fret the strings as you don't have a far to push to get a tone.

Ahhh, okay. That makes sense. Always wondered what that meant. Thanks!