Keen to Learn

toxicity · #1 November 13th, 2005

Hi everyone,

I joined the forum not long ago, but haven't posted anything so I guess it is time. My name is Zoran I'm 23 years old and live in Sydney Australia. I started playing the guitar a couple of weeks ago. I have a decent acoustic Yamaha that I bought about 3-4 years ago and never played it, apart from the first week when I got it. But now I have decided to take it out for good.

I also have a stack of magazines of "Play Guitar" a British print that I bought at the time. They came with Cd's, and I started learning from them. They are more arranged to play with a backing track but none the less quite valuable. Then i found this site and I fell in love with the acoustic solos that Kirk presented in his lesson. So then came the natural: "grow those nails"... and for the last few days I've been playing longer then even last week.

First I would like to know if its appropriate for me to start straight with the lessons even though I have only played the guitar for two weeks. Any suggestions on what I should do first. I started learning "Here There 1" yesterday and honestly it was a nightmare at first. Couldn't do anything right. But already today I it sounds more decent... Thank God.

Another thing I would like to know is the recommended length of the nails? I'm not so keen on having long nails as i am a computer engineer and need to work the keyboard as well. Plus some of my mates are already commenting on their length. What are your suggestions in regards to this?

Thanks

6string · #2 November 13th, 2005

I keep my nails as short as possible, its just my personal preference. Trying to maintain them at any other length would send me over the edge (a short journey for sure)
For me the end justifies the means, I'm satisfied with the sound as opposed to nails on string.

allthumbs · #3 November 13th, 2005

I hear what your saying 6string and am still struggling with nail length. I am a lazy son of a gun and let them grow way to long. A lot of players grow them long enough so they can use a combination of flesh and nails. That way,if you break a nail on the strings,something I do at least once a month,then you can keep playing without feeling uncomfortable. Playing with just fingers is fine. I found that I got to the point where I was missing the clarity of tone that could be gotten with a hard surface like nails. I guess it is a matter of taste,do what sounds good to your ears and makes you happy.
Hi toxcity. Glad to see you change from a lurker to a poster. If your guitar has sat in a closet for a few years unplayed, it would be wise to have it set up again. Leaving a guitar unplayed for a long time with the strings tuned to pitch tends to pull up the bridge which makes the strings sit high over the fretboard. Hold your guitar body up to eye level and look at the bridge.,if it bulges up or the back tilts towards the neck, it may need to be shaved down. It could be fine,but it's best to check. Nothing worse than trying to play a guitar that is poorly set up. Check the string hight. The 6th string should be 3mm high at the 12 fret and the first should be 2mm at the same fret. That is a general rule of thumb for string hight. Experienced players may tweak it either way. Mine are higher so I can play slide too.
I would suggest going over the guitar basics lessons on the intro page in the red banner then start with some of the easier lessons. Good luck. Don't hesitate to ask questions. There are good folks here willing to share their knowledge and experiences.

toxicity · #4 November 14th, 2005

Thanks for the info guys.

Althumbs, I've checked the bridge but wasn't too sure which way to look at the bridge but which ever way I turned the guitar I could not notice any bulge or tilt. For the string height its exactly as you pointed out 3mm for the 6th string and 2mm for the 1st.

What I really need to do is change the strings. Funny enough even though I have the same strings that the guitar came with I would have expected them to lose their tone by now but they seem to sound fine. I think I might stick with them a little while longer until my first month is over and then change them.

allthumbs · #5 November 14th, 2005

Outstanding

. Strings go dead with wear from the oils and skin particles from your hands so if your not playing much then your strings last longer. It is also influenced by your own body chemistry. Some people like me,darn it,kill strings in 3 weeks while others take 3 months or more to get to the same point. When your in the early learning stages of playing,fresh strings are not as important since your spending most of your time on the basics of playing. As time goes on, You will become more and more aware of the elusive tone that you crave to hear. Then everything about strings and other aspects of guitar become more and more important.
Glad your all sorted out and ready to rock and roll

Kirk Lorange · #6 November 15th, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by toxicity

Another thing I would like to know is the recommended length of the nails? I'm not so keen on having long nails as i am a computer engineer and need to work the keyboard as well. Plus some of my mates are already commenting on their length. What are your suggestions in regards to this?

Thanks

Here's a picture of my current paw ... I try to keep my nails about this length, I file them religiously on a daily basis, just a light file (in one direction only) ... and hope for the best. When one does break or crack, it's a real drag. I file it down to get rid of the damage, then usually file the others to match. Sometimes I wind up with just the fleshy tips of my fingers, but I find that if I do file them lightly on a daily basis, they stay strong and healthy.

toxicity · #7 November 16th, 2005

Thanks for the photo Kirk. I thought you would have had them longer, but this length is bearable even for me. I saw one of Peter Vogl's demonstration videos and his nails were really long. I don't think I could ever stand having them that long.

Thank again for the insight Kirk.

Kirk Lorange · #8 November 17th, 2005

I seem to remember that the advice they give classical guitarists is to just have them visible above the fingertip when looking at the palm of your hand. If you let them grow really long, I think it would make it impossible to play when one breaks ... and they do break. If they're short to begin with, you don't miss them all that much when it happens. But you do miss them!

Dan Carey · #9 November 17th, 2005

And don't forget that for those of us with paper nails, there's always fingerpicks.
I use ProPik Fingertone picks on my fingers and Fred Kelley Speedpicks for my thumb.

I trashed my hands in a motorcycle accident in 1981 and damaged the area where the nails grow. There's nothing I can do to get them strong so I had to compromise. It was tough at first but thanks to some input from from the likes of Doyle Dykes and Pat Kirtley I discovered this combination that works for me.
Don't be afraid to experiment.
Dan