So I am teaching myself how to play guitar, on a left handed guitar that has 3 steel and 3 nylon strings. It's kind of a cheap guitar, but it should be fine to learn on. I am playing with two different songs I want to learn. The first one is Eyes On Me by Faye Wong, from Final Fantasy VIII. The second is Vincent Valentine's Theme from Final Fantasy VII. (I'm a big FF fanboy lol)
When I play Vincent's Theme, I find myself having to hold the e, B and G strings (the main strings for the intro) down as hard as I can or else the notes come out flat. But that really hurts my fingers, so I can't hold it for very long. When I play Eyes On Me, or any other song for that matter, I don't have the same problem. So, even though no one is here to see me playing, do you think maybe I could be holding the guitar weird to cause that? Or is it just this song and the notes it has? I will add a link to the two tabs I am getting these from, if that helps.
Vincent's Theme
Eyes On Me
Quick n00b question
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Hey southpaw63! Welcome from another lefty here in Ventura, CA.
I have to admit that I am not familiar with the music from FF. I have seen the game, but never played.
You should not have to hold the e, B, G strings that hard. Which strings are they? The nylon, or the steel? Just curious. One thing to watch for is to make sure you have your thumb in good position (something I still struggle with). Getting it in the right position can ease up the pressure a bit. Try placing it in the middle of the neck close to right behind your middle finger. Makes pinching a bit easier.... B)
Also, the guitar might need a little setup work to get it in better shape. Although, if you don't have the same problem while playing other songs, that seems a bit odd. Would be pretty helpful if you shot a little clip of yourself giving it a go so we could see what might be causing your problems.
Cheers,
J
I have to admit that I am not familiar with the music from FF. I have seen the game, but never played.
You should not have to hold the e, B, G strings that hard. Which strings are they? The nylon, or the steel? Just curious. One thing to watch for is to make sure you have your thumb in good position (something I still struggle with). Getting it in the right position can ease up the pressure a bit. Try placing it in the middle of the neck close to right behind your middle finger. Makes pinching a bit easier.... B)
Also, the guitar might need a little setup work to get it in better shape. Although, if you don't have the same problem while playing other songs, that seems a bit odd. Would be pretty helpful if you shot a little clip of yourself giving it a go so we could see what might be causing your problems.
Cheers,
J
Mate, I'm no expert but I seriously doubt that having a mix of steel and nylon is doing you any favours. Having a cheap guitar isn't the issue so much, hey you do what you can and it's great that you are practicing and learning, but I reckon 6 steel strings (or 6 nylon depending on what type of guitar it is) would be a good start. Your fingers are going to hurt if you are just starting out, but give yourself a chance by not mixing the strings.
I don't think you have you a mix of strings, you just have a standard set of nylon strings which has the lowest three (or four) strings wrapped with steel windings. But it is still a nylon string guitar. DO NOT under any circumtances put regular steel strings on that guitar without talking to a guitar shop. The higher tension of the steel strings will destroy an inexpensive guitar.
With any nylong guitar you shouldn't need much pressure to fret the notes. So yes, I suspect you are doing something wrong. Can you take a video of yourself playing and we'll be happy to help if we can.
Just my two cents but teaching yourself to play the guitar is not a great idea. You will develop many bad habits that will be a bear to get rid of later. Do yourself a huge favor and join the TARGET program and spend a good deal of time going thru the Acoustic Genius series which will get you off to a very good start.
Good luck and let us know how we can help you! :cheer:
With any nylong guitar you shouldn't need much pressure to fret the notes. So yes, I suspect you are doing something wrong. Can you take a video of yourself playing and we'll be happy to help if we can.
Just my two cents but teaching yourself to play the guitar is not a great idea. You will develop many bad habits that will be a bear to get rid of later. Do yourself a huge favor and join the TARGET program and spend a good deal of time going thru the Acoustic Genius series which will get you off to a very good start.
Good luck and let us know how we can help you! :cheer:
Hello and welcome southpaw
The strings are good for your guitar, do not change for different as Bear says.
I am helping another noob with the same set up
His first comment to me was "it makes my fingers hurt bad", this was before I saw the guitar, I thought maybe the strings were too far away from the fret board (action too high), it turns out that it was too low and buzzed real bad so that wasn't the cause of the pain.the fret board was wide, this made the stretches harder,but not impossible.
Being new he has no callouses on the ends of his fingers, these need to develop over a few weeks of playing for a short period frequently, gradually increasing the time playing as the discomfort eases, don't hurt your self. getting sore stop, rest start again.
The strings you refer to (e,b,g/ 1 2 3 ) are the nylon ones, which fingers are you using to hold the 3 strings????
A photo or video would help a lot, "says a thousand words"
RicksPick
The strings are good for your guitar, do not change for different as Bear says.
I am helping another noob with the same set up
His first comment to me was "it makes my fingers hurt bad", this was before I saw the guitar, I thought maybe the strings were too far away from the fret board (action too high), it turns out that it was too low and buzzed real bad so that wasn't the cause of the pain.the fret board was wide, this made the stretches harder,but not impossible.
Being new he has no callouses on the ends of his fingers, these need to develop over a few weeks of playing for a short period frequently, gradually increasing the time playing as the discomfort eases, don't hurt your self. getting sore stop, rest start again.
The strings you refer to (e,b,g/ 1 2 3 ) are the nylon ones, which fingers are you using to hold the 3 strings????
A photo or video would help a lot, "says a thousand words"
RicksPick