Izzy's Sunday Morning Ramblings

izzyhara
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Sun Jan 24, 2010 5:36 pm

I have gotten some great ideas from you all. BTW I am now a Junior Boarder instead of a "fresh". Guess that means I am not the new girl on the block anymore. And I was so enjoying the boys tripping over each other :laugh:
So after reading all these thoughts, I have dug out my old song book. These are the songs I know really well, and have played for years. I was getting overwhelmed with all the new stuff. And several of you reminded me to keep fresh those things I already know. It is a nice warmup and eliminates the frustrated feelings I often come away with when learning something new. So that was a great reminder, and I really appreciate it.
I will take my acoustic guitar (Breedlove) to my luthier and have a discussion about action and strings. I am pretty certain he has it set up and strung according to the manufacturer's recommendations. But we can talk about what kind of freedom and options I might have. I can't even play it today - my fingers are literally swollen. Think I played too long yesterday. But I also have a classical guitar, so I was able to play that one. The thicker strings are a little more forgiving...
I will stop being lazy and take my capo off when I know I am not coming right back to play. I do generally store my guitars in their cases. I almost have to here, because the climate is so dry. I have little humidifiers for my cases.
I guess the only other thing I struggle with - I have never worked in alternative tunings, and now there are so many songs on TG that use tunings. I appreciate that Neil explained that he always wants us to tune the string down, not up. But does adjusting the tuning (alot) do anything to shorten the life of the strings, or anything else? No wonder rock stars have so many guitars. I am certain I will get better at it with practice, but it's just an odd thing for me. I haven't undertaken the "drip" lesson yet, because I feel like I am constantly tuning for "Never Going Back Again" anyway.
Well, once again, I have too much to say. Thanks for all the guidance today on using the forum. If I commit any forum crimes, make sure you call me on it.
Gonna do a little filming tomorrow... we'll see what happens.


sws626
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Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:35 pm

izzyhara wrote:
... I guess the only other thing I struggle with - I have never worked in alternative tunings, and now there are so many songs on TG that use tunings.....
If you don't have one already, an electronic tuner will make this much less of an ordeal. I say that, but I've just begun working on a song now in an open D tuning for the first time and just leave it that way, which I guess is one way of forcing myself to focus on that one song.
... ... I appreciate that Neil explained that he always wants us to tune the string down, not up. But does adjusting the tuning (alot) do anything to shorten the life of the strings, or anything else? No wonder rock stars have so many guitars. I am certain I will get better at it with practice, but it's just an odd thing for me....
You meant "tune the string up," right? Not down. The string will hold its tension a lot better if tightened rather than loosened, unless I've missed something. Retuning shouldn't affect the life of the strings any more than playing them. Unless, of course, you try to tune to an open E and break a string or two before realizing there's a safer way to get the same result -- you don't need to ask how I know that.
... Gonna do a little filming tomorrow... we'll see what happens.
Looking forward to seeing/hearing it.

-Stuart


BigBear
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Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:43 pm

Chasplaya wrote:
heres the link someone mentioned before: It's Elixir not Taylor, although it may be accessed via taylor.

Chas- the guy is at the Taylor factory, wearing a Taylor shirt, stringing up a brand new Taylor! He is just using Elixir strings and Elixir put it on their website! :cheer:


BigBear
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Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:48 pm

izzyhara wrote:
I will take my acoustic guitar (Breedlove) to my luthier and have a discussion about action and strings.

Izzy- Breedlove is a really nice guitar made in Tumalo, Oregon (now the plant is in Bend). Absolutely beautiful part of this state! I've been to the old plant and they are really dedicated to quality and have really expanded their range and models!

Good choice in guitars! :cheer:


wrench
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Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:53 pm

izzyhara wrote:
But does adjusting the tuning (alot) do anything to shorten the life of the strings, or anything else?
Gotta type fast before the other boys get here. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

The really explicit answer here is: it depends. From a metallurgical perspective the answer is yes, but the real question is whether that occurs within the life of the string on your guitar. In fact, I recall no one commenting here that alternate tunings affected their string life. If you play a set of strings for three years, frequent re-tunings might affect that lifespan. If you play a set of strings for two weeks, it most certainly is not an issue.

Now I believe re-tuning the low E string affects its sound, but that is long story I'll mercifully save for another day.

Dan


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