Changing strings and staying in tune

I know this might appear to be stating the bleeding obvious, but do you really know how to re-string your guitar just before a gig and be confident that you're not going to have horrendous tuning problems?

I was very dismissive of this information which I found browsing through a guitar book in the library whilst waiting for somebody - seeing as how I'd already been playing guitar about 25 years at this point!

The main thing is to make sure the string does not slip at the machine head. So thread it properly so this just can't happen.

1. Thread the string through the hole:

2. After coming through the hole, wind the string halfway round the post and pass under the longer part of the string. Clockwise for the three bass strings; counterclockwise for the treble strings

3. Bend the short end back over the longer part and then wind the string on with the machine head, taking care to keep it below the previous turn.

4. Tune the string up to pitch, preferably with the aid of a tuner.

Now there is a lot of natural slack that has to be taken up before you can bend strings without fear of the string slipping. So..

5. Bend the string with your left hand and press the string down with your right. The string will slip.

6. Retune to pitch and repeat the bending process as many times as is necessary for the tuner to read the same before and after your assault on the instrument.

N.B. Don't overdo it! Once it stays put when you have bent the string, don't keep doing it, because the string can actually go sharp as it contracts on its own!

Capos - staying in tune

Are you in tune until you put that durn capo on? My fifth tuned 12 string especially sounds hideous if it's out of tune, which happens frequently after you fit a capo.

You then have to spend valuable audience attention-span (usually none) time retuning and doing your nerves in to boot!

I use a Shubb capo (one of those little dinky cam ones) which has a well defined rubber pad, but this should work with most types:-

Place the capo accurately ON the metal fret wire itself. You'll then eliminate those unwanted string bending qualities.

N.B. Don't go too far over the fret or you'll damp the strings!

• Have a look at the excellent instructions below, which were emailed to me by Pete Jennings who was rushing about distributing leaflets about this - spreading the word like a new gospel!

Capo - Preserving Tone & Tuning

Placing a capo on an instrument is a very delicate thing and should be done with great care. Too many musicians are unaware of this, resulting in 1) muffled tone or 2) bad tuning. These two conflict with each other and the quest is to find the optimal compromise. On stage there is no time to retune. Let's take a closer look on how a capo works:


This placement, behind the fret, bends the strings over the fret. The strings are pressed down against the fret all the time - even when they vibrate. This makes the fret work as a nut. The tone is preserved, but the tuning suffers since the strings are bent. The farther away from the fret you place the capo, the more you have to bend the strings to prevent them from buzzing against the fret.


Now line up the edge of the capo along the top of the fret. The fret itself and the stiffness of the strings will prevent the capo from bending the strings. The tuning is preserved, but instead the strings are pressed into the soft pad resulting in muffled tone.


Now tighten the capo harder - hard enough to bend the strings just a little over the fret. This will preserve both tone and tuning. As the strings dig into the pad, the edge of the pad will be stopped by the fret. This prevents the capo from being pressed down too far.

Link to more info about capos

Detachable banjo 5th string capo

I thought until recently that the only way to capo the 5th string on a 5 string banjo was to use one of these Shubb slider capos...

However, having just bought a Gibson Mastertone and not wanting to drill holes in the precious instrument (and not wanting this clunky bit of hardware in my face all the time!), I had a look to see if there was an alternative.

Below is what I found on ebay. You can buy them for about £12.50 each and are only (as far as I know) available from one guy. Click here to go to his ebay items for sale. They are not always there, but they do appear from time to time so check back.

Much to my surprise it doesn't scratch or harm the banjo in any way as there is only elastic in contact with the back of the neck. It is easy to put on and take off.. no more hassle than the Shubb slider variety.

The only worry is that it's so small that you might end up losing it or worse still - forgetting to take it to a gig. That's why I bought a spare just to leave in the case. Can you imagine forgetting it, having to retune your 5th string instead of capoing it and trying to figure out the new fingering as you go along?... oh God no!

Tunings

Guitar tunings can make life very interesting when you want to find something a bit different. Move the goal posts and you can inadvertantly score with ease. Your ears may be more creative when your hands don't know where to go!

I used to change tuning nearly every number and many of the songs and instrumentals that I have done would have been impossible without their special tuning.

Basically you can tune the guitar to whatever notes you like. You are only limited by the gauge of the string. Too low and the string flaps about. Too high and ptang!!

The strings of a guitar are numbered 1-6 from the top to the bottom. The notes of the tunings go from bottom to top (just to be awkward).

So.. one of the most common tunings (DADGAD) goes like this:-

6th = D, 5th = A, 4th = D, 3rd = G, 2nd = A, 1st = D

Here are one or two weird ones I have made use of over the years:

FACACE (I Don't Know)
GCDGBD (Foxtrot)
DAC#AC#E (Can You Tell Me)
GADGBE (Autumn Love Skip)
DADGAE (Let Me Sing You Psalms)
DADF#BF# (The Last Girl)
GCDGBD (Five Knuckle Shuffle)
GADGBD (You I Love You)
EAE<lowB>BE, EAEEBE (Nose rag)
EABEBE (Jitterbug)
DADGCE (Long Way Back)

from Harry Bogdanovs reputedly originating with Dave Evans (remember him from the 70's?): CGCGCD

and of course my 12 string fifths tuning, which I have never seen anyone else use:
G#/C#/C#/F#/F#/B/B/E/D#/G#/G#/C# (more on this)

One word of warning though - if you do use different tunings, it might sound beautiful when you write it but sound hideous when you're under pressure and can't get the thing in tune onstage!

Tuners

I've found the best type are chromatic tuners with a VU meter (a real one not just a graphic display of one) and a built in microphone.
Some guitar tuners only tune to the notes of the guitar when in standard tuning - this is very limited. A chromatic tuner will let you tune to any note you like.
The metering on many tuners may not be fine enough because of their limited LED (light) displays. They can't tell you the whole story although they'll point you in the right direction. A VU meter (needle on a scale) shows your tuning precisely.
A built in mike is a must for acoustic guitarists particularly - you just switch 'em on and play - although there should be a jack socket to plug a lead into if you are tuning in a noisy environment.

I've had many tuners over the years but I keep going back to my first one which I bought about 20 years ago - A Boss TU-12, which was still available last time I looked - although not cheap. Also having just got a handheld computer which I always have with me, I found Phontuner for it which is very cheap, works a treat and cuts down the 'where's the tuner' hunting time.

Finally, a word of warning! Don't let the tuner take over from your ears. Always try to tune by ear and use your tuner just to help you out.

Cleaning clean strings

It's always a good idea to wipe your strings down after playing, especially after a sweaty gig.

Bet you haven't thought of wiping new ones though!

There's a thin oily coating (somehow left by the manufacturing process) on the plain strings, and mainly on 10's and around that gauge. Sometimes it takes quite a lot of wiping before the rag stays clean, but your guitar will feel and sound better for it around the top end.

Fingernails - using ping pong balls

Fingernails have always been a problem for guitar players! I personally use three fingerpicks (but no thumb pick!) which many people find cumbersome.

A friend told me that John Renbourn uses ping pong balls to make false nails with - and then showed me his own handy work(!)

All you do is get some 3 star table tennis balls and cut new nails to fit as precisely as possible under your existing nail. Have your own nails short but not too short, and after you have shaped the material, glue the base of the false nail to the underside of your existing nail with superglue.

When they've worn out you can just peel them off and start all over again!

Hammer off, get 2 notes

This is a Gordon Giltrap trick, and is the secret of how Gordon appears to get two notes for the price of one when he twiddles.

If you grow your fingernails on your left hand to be exactly in line with the tips of your fingers instead of cutting them back short (like most serious guitar players do!), then you will be able to produce an extra plucked note with the fingernails on your left hand as you hammer off. In this way you can get some very rhythmic things happening like Gordon does.

The only thing to remember is that you must attend to your nails on your left hand fairly frequently in order to keep them the desired length - otherwise you'll have difficulty fretting anything at all!

String noise on recordings

The scraping noise from sliding up and down the guitar strings can get very irritating and a bit over the top on recordings where you have lots of movement from the fingering hand. It can be further accentuated by the use of a compressor on the recording.

You can minimize this noise by soaking your fingers in hot water.

This makes hard fingertips temporarily soft and means they don't make such a good contact with the windings on the wound guitar strings.

Ah if only Segovia had recorded after doing the washing up...!

String pegs - keeping them down

Most acoustic guitars use plastic pegs to anchor the strings in the holes on the bridge. Unfortunately with the passage of time, the holes and/or the pegs can become worn - the result being that when you tighten the strings to pitch, the pegs rise up and can be very difficult to persuade to stay in their holes!

To correct this, file the bottom of the pegs so that they are bevelled (i.e. at an angle of 45 degrees) instead of straight across.
This will enable the string to slide into the correct position instead of trying to push the peg out.

Scratches - on plastic

Scratch plates are so-called as they are there to protect the front of the guitar from thrash damage from picks. They are not supposed to look scratched. However I have managed to scar a couple of scratch plates deeply in my time, usually by clumsily trying to fit pickups over the sound hole.
It is only plastic and it can be taken down with progressively finer and finer wet and dry paper until the scratch is gone and you are left with a rough area on the plate.
The final magic touch is to use some of this stuff...

Just in case this is not universally known, it is basically metal polish wadding. It is an extremely fine abrasive and works on the plastic scratch plate the same as on silver and brass - by taking some of the surface off.
However it does it so slowly that you do have to keep at it for some time before the shine will come back.
I've even used this on a digital camera's scratched LCD with success!

Scratches - from belt buckles

Not much you can do about scratches from belt buckles except to have the back of the guitar refinished. The best cure is prevention and my own way of doing this is to pull my shirt out of the front of my pants and wrap it round the buckle before playing the guitar standing up. Works for me! Alternatively stop posing and sit down.

12 string tuning confusion

There is a problem having so many machine heads all in a long line and being able to keep track of which one belongs to which string - especially if you're under pressure and you're trying to tune quickly. Lord knows it's hard enough to get the guitar in tune at all without the added complication of turning the wrong machine head and wondering why the string isn't moving.
Rickenbacker had a brilliant design for their 12 string machine head arrangement, which was to put six of them pointing backwards classical fashion and six of them pointing sideways. However, as most of us don't own Rickenbackers we have to think of something else.

One answer which I have come up with is to make the octave (alternate) machine heads look or feel a bit different. You could paint them or file them. In my case, I have 12 mini Grover machine heads on my Taylor and I have replaced the steel buttons (the bit you hold) on six of them with ebony ones which you can buy for about a fiver.

However you do it, this is only the groundwork. You then have to train yourself to actually use the visual and/or tactile indicators, instead of grabbing indiscriminately!

Cuts on playing fingers

Ever had a cut on your finger exactly in the place where you press down the strings? A plaster (or any kind of tape) doesn't work as it gets in the way and will wear out in a matter of minutes.

The only solution I have found is to put a smear of superglue over the cut. I don't suppose it's a great breakthrough in medical science.. but it's practical.

Ever tried to get superglue off your hands when you don't want it there? You can spend days gnawing at your hands to get rid of it. Well - make it work for you and let it mask the cut. Should get you through a gig at least.

Recording acoustic instruments

How do you get acoustic instruments to sound like they do? The answer I've always found is... not much!

People often leap for the EQ (tone controls) when they hear what they have recorded - for lots of different reasons: it could be a bad microphone, or the mike could be in the wrong place, or the instrument isn't so good. Even a bad performance or even boredom can bring about this neurotic habit (like one or two professional sound engineers I've known). This just then adds to the confusion and really doesn't help!

The main thing is to have the right tools for the job. If you have, then the sound of the instrument you are recording should sound right without too much tinkering.

Get as good a microphone as you can afford, experiment with the positioning, and record it flat. Then listen back to it on speakers that do not colour the sound. Good monitoring is the final essential link in this process. I recommend what I use - Mackie HR624 active monitors. Although pricey, they tell you the truth.

All that remains is to get the playing right...

Guitar case accidents

A good way of damaging guitars is to put them in their case temporarily (like at a gig) leaving the case unfastened. Someone then comes along, wants to move the guitar case and picks it up by the handle. Out topples the guitar...

The moral of the story? Always close one of the catches (the middle one) when you put the guitar in its case even for the shortest time.

Order of guitar effects

It's just a matter of trial and error to find out what you find most useful, but the following order worked best for me in the days when I plugged in foot pedals in series:

From the guitar..

1. Compressor

2. Fuzz box/ overdrive

3. Volume/ wah wah pedal

4. Flanger/ chorus/ phaser

5. Delay

6. Reverb

Nowadays I use a Boss GT-8 which is a multi FX unit which has all these sounds and more, which you can chain together in any order you like, producing quite different results by changing that order. For instance in the above chain, if you want to hear each delay being flanged differently you'd change round the delay and flanger positions. With my order you'd hear the effected guitar sound being echoed the same. Depends on what you want and what you like, but for everyday purposes the above order is a good template.

Staying in tune after tuning

Why does the guitar go out of tune after you've tuned it? Usually it's because you've tuned a string down to the correct pitch but there's still some slack left which hasn't been taken up by the string below the nut... until you start playing. This can happen not just with complete retunings but even with the tiniest little adjustments downwards.

It might be because of friction where the string passes through the slot in the nut (this can be helped by lubricating the slot) or it might be due to the winding round the machine head. Who knows?

I've had the habit for many years now of giving the detuned string a little push with the right hand until it's below the note. Then tune it up rather than down. It doesn't take any longer than usual once you get used to it. The right push can be done as you detune with your left, pluck with your right, tune up with your left.

Pitching backing vocals

Sometimes when you are doing harmonies, especially if there are two or more people doing them together, it can be difficult to hit the right note. One of the main things to remember is keep your ears open but don't get dragged away from your note by what the others are singing. Only if you sing your own harmony spot on do you have a chance of getting it sounding right. Everyone else has to do the same thing of course or it will sound like a cat being sawn in half!

You can cheat... if you've got enough tracks you can record each person individually. That way you can concentrate on one tune at once. The down side is that it loses something in the quality and texture. Best to do them together.

The picture on the left shows me doing some difficult backing vocals where I just couldn't get the right note to start on. I used a second pair of headphones from a tuner in my pocket to give me the note (quietly!) and the other pair to give me the track. (If you've got separate foldback you could route the note plus the track to one pair of cans only and the track only to the other singers).

Of course after 300 takes singing the part out of tune and getting the note wrong. you will get to know the part and will eventually be able to dispense with the prompt from the tuner and sing like a lark.

One more thing... use only one ear of your headphones so you can hear your voice live. It's not for volume, it's because headphones can be misleading for pitch sometimes.

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