I just started playing guitar. I usually play an electric guitar without an amp as to not bother other people. But when ever i do this i always hear the strings making unusual sounds when i play. Its like they are vibrating the wrong way against the frets. Does anyone have any pointers so that i can not do this?
Change the action, I believe there's a tutorial on this site about how to do it.
I always hear the strings making unusual sounds when i play. Its like they are vibrating the wrong way against the frets.
Hiya, Randy...
Can ya elaborate a bit???
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
I always hear the strings making unusual sounds when i play. Its like they are vibrating the wrong way against the frets.
Hiya, Randy...
Can ya elaborate a bit???
Cat
Like say, for instance, if you lift a string up and let it go and it just hits the frets and it makes that sound like its vibrating against the metal parts of the fret. Its hard to explain, but i think you can understand
fret buzz -- it has a number of causes, and these can be due to the guitar, the playing technique or both. overplaying -- strumming and picking too hard can cause this. this is a fairly common occurrance when playing an unamplified electric, as the player tends to compensate the lack of volume by playing harder than is optimal for the electric guitar. try playing a bit softer. buzz getting better? that's a clue. now compare your unplugged strumming force to that of amplified. if you are finding a significant difference, that points to the same issue.
in general, the lighter the strings and the lower the action, the more susceptible the guitar will be to fret buzz due to overplaying. this usually means that guitars with low and light "shredder" setups cannot be played as hard as heavier strung and/or higher action guitars.
what if the buzz doesn't get better with lighter playing force? then the guitar may need some adjustment to any of another of areas such as the neck relief (truss rod tension), action (bridge and nut heights) or even some fret leveling. get someone who know something about guitars to check out yours for you. with a quick look and play, an experienced player often can spot the problem. also play for that person to see if maybe your technique is contributing to the issue. could also be your fretting technique.
-=tension & release=-
Hiya, Randy...
I suggest you follow Gnease' directions.
Still...being the dummy that I am...why would you pick up a string and let it go, anyhoo? :?
In (my own) reality...the closer you are to having all sorts of fret noises...the better. This is where the best action (and speed) is lurking. You'll need to play light enough so as not to put that much movement into the strings...starting with the thinnest pick poskibubble. Skate on thin ice, in other words. The thinner the ice (and pick), the better...
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
in general, the lighter the strings and the lower the action, the more susceptible the guitar will be to fret buzz due to overplaying.
Interesting. I'm finding that I get fret buzz a lot more often on the heavier wound strings than on the lighter strings. That may have more to do with the fact that I can't get as much pressure when I reach for those strings (esp. with the pinky). Or maybe my buzzing is being caused by something other than the usual -- poor articulation, perhaps? In any case, it's enough of an issue that I tend to avoid the 6th string when I have a choice.
The bridge should be a little higher on the bass string side. Sounds like it's a bit low and you need to make a small adjustment or two.
A :-)
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I get a funny sound from the D and/or G strings when I play unplugged. Most annoying. When I'm plugged in, no noise. The only time I play unplugged is when it's very quiet in the house. If there is activity in the house, and you play unplugged so as not to disturb others, it kind of works against you because you really can't hear the guitar unless the house is quiet! What to do? Headphones that plug into the amp. Or a Pocket-Rockit... mini amp that plugs into the ax, and uses a set of headphones. I have both, full size headphones that plug into the amp, and a Pocket-Rockit. The problem with the Pocket-Rockit is that it eats batteries (9V).
My headphones. They work great. I love 'em...
It is difficult to answer when one does not understand the question.
You could need some adjustment, but then again, when I play an electric unplugged I tend to really whack the strings so I can hear them and they rattle. For my peace of mind then I don't sweat any noises that don't come through the amp. 8) I think a headphone amp is a great idea. Lots of little practice amps have headphone jacks as well. Heck, some big ones do too. You can get software and gadgets for your computer too and you can play through that at either low volume or with headphones. The bonus with this is you can get recording software (lots of it is free) and record yourself.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
I'm finding that I get fret buzz a lot more often on the heavier wound strings than on the lighter strings.
Use .008's
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
