Greetings fellow guitarists.
I am on a quest to better my guitar abilities in the area of leads and melodies. I have played acoustic rhythm approximately 15 years; however, I have always shied away from the complexities of lead until last year. After purchasing an electric guitar (Yamaha trainer) and a copy of Guitar Scales Method (GSM Software) and Guitar Pro 5, I have not set the guitar down to rest. My goal is to be able to improvise melodies in any key and many modes. After completing the GSM Software (Approx. 3-5 more months) I will be in the market for a new guitar (looking at the Samick Royale Family-RL3, 4, or 5); your suggestions are always welcome. I am looking forward to learning and conversing with you on this site.
Oh ya…I almost forgot. I am learning the leads to Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits) and have broken two strings in just as many days from full bends. Is there a right and wrong way to bend a string? Is there a good string to use for bends; for that matter, which strings are preferred? I remember feeling some grinding between strings and frets while bending when learning other songs; can bends wear frets down and if so, can guitar frets cause premature breakage? If so, how do I repair frets?
Thank you in advance for your insights.
SPORT
Welcome Sport.
First off great song choice. I love Dire Straits.
The bends may be more a guitar problem then something with you. Where do they snap off from? You may need to smooth out the saddle ruts, or the nut. Make it smoother for the strings.
What other styles do you play? That will have a large impact on what your next guitar should be.
Welcome to the bored!
Paul
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
Welcome to GuitarNoise, Sport! We look forward to seeing you around the forums! :D
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"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"
Paul,
Although I didn't notice where the first string broke, the second broke at the 6th fret (1st string).
I'll look into smoothing out the saddle ruts. Is this common only in lower end guitars or across the spectrum of all guitars? I guess I'm asking if saddle ruts are made of different/better materials.
In regards to style, I'm kind of eclectic. I like New Age Classical (Alex Degrassi), Jazz (Doug Markley), and of course Santana & Satriani. I've learned the leads to Shook you all Night Long (AC/DC), Wish you were hear (Pink Floyd), Simple Man and the easy half of Free Bird (so far) (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and several other songs. I've learned a slower rendetion of Nicolo Paganini's Caprice #16. Oh ya, I've also learned the leads to 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' (The Beatles).
I've been told I'm pretty technical when I play...whatever that means :wink:
My hope is to develop a fusion style of Rock/Jazz. this is why I'm looking at the Samick Royale family.
Thanks for the quick reply. I've gotta get some strings, but I'll be back! :lol:
Well if its the sixth fret if might not be the saddles. I assume they're all made of differnet kinds of metal, just might have jagged edges. What about the frets, are they rough? They may be the problem?
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
Paul,
The frets appear smooth to the eye and feel when bending the string. most of the frets are flat on top, probably due to buzz removal from the factory/shop. Just strung a new string (.08). I'll let you know how it works.
:D
Good luck. You may want to buy some bulk single strings if you can find them.
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
Welcome to guitarnoise!
About samicks, they play nicely. I have an old LS-11 that I just fixed up. The only problem is the electronics in mine didn't last long when it was new. Might be a freak case. They do play nicely though
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I mean really...
It's almost always lyrics...
or a cliche...
or garbage about me...
Lets just save YOU from the pain, ok?
Good luck. You may want to buy some bulk single strings if you can find them.
Just bought 4 strings. Running an Ernie Ball 8 at present. and I have 2 D'Addario PL008 and a PL009.
I think I prefer the lighter strings...Weak fingers maybe??? 8)
I think I found the problem...Correct me if I'm wrong. When bending a string using my ring finger I have a tendency to augment the bend by using the middle finger on the next lower fret (same string). This looks like it creates higher stress on the sting as it applies more pressure over the fret. Is this a common method for bending a string or have I picked up a bad habit?
Welcome SPORT!......Check out FRETS.COM.....they have lots of info and pics that will give you a visual that "Off He Goes" was saying about the the angle of the bend in the strings in relation to the nut and/or saddle. I have not tried bends on my new guitar yet but noticed that my strings do look like they bend sharply at the saddle.
Life pushes hard. Push back.
Good luck. You may want to buy some bulk single strings if you can find them.
Just bought 4 strings. Running an Ernie Ball 8 at present. and I have 2 D'Addario PL008 and a PL009.
I think I prefer the lighter strings...Weak fingers maybe??? 8)
I think I found the problem...Correct me if I'm wrong. When bending a string using my ring finger I have a tendency to augment the bend by using the middle finger on the next lower fret (same string). This looks like it creates higher stress on the sting as it applies more pressure over the fret. Is this a common method for bending a string or have I picked up a bad habit?
I really like light strings too, I think it's just more convinent. I'm not sure about your idea, but it seems logically, so it may be the reason, try not doing it for a while, and see how it goes.
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
