MORE about guitars FOR BEGINNERS - more info coming soon

So let's explore what we know (or don't know) about guitar strings.  Well !! my friends they can be a little like the size and shape of people.  Either thin (light weight/gauge) or thick (heavy weight/gauge).   

The Basic Types Are:  Unwound (solid round metal), Wound (wrapped around a solid core), Flat Wound (wrapped around a solid core), and Nylon.   The wound strings are normally referred to as either "Roundwound" or "Flatwound".  The solid metal core of wound strings can be either round in shape or hex depending on the brand / manufacturer.  

The termination end of the string that connects to the bridge (saddle) or (lands near the bridge) is typically one of four types/designs:  

the common ball / ring , or the bullet, loop and straight.  Straight terminations are typically  utilized on a classical guitar.  The string termination type depends on the guitar design and manufacturer.  

NOTE:  The Fender Stratocaster shown in the adjacent diagram utilizes a bullet type string termination that feeds through the holes from the backside of the guitar (while the string rides across the topside of the adjustable bridge saddles).  Also notable is the whammy bar/arm can simply be pulled from its socket to remove it for storage or your playing preference.  Click the adjacent image for enhanced viewing at our Guitar Anatomy page.

String Materials are usually (Bronze, Phosphor Bronze, Nickel, Nickel plated, Silvered Steel, Stainless Steel, Chrome, Nylon, & Polymer Coated or some other metal type.  Or combinations of all of these materials. They can have a clear protective coating to help playability and retaining string life and tone quality.  

NOTE:  A good playing / sound demonstration on a Taylor acoustic guitar of the subtle difference in sound quality between some material types, string designs and manufacturers / brands can be seen and heard at this YouTube link:  DIY: How to Choose Acoustic Guitar Strings (youtube.com) 

String Gauge or thickness can be from Extra Light (a typical set of .09"/.010" to .047/.048" in diameter) to Heavy (a typical set of .011/.013" to .051/.056" in diameter).

They're usually purchased in a packaged set of either Light Gauge, Standard/Medium Gauge, or Heavy Gauge.  A set can range in cost from $5 (US) to $50 (US) depending on design, materials, brand and purchase location.  Most music stores also have available individual strings for sale so you can replace (or) just have a spare available at all times for the strings mostly likely to break { the thin unwound ones, most commonly the E (1st) and B (2nd) }.

Typically your high E (1st) and B (2nd) strings are round metal unwound strings unless they are unwound nylon (such as used on a classical guitar).  

The G (3rd) string can be either unwound or wound depending on the gauge size, type guitar and sound / playing style you prefer.  Rock and Blues guitarist who do a lot of extreme bending usually prefer a lighter gauge unwound G (3rd) string.

Your D (4th), A (5th) and low E (6th) are either roundwound or flatwound.  Jazz guitarist often prefer flat wound for their mellow sound and non-squeak silky smooth feel.  

Flat wound  strings can also be a good choice for beginner guitarist to reduce finger tip pain while they are in the early development of tougher calloused finger tips while learning and practicing their skill level.  NOTE:  A good resource for info about guitar strings can be found at  this link:  What Are Guitar Strings Made Of? (sweetwater.com) 

How Often Should You Change Guitar Strings?  It all depends on many factors.  Some examples are:  How much you play your guitar; how much you can afford to spend on guitar strings; whether you make your living as a guitarist;  are you recording your guitar performances; whether you have oily or sweaty hands/fingers when playing your guitar.  

As a general rule - if your guitar strings sound extremely dull (or) will no longer stay in tune then the underside of the string that comes into contact with the frets has most likely become flatten from repeated playing pressure and it's time to change the strings if you can afford a new set.  

Well ! Dang ! I think my guitar needs a little tuning?  As you've surely discovered, if your guitar isn't in-tune, then your effort to play magical moments of music just doesn't sound so sweet or inspiring.  So, let's explore a little about tuning your instrument and first ask a basic question.  

QUESTION:  are your guitar strings new or old ?  

NEW: If your strings are new they're going to continue to stretch from the tension on the string for a few days until they settle-in.  This means your instrument is likely to drift out-of-tune and off pitch rather quickly requiring repeated tuning for a few days.  However;  you can accelerate the stretching process either using an inexpensive plastic string stretcher when you install the new string; (or) by using a simply, but careful, pulling action on each string after the first tuning.  This can reduce the number of times you re-tune.

OLD:  If your strings are old and become flatten on the backside from fret pressure wear, then you may not be able to tune the instrument with any precision or at standardized pitch.  NOTE:  It's time to change your strings.

Before we leap into How To Tune My Guitar and the various tuning methods; let's explore the different types of tuning we want to consider.  Since we've focused this whole section on beginner guitarist; here's some of our options and the technical info associated with each:

NOTE:  With today's modern hi-tech electronic tuners this technical knowledge isn't required to tune your guitar; however, we'll provide it for reference just in case you have a curious mind and like to read.  This info is for a common 6 string guitar - where the note is played open (no fret fingering at the ZERO fret position):

STANDARD TUNING (at 440):   

6th largest diameter string is the lowest note E at a pitch / frequency of  82.41 hertz 

5th large diameter string is a low note A at a pitch / frequency of 110.00 hertz

4th medium diameter string is a low note D  at a pitch / frequency of 143.83 hertz

3rd mid diameter string is a mid note G  at a pitch / frequency of 196.00 hertz

2nd small diameter string is a high note B  at a pitch / frequency of 246.94 hertz

1st smallest diameter string is a high note E  at a pitch / frequency of 329.64 hertz

EXTRA INFO:  the above pitch settings means that a standardized A note played on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string has a pitch / frequency of 220.00 hertz  while an A note played on the the 5th fret of the 1st string is 440.00 hertz.  The pitch of an A note on a standard in-tune piano can assist you in verifying that your guitar is at the standardized pitch if you don't have available an electronic tuner or pitch fork.  Here's a good website link to a full frequency chart:   Frequency Charts for Notes on the Guitar (douglasniedt.com) 

NOTE:  You can have your guitar basically "in-tune" so that it sounds okay at a pitch other than the 440 standard; but, if you're planning to play along with others or plan to record your performance it's best to be at the traditional 440 standard pitch to assure you match most instruments unless you intentionally are seeking a different quality of sound.

(more on Tuning later - to be continued at another time)

OPEN TUNING:

DROP TUNING:

ELECTRONIC TUNERS:

TUNING FORKS:

We'll discuss more about guitar verses hollow body guitars soon.

We'll discuss more about the pros and cons soon.

We'll discuss more about the types of picks soon.

We'll discuss more about guitar care & maintenance soon.