In a comment on a comment that I had for Dave at www.davidseah.com, Yombo said:
“I may also ditch the acoustic and go with electric until my fingers can keep up.”
Just wanted to write real quick that there are a few options one can do to make playing the acoustic guitar easier. I’ll try to keep them ranked in order of how easy the fix will be:
1) Try to spend a few minutes every day giving firm pinches on the guitar after you’ve played for the day. Before you go to bed, focus on fingerwork, and only fingerwork, with no sound or playing. The key here is just to fatigue your fingers in order to strengthen them.
The drawback here is that it’s not fun and your fingers are already tired.
Cost to try: $0 and an additional 5-10 minutes every couple of days, depending on playing schedule.
2) Go to a lighter gauge string. Most acoustics start with Medium Guage strings, and the reason for this is two-fold: 1) they sound a lot more full, and 2) they work for most styles of musical playing. Switching to lighter strings, however, can make learning to play the guitar much easier since you’re not having to press so dang hard to get a good sound out of them. This is especially the case if you’re at the point where you’re trying to learn barre chords.
This option is a trade-off. What you lose here is the deeper, richer sound that medium strings provide as well as the increased finger-strength and dexterity that comes with playing more resilient strings; lighter strings also have a tendency to break more so you may be replacing them more often. What you gain is hands that are less sore and perhaps the ability to make it through a few more songs, or parts of a song, if you’re still learning. Try it out before you spend more money buying another guitar.
Cost to try: $3-10, depending on the string. I prefer Martin Acoustic SPs.
3) Buy a hand exerciser and carry in a backpack or briefcase to use while you’re at work, riding on the train, standing in line, etc. Focus on pinching with the left hand in the following ways:
- The fingertip to thumbtip pinch (alternate with all fingers): helpful for strengthening fingers used for individual strings
- The flat-of-the-finger to flat-of-the-thumb pinch (alternate with the index, middle, and ring finger): helpful for bar chords.
- the full hand pinch: helpful for general hand strength and flexibility
(I had pictures of these movements, but the pictures got all SNAFU’ed; I may get them up later.)
I used a Nike gel type that I can’t currently find (I swear I saw it earlier). Besides occasionally smelling like foot (an indication that I’ve used it too much and it needs cleaning) and collecting the lint that travels to the bottom of the bag, there’s no drawbacks to this option. It’s also incredibly helpful having something to work on when you’re away from your guitar, and the ladies dig a man that can give massages and open jars without implements and counter tapping.
Cost to try: $5-20 dollars, depending on the type of hand exerciser.
4) Have your action “lowered” or “loosened.” Action loosely refers to the setup of the instrument and translates into how it’s played. There are many things that affect the action of the guitar, such as:
-Humidity
-Wear and Tear
-Factory Settings
-String Guage
What’s important to remember about playing an acoustic guitar is that you are playing an instrument that came from a unique tree, and therefore every acoustic guitar is slightly different. Factories, however, set actions at the same level, despite the uniqueness of the instrument. After a few months or years of playing, the uniqueness of the instrument sets in. Take your guitar to a reputable instrument repair shop and have it worked on and ask them to lower the action so that the guitar’s easier to play. They’ll know what you mean. On another note, if you’ve had your guitar a year or so, it’s probably time to have someone look at it anyways, as they do require regular maintenance and check-ups that’s beyond the capabilities of most beginning and intermediate players.
The main drawback to this option is the cost. If you’ve got an entry level guitar that you paid $75-150 for, it may be a bit too much to swallow to pay for the cost of the guitar again. This leads to a bad spiral: cheaper instruments require more maintenance, but the maintenance of those guitars cut into the bottom line. Another good reason to buy a bit higher quality guitar up front.
Cost to try: $40-100, depending on area and technician availability and costs.
I’ve personally done all of these things at different times and noticed an improvement in my playing, finger strength, and motivation. Give ‘em a try and let me know how it goes.
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