Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jon Pruett on May 13, 2010 at 1:26am

I had this problem a lot when I was trying to learn on a normal six string guitar. Rather than try to fight my fat finger tips, I made my CBGs with just a little more space between the strings and it helped a lot.

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Permalink Reply by Keni Lee Burgess on May 13, 2010 at 1:27am

Hello Ron,

Are you playing this on a CBG you built? Are the strings spaced far enough apart? Usually you should be able to fret notes with no problem of hitting the adjacent strings. Are you coming straight down on the fretboard with your fingers. The thumb is on the other side of the neck, opposite your fingers on the board. Without being able to see you play, it is rather difficult to understand the problem clearly. I hope this helps. Please feel free to write if I can be of further assitance. Thank you for your interest and comment. Enjoy, Keni Lee

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on May 13, 2010 at 1:52am

No I do not have overly fat fingers, yes I built it myself, but it has more space than a 6 string ( which I was thinking in the back of my mind), maybe I could re cut the nut and bridge and move the strings a little closer to the edge but I do not think it is due to lack of space.
So I will practice coming down a little straighter on the fret board and see how that goes before modifying the CBG, course always another one to build.
Thanks for the input, mostly Nubie teething problems but wanted to learn in the right direction.
Gotta say after trying to play it really ups my appreciation of how well you guys play, building the thing is easy relative to playing it, but I am determined and enjoying plunking away at it. I fill in the 5 and 10 min here and their throughout the day which would have been wasted time.
Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on May 13, 2010 at 9:20am

Well I moved the 2 outside strings out a little giving me a little more room, figured hey I built it make it like I want, I kinda like that. Seems to have worked. Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Keni Lee Burgess on May 13, 2010 at 9:29am

Good to hear. One problem solved and on to the next. LOL Please consider purchasing my instructional video CD 4. I think you will not only find it a fun and enjoyable approach, but a good solid tutorial too. Please feel free to contact me if I can be of further assistance. Enjoy.

http://shop.ebay.com/njmikeb/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&a...

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Permalink Reply by BenBob on May 14, 2010 at 5:37am

It sounds like you might not be playing with your fingertips. Many beginners try to use the fleshy pad of their finger to hold down the string, which requires more force and can interfere with the other strings. Make sure your nails are trimmed and try fretting more with the tip. The center of the groove the string leaves in your finger should be maybe 1/4" below the nail.

Your fingertips will be sore for a little while, but the better technique will be worth it; especially if you branch out into instruments with more strings.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on May 14, 2010 at 6:17am

I'm glad to hear that the string spacing worked out for you. Another aspect of it is string height. The lower the action (distance from the string to the fret), the easier it will be to fret it without touching the other strings. Its all about a happy balance, especially if you're fretting and sliding.

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on May 14, 2010 at 5:38pm

Well moving the strings did help, but so does your comments. I think I am not using the tips of my fingers and that is probably my nails are preventing it, a nail trim would make using the tips easier. So thanks for the help. I have though of lowering the action, it is not all that high but I guess it could not hurt to lower it some.
Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on May 15, 2010 at 12:57am

Famous last words! If you worked out with the other things, this may just cause you headaches in terms of fret buzz, etc.
Mungo Park said:

Well moving the strings did help, but so does your comments. I think I am not using the tips of my fingers and that is probably my nails are preventing it, a nail trim would make using the tips easier. So thanks for the help. I have though of lowering the action, it is not all that high but I guess it could not hurt to lower it some.
Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on May 15, 2010 at 2:15am

Well this is true, I did have to file the frets some to get them to be all in the same plane, which would imply I need a better fret press, read, a fret press period. And the buzz from the bridge took a while to get rid of as well, so maybe now some time improving playing skills would go a long way.
Cheers Ron.

Ben said:

Famous last words! If you worked out with the other things, this may just cause you headaches in terms of fret buzz, etc.
Mungo Park said:

Well moving the strings did help, but so does your comments. I think I am not using the tips of my fingers and that is probably my nails are preventing it, a nail trim would make using the tips easier. So thanks for the help. I have though of lowering the action, it is not all that high but I guess it could not hurt to lower it some.
Cheers Ron.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Pruett on May 15, 2010 at 2:28am

My fret press isn't the best either.

Mungo Park said:

Well this is true, I did have to file the frets some to get them to be all in the same plane, which would imply I need a better fret press, read, a fret press period. And the buzz from the bridge took a while to get rid of as well, so maybe now some time improving playing skills would go a long way.
Cheers Ron.

Ben said:

Famous last words! If you worked out with the other things, this may just cause you headaches in terms of fret buzz, etc.
Mungo Park said:

Well moving the strings did help, but so does your comments. I think I am not using the tips of my fingers and that is probably my nails are preventing it, a nail trim would make using the tips easier. So thanks for the help. I have though of lowering the action, it is not all that high but I guess it could not hurt to lower it some.
Cheers Ron.

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