Start-Playing-Guitar.com's 'The Bridge'

Volume 3, Issue 4: Achy-Breaky String

I used to ride motorcycles, and hope to again one day. I recall clearly the first day I owned my first bike. It was the perfect picture of young freedom. The sky was clear and blue. The wind whistled as I glided effortlessly down the road.

When I got home I started talking to a freind who'd spent several years on a motorcycle. He said, "There are only two types of motorcycle riders: those who've had an accident, and those who will."

While it's nowhere near as serious, I could say something similar about guitar players. There are only two kinds of guitar players: those who've had a string break on them, and those who will.

Sometimes the string you replace immediately breaks again. What causes this? That's the subject of the latest FAQ added to the Start-Playing-Guitar.com Beginner FAQ's page.

There are four main reasons a string will break multiple times:

• You bought defective strings...
• Your string is binding in the nut, and the extra tension causes it to snap...
• You are over-tightening the string during tuning, and the extra tension causes it to snap...
• There is a sharp edge on your tuning key or bridge, creating a weak point that allows the string to break when you tighten it.

The full article, and solutions to each problem, can be found here. As long as you're there, you can check out the other Beginner FAQ's.

Go For A Big Finish!

I hope you've enjoyed this issue of The Bridge. See you next month!

Steve
Steve@Start-Playing-Guitar.com