A Step-By-Step Lesson On How to Change Your Guitar Strings
Changing your guitar strings might make you feel a litte uncomfortable if you have never done it before, but it's really quite simple and should become a regular part of your guitar care routine. Before you do anything, first take time to make some personal observations such as: 1. Which way do you have to turn the tuning keys to tighten or loosen the strings?2. How are the strings aligned from the nut to the bridge?3. Which is the heaviest string (6)? Taking mental notes will probably save you some frustration and make the job much easier.
Below you will find some helpful steps to follow for changing your strings. Once you've changed your guitar strings a couple of times your confidence should begin to grow and you won't need to refer to these steps any longer. I like to remove all of the guitar strings in order to give my guitar a thorough cleaning, but you can remove and replace them one at a time if you prefer. Guitar Care and Maintenance Tools: - Needle-nose Plyers (to cut string ends)- String Winder- Soft Cotton Cloth- Guitar Cleaning Polish (do not use furniture polish, oils, or wax)REMOVING THE STRINGSAcoustic Steel String Guitar- 1. Using the string winder , begin slowly loosening the string(s) until completely slack.
2. With the needle-nose plyers, carefully grab the string from the capstan (the part it winds around) and pull through the hole until it is free. 3. Taking the string winder again, use the cut-out at the end of it to grab the pin at the bridge. Gently pull the pin until it comes out of the hole.
4. Continue this process until all the strings are removed. 5. Clean guitar surface thoroughly. Classic Nylon String Guitar- Follow steps one and two above.
When you come to step three, take your needle-nose plyers and carefully loosen the figure eight knot at the bridge. Pull the string free. Electric Guitar- Follow the same procedure as described for an acoustic steel string guitar. However, if you have an electric guitar with a movable bridge you may want to take it to your local music store and have them show you how to do it safely. If the bridge is moved from it's correct position you will not be able to tune your guitar after restringing it.
RE-STRINGING YOUR GUITARAcoustic Steel String Guitar-1. Bend the ball end of the string slightly and place it inside the hole below the bridge. Some steel string guitars do not have pins. When this is the case, just pull the string throught the hole. 2.
Line up the string with any grooves in the pin. Insert the pin into the hole, making sure it is secure. 3. Take the other end and insert into the hole on the capstan. 4.
Pull the string through leaving a fair amount of slack between the capstan and the bridge. 5. Bend the string at the point it comes through the capstan to keep it secure. 6. Watching out for your eyes, begin turning the key with your left hand.
Once you get it started it may be easier to use the string winder. (For safety reasons, you might want to cut off any excess string. I usually wait until after they're all on to do this). 7. As you are winding, apply some tension to the string with your right hand to help keep it taught.
Make sure you are winding in the right direction! On the bass strings you will be winding counter-clockwise (away from you). On the treble strings you will go the opposite direction. 8. Continue to wind each string until all the slack is taken up. Do not worry about tuning yet.
9. Cut off all excess string length. Classic Nylon String Guitar- 1. Put the string through the top of the hole found just below the bridge. 2.
Pull about 3 inches through. 3. Bringing the string up over the tie block, pass it underneath itself at the original point of entry. 4. Come down over the tie block again and wrap the end of the string around itself in a figure eight type pattern.
5. Insert the other end of the string down through the hole on the capstan. 6. Wrap the string around the back and then underneath itself in order to secure it in place. 7.
As described above, begin turning the key with your left hand while maintaining some tension with the other until all the slack is taken up. With a classical guitar you will wind clockwise on the bass strings and the treble strings. 8. Keep the string as straight as possible as it continues from the capstan through the nut and down onto the neck. 9.
You should not have any excess string length, but if you do, cut it off. Electric Guitar- Follow the same procedure as described for the acoustic steel string guitar. If you need help re-tuning your guitar please see my free guitar lesson which covers this subject in detail. I hope you found this information to be helpful. Remember, establishing a good guitar care routine will insure many long years of musical fun and enjoyment!.
Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: www.abclearnguitar.comeCycle Awarded Contract to Provide Brushless Fan Solution to Aurora Flight Sciences
Temple, PA (ContentDesk) November 11, 2005 -- eCycle announced today that is has been contracted by Aurora Flight Sciences, located in Manassas, VA, to provide lift fan motors and controllers for an unmanned aircraft.Under the contract, eCycle, Inc. is designing and building brushless motors based on its CMG Silicon Series brushless motors.
The fan motors and electronics will be integrated into Auroras Excalibur Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV).
The Excalibur platform will feature a Williams International jet engine for main propulsion and three eCycle brushless fan drives for additional lift and attitude control.
This platform is intended to demonstrate Auroras new VTOL (vertical take off and landing) technology.About eCycle (www.ecycle.com)Established in 1996 and located in Temple, PA, eCycle produces a line of advanced brushless motors and generators, which have a wide...
Electric generators > eCycle Awarded Contract to Provide Brushless Fan Solution to Aurora Flight Sciences
A Real Holiday Surprise for the Kid in All of Us
New York, NY (ContentDesk) December 7, 2005 -- With the holiday season upon us and shoppers about to spend billions of dollars on gifts that are anything but a surprise for the recipient, many holiday shoppers are taking extra care in trying to find the right gift this holiday season."I'm sick of throwing away money on presents I can tell they don't like," Anita Rubio of Toms River, New Jersey explains.
Many holiday shoppers looking for the right gifts that are both useful and a surprise are echoing the sentiment.Folding bikes by manufacturers such as Brompton have long been popular in large and small cities.
A durable, high performance bike that can fold small enough to fit in an average sized backpack may sound like something out of a Star Trek episode, however, the Brompton folding bike can do exactly that.Folding bicycles are a great gift for people with limited spaces in their apartments, car trunks, boats, private airplanes or just about anywhere else they want...
Electric generators > A Real Holiday Surprise for the Kid in All of Us
"Wanted: 1,800,000 Non-Working Computer Monitors" Exports Reform Group Overwhelmed with Orders
The World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association, a non-profit trade association made up of recycling professionals, announced "Overwhelming Success" at finding markets for environmentally sound computer exports.
But unless more USA companies participate, WR3A will be unable to meet worldwide purchase orders for quality used electronics equipment."The response in the USA was very positive," says Robin Ingenthron, one of the founders of WR3A.
"People like the idea of reforming computer exports.
But the response overseas is explosive."
In the first month, WR3A got purchase orders for 130,000 used, non-working but repairable computer monitors.
An additional 20,000 working monitors have been requested through WR3A.Computer refurbishers from Egypt, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Ghana, and Lithuania have flown representatives to visit Good Point Recycling, a relatively small operation in Middlebury, Vermont, hours away from any international airport....
Electric generators > "Wanted: 1,800,000 Non-Working Computer Monitors" Exports Reform Group Overwhelmed with Orders
A Real Holiday Surprise for the Kid in All of Us
New York, NY (ContentDesk) December 7, 2005 -- With the holiday season upon us and shoppers about to spend billions of dollars on gifts that are anything but a surprise for the recipient, many holiday shoppers are taking extra care in trying to find the right gift this holiday season."I'm sick of throwing away money on presents I can tell they don't like," Anita Rubio of Toms River, New Jersey explains.
Many holiday shoppers looking for the right gifts that are both useful and a surprise are echoing the sentiment.Folding bikes by manufacturers such as Brompton have long been popular in large and small cities.
A durable, high performance bike that can fold small enough to fit in an average sized backpack may sound like something out of a Star Trek episode, however, the Brompton folding bike can do exactly that.Folding bicycles are a great gift for people with limited spaces in their apartments, car trunks, boats, private airplanes or just about anywhere else they want...
Electric generators > A Real Holiday Surprise for the Kid in All of Us
Move Puts Kissimmee Whistle Back in Business
Kissimmee, FL (ContentDesk) February 18, 2006 -- A living piece of Kissimmee history was moved today to accommodate an expanding downtown area.The noontime whistle at Kissimmee Utility Authority's historic Roy E. Hansel Generating Station was relocated as part of the planned dismantling of the power plant that produced electricity continuously for 104 years.The diesel plant was decommissioned in September because the generators were no longer economical to operate. The historic building and adjacent property will be returned to the city of Kissimmee for future development.The brass whistle was lowered and carried 175 yards south to its new perch located atop the utility's combined cycle plant exhaust stack.Residents might notice that the length of the whistle blast has been cut in half due to the limitations of the air compressor at its new location.The whistle at the power plant has been a part of Kissimmee's history since the turn of the century when it was used for signaling and timekeeping....
Move Puts Kissimmee Whistle Back in Business
Electric generators > Move Puts Kissimmee Whistle Back in Business
The SCOOTER Store, Health Net Partner to Provide Scooters to Managed Care Members
New Braunfels, TX (ContentDesk) August 8, 2006 -- The SCOOTER Store announced today a new partnership with Health Net, Inc. to make power mobility equipment and services conveniently available to Health Nets 6.6 million managed care members requiring power wheelchairs or electric scooters.