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Breaking strings
What am i doing wrong? Trying to tune to open D, and I’ve broke 2 E strings going to a D. It’s happened on 2 different guitars, so i know i’m the problem. Help please.
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11 Replies
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Sorry to hear about the broken strings. I want to verify that when you tune to D you are tuning your E strings to a tone lower in pitch not higher. Depending on your tuner gear ratios it is about one full turn Lower in Pitch. The E string will go higher to about G, that is three half steps before it breaks. I bend there but briefly and not without sometimes breaking a string but it is usually either a new string or an very old string. If you know you are tuning to the lower pitch and the string is still breaking we can have a different conversation on how to put your string on the tuning peg without fatiguing the string where it contacts the sharp side of the post hole if that is where it is breaking.
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One string broke and the other string stretched at the post. I’m confused about tuning down. Do i need a different tuner? The first string was 27 years old and the second was new. I have a new guitar as of today.
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Tuning down means lowering the pitch rather than raising the pitch. When the pitch is raised on a string the tuner winds the string up on the peg, increasing tension. When the pitch is lowered the opposite happens making the string slightly more slack.
If one were to attempt to tune an E string up to D pitch the string would most certainly break. The tension is too great for the string and it snaps. By tuning down, the string is loosened creating slack and less tension, less reason to break. Lemme know if that makes sense.
No need for a new tuner.
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I get that ,but when I tune down it never gets to D. Is it the same pitch as the 4th D string? Sorry to keep bugging you. I appreciate your help.
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no worries not bugged. I love talking guitar!! Pitch. the pitch is higher than the open D by an octave when working on the high e string tuned down and it is one octave lower on the low E string when tuning down to D. Both Higher and lower by an octave than the open D string respectively. We may have found the challenge. The D sound you tune to is not the same as your open D string. The Ds are separated by octaves. The note is still a D note. Your tuner likely recognizes the D note in any octave. If you are using a fixed pitch matching device like pipes or a tuning fork you would have to adjust for the octave by ear. Sounds tricky and it was for me until I learned the trick. It is all vibrations and the vibrations interact with each other in certain, specific, identifiable ways.
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Hi, what sort of tuner are you using? Mine is a cheap one bought online and it gives an alphabetical readout, AND sharps. So if I’m tuning the highest string from E (very slowly slowly does it) I’ll hit D# first, then D ……if I go the WRONG way I’ll hit F, and string break territory. A tip is to loosen your G (standard tuning – it’s a much stronger string, forgiving) and note either mentally, or on paper, which way loosens the string on that side of the neck. Leave it for now and go to your high E and move the opposite way. I’m a leftie so the high 3 strings tighten if i move the top of the tuner AWAY from me, and if I move the top of the tuner towards me they loosen – I guess it is opposite for a rightie. Hope that helps.
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Sorry, I meant the SAME way, not opposite. Loosen the G string and move your E in the same direction……..slowly. If I rush tuning my highest 2 strings, that’s when I get a breakage.
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AK413–
If you are trying to tune your high-E string UP to the D- (just short of a full octave HIGHER… (tighter)… than its normal “hi-E” tension, it’s goodnight Charlie for that string every single time.
Like Jeff and others say– what you are shooting for is to tune that hi-E string DOWN to the D. (making it LESS tight/ loosening/ “unwinding” it).
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by the-old-coach.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by the-old-coach.
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Hey friend – Long time since we’ve spoken. There shouldn’t be a reason to tune up. That’s way too much pressure on the E string. The G, B, and E are under a lot of tension as it is. They rarely, if ever, get tuned up. I think you should be tuning down to D, and that actually takes pressure off the string and lowers the tone.
Hope you’re doing well. 🙂
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Yeah– it soooooo great to hear from you, too! I still cruise in & out of the TAC forum here every other day or so- (apparently I can still get “in here” even though I let my membership go earlier this year (Jan). It is great that you are back in full swing– still helping others– as you always have been!
As far as this string-breaking-thread- (and IF I understood it correctly)- I hope you don’t think that it may have been ME who was trying to tune the hi-E string to a D—- by going UP—- because that is gonna be string-break every time.
It sounded they may have been trying to tune UP to the next D, WAAAAAY tighter/higher pitch—– rather than by going DOWN to the D- (2 notes lower).
Anyway— It is great to hear from you….. You will always have a soft spot in my heart for all you’ve done to help me along the journey- (and many others, too).
(Always)– yer-old-pal—
mark- (theoldcoach)
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
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I figured out my problem, it was me lol. I downloaded a tuner app on my phone, and took care of the situation. Thanks for the help.
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