BarbaraM
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For all of you who say ten minutes a day is too little–I am not in disagreement with that. I am simply presenting an alternate viewpoint.
I also have read the book The Laws of Brainjo, so I understand the learning value of shorter sessions, at *least* once daily. More often is obviously going to bring greater returns. Now in my own case, I have not so much a struggle learning but in execution, as my fingers are short and puffy and I cannot do certain things, no matter how much I practice. Plus after about 10-15 minutes of steady practice, my fingers get tired and I start stumbling over simple passages. More is not always better, at least when not broken up. I don’t want it to stop being fun. Now, Braden says he takes 5-10 minute breaks in his hour-long practice; guess what, that’s several non-continuous 10 minute sessions.
I have noticed from various comments in different challenges that many of us are older, and extended practice sessions may not be entirely comfortable. Sure, daily practice will keep your calluses in shape, and that is definitely recommended! But if you are hoping to become a rock star, you should have started at age 12 and never stopped. I only play for myself and maybe a friend or two from time to time. Your mileage (and needs) may vary!
So maybe it’s a marketing strategy, maybe it’s brain science, maybe it’s a way to get more people having fun making music, maybe all of the above. You do you, as they say!
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There is no triangle piece on this Baby Taylor or either of my other
guitars (Zager and Johnson); what does it look like? Is it common? -
Oh yes, I must have missed your comment on that. Well I didn’t examine it closely, but the string peg(s) at the saddle were what was loose, as well as one of the tuning pegs. I didn’t look to see if the tuning peg was damaged or just not tight. I will examine it later.
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Not sure if I would even bother at this point; I couldn’t do any of this myself. I seem to recall when I took it to the luthier that he said he added a shim under the saddle/bridge (I get the bone part and the wood part mixed up as far as names) or he did something to it. I can see a very thin shim under the neck where it screws onto the body, but can’t see anything under the bridge. Doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Thank you guys for your help, I learned a lot more about guitars than I knew before!
But I’m still not sure about my original question, about tossing the guitar with the loose string/peg. I’m not sure the veterans can use it if it needs fixing, and it’s a youth size anyway–narrow neck (even for me), and anyway the top is warped too. Maybe I will use it for practice restringing, or offer it to a theater group as a stage prop…
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Not sure if you can see it, but most of the bow is from the 5th fret back to the nut. Higher up there is still a slight bow but it seems more even.
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Yeah that was confusing; I do tend to over-explain.
No I don’t have buzzing until I start to lift my finger off. Then, if it’s still ringing, it will buzz as the pressure loosens. I guess that’s a thing, because the Zager does it too, just noticed. Could it be the Martin strings? I was talking to a player at an event the other day and he said he didn’t like Martin strings. I also noticed the thinner strings are kind of rough feeling, up around the 5th-8th frets, where I never play with the Taylor. Lower and higher, the strings are perfectly smooth. Corrosion???
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I don’t know how well it shows, but there is a huge difference in the string height from the nut to 12.
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NO NO! Not touching my beautiful Zager. I was only talking about the Baby Taylor I got second hand. An independent Luthier raised the bridge as I said the action was too low (what did I know at the time). So now it doesn’t buzz hat the low frets but if you were to measure the string angle from the nut to the bridge, it’s too close at the nut and too high at the bridge.
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Thanks, Pete. That is very interesting and easy to understand. My Zager came with a truss rod wrench but has never needed any adjustment. The Baby Taylor has a adjustment hole inside the body as Tony described. It looks like it would take a set screw wrench, but I can’t tell what size just now.
That said, according to Tony’s diagnostic description, this puppy needs more relief/bow, but that would give it a higher action, and it’s high enough that I have to press harder than on my Zager parlor. What it looks like to me is that the saddle/bridge was set too high so the strings go from a next to nothing point at the nut to 4-5mm at the 12th fret. What would happen if I filed down the lower fret bars (they stick up a fair amount) just enough to give more relief at the nut end? Or is that a no-no?
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Arggg! That particular finger arrangement is impossible for me!
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Yeah, when people in my age range (70s) mention such and such a song, how great it was or whatever, I am clueless! (The Grateful Dead? who are they?) Don’t worry, I have picked up a little! 😀
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Wow, excellent suggestions, all of you! I don’t know all that many songs, as I wasn’t allowed to listen to rock growing up, aside from the radio on the school bus. So I’ll have to peruse my “simple” guitar songbooks, then listen to them on YouTube.
I do throw in a hammer on this week’s Ain’t No Sunshine Tuesday lick, it just sounds better. I don’t know about modifying a D chord; I can’t make it normally, though I do manage Old Man fairly well. Might try something there in The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Lots of things to think about and try! Thanks, guys!
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Very helpful! Thanks, Pete!
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Bill, thank you for that explanation! Makes so much more sense to me now.
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At first your explanation seemed very confusing so I tried it on the guitar. But if I fret the 3rd fret on the A string for example (C note), one fret toward the body on the G string is B, not C. and going down one fret to the B string is a C#. So now it’s more confusing?! What am I not understanding?
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This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by BarbaraM.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by