[MattTX_24]

Good job! Keep it up!

[MattTX_24]

Yes! It can be discouraging at first but these little wins start piling up quickly. That’s awesome… congrats!

[MattTX_24]

Well done!!!

• This reply was modified 3 months, 4 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

Moose408, Skyman911, jorgemac – Thank you all for the fantastic thoughts. These are great ideas that I’ll play around with while I practice. Much appreciated!

[MattTX_24]

It is kind of up to you. I don’t feel like my ear is trained enough to tell when strings “need a change.” I usually do it a few times a year, but now that I’m making an effort to play more, I might change them every month or two. I enjoy the process. Plus, I enjoy trying new strings just to try and help train my ear and fingers about how different strings sound and feel. I went to the guitar store today and since the guitars there get played a lot, I realized how rusty the strings feel and how much harder they are to play. I had an “a-ha” moment and knew I would never let my strings feel like that.

BTW, everyone will have a suggestion on which method they like to change strings, but I truly love watching Rob Magargal from Taylor Guitars explain how he changes strings. He has three videos on YouTube that have been posted throughout the years. He explains it so well and that is how I learned to try for myself.

Cheers!

• This reply was modified 4 months ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

We live in world where we are spoiled with instant gratification. If we want something, we can order it on Amazon and have it on our doorstep (sometimes with same-day delivery). Wanna hear a song? We can pull it up immediately on a streaming service.

Learning a new skill is one thing we can’t just “acquire” without actual effort, and I think that can be frustrating when we are used to getting so many things with little effort.

Yes, starting from scratch is definitely daunting at first, but I guarantee it gets so much better and more enjoyable quickly. You will learn something new each day and it keeps building more and more. I would encourage anyone who feels intimidated to hang in there and just keep at it. The payoffs start to come in waves, and no you won’t be a master quickly, but the journey is so great.

• This reply was modified 4 months ago by  MattTX_24. Reason: Grammar

[MattTX_24]

I could see how a beginner might get discouraged by playing with a high or difficult setup, not knowing that it can be adjusted. Many guitars do come set up with a little higher action on the strings cause they figure you can always get it lowered but can’t get it raised as easily. Glad you got your Martin in a good place to make it more fun to play!

• This reply was modified 4 months ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

I couldn’t help myself… here’s another one of the videos I referenced…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPhF2X_bdXg

[MattTX_24]

Hi BarbaraM! I would say that if you’ve never changed your guitar strings, you should definitely notice a difference in feel and sound when you put a new set on. There is somewhat of a “wow” factor after that first change…

What you are feeling now is likely rust and grime. A new set of strings will glide under your fingertips much more smoothly and the sound will really shine! As for wiping down your guitar, I believe a lot of people use those microfiber cloths. Admittedly, I don’t do this, but I change my strings enough and clean/polish my guitar a few times year so I feel like that does the trick for me. But wiping down your strings after each session with a microfiber cloth certainly can’t hurt.

The coated strings will generally feel and play like other strings, but have an extra coating on it that is supposed to extend the life of strings by keeping the dirt and grime from affecting the strings as quickly. They might also claim to help them sound “newer” for longer. I couldn’t tell you if that is true or not cause I don’t have the trained ear, but I enjoy playing them just as much as any other guitar string.

I would say that there is generally no right or wrong string to try, except to possibly go with a lighter gauge string (easier on the fingers than a medium gauge string). I’ve seen strings marketed as “light” gauge, “custom light,” “hybrid light,” “light plus,” “extra light…” Any of those should be fine. Have fun and try various brands/sounds until you find out what you enjoy!

And yes, the first time to change them yourself can be daunting, but those videos I suggested earlier in this chat thread really helped me through. Also, the string changing method I reference walks you through how the wraps wind around the post/etc, and how to measure how much string gets winded… he really holds your hand through the process.

In fact… I’ll just post one of the videos below. He has about 3 (he does a new one about every 3-5 years) and I would recommend watching them all. I’m only going to post one, but you can find the rest by searching for “Taylor guitar restring” or “Rob Magargal restring.”

https://youtu.be/80EuGOXgoOo?si=clqbV7tl8PkDeNIz

Hope this helps.

Maybe you could even find a friend (or guitar shop) to help you change your first set.

I would love to hear how this goes for you! Cheers!

• This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.
• This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.