[speckpgh]

Yea, I can play it without dealing with the D strum change or augmentations and sing along fine and it sounds fine, but I like the effect of that in the song and am PUSHING myself to learn it.

Yes it is a great song, and I am enjoying it, but to be honest, the main reason I want to learn it is to sort of point out, this song came out in 1965, folks need to calm down with everything is an “existential threat” craziness that seems to be thrown around about just about everything these days.

World’s always been and always will be a mess, but yet we still muddle along. It’ll be okay folks, relax.

[speckpgh]

Thank you again Carol, I will look into this. It’s not just the Sus’s or the timing, as long as I’m not singing, I’m okay on the timing and the SUS’s… but the minute I sing, that alternate strumming pattern over the D, along with SUS’s just cause me to just not keep it all straight.

[speckpgh]

Loraine,

Thank you for the feedback. I understand the need for the pattern to be in the muscle memory to be able to keep the strum and sing….. Learned that lesson way back when I first attempted to sing and play together. Back then I had the song down (or so I thought) could play it backwards and forward and with my eyes closed, I was feeling great! I felt I was finally ready to add vocals, I got this no problem.. and the minute I tried to sing along, my brain locked up and you would have thought I’d never touched a guitar before in my life. Instantly humbled.

I will keep practicing, as I am seeing improvement, however, I do think this particular situation isn’t simply not having the pattern committed, but that the changes in the pattern don’t really sync up with the melody… Yes the chord change itself syncs, but those quick 16ths strums don’t go along with anything going on in the melody, and my brain just want consistency.

I also find I have the same sort of problem when I am playing Kodachrome, when the song goes to the little run along the G, I can play the run, but singing and playing it even after thousands of times, I still find that my vocals drop or I flub the run more often than not.

I will keep practicing the pattern, perhaps I am overthinking it, and that is all it is.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by  speckpgh.

[speckpgh]

Carol, thank you for the feedback. This is the problem, the quick 16th strums and the accents don’t fall on any of the words/syllables so there is a distinct disconnect. I’ll try writing it all out per your advice, and see if there is some overlap that I’m just not seeing, but on the surface, I don’t see it, which I think is why my brain is sort of short circuiting on this, it doesn’t have something to relate to the two things and it wants them to be together and when they are it just gives up on one or the other.

The strumming pattern on the D, written in 16ths would be D-DUD-U—U—U- With the last two UPS being a DSus4 and a DSus2

So there isn’t a vocal/melody change happening in time with these changes.

I can play the song fine, if I don’t try to play this strumming pattern and Sus’s on the D as I am singing, and just keep the strumming pattern something more mundane. I know I’ll get it, I am seeing improvement.

[speckpgh]

Well that’s what I am going to do, just going to have it professionally restrung and have a replace the saddle and nut with faux bone as well while its in the store. At Hollowood Music in McKees Rocks most likely but thank you for the suggestion

[speckpgh]

Carol,

Thanks I did look at the saddle its definitely not upside down, or backwards, the intonation point (or whatever its called) is properly under the B string. Thank you for the suggestion though

[speckpgh]

Joe,

No I don’t have a mirror, but I am tending to think its either that (ball not seated properly) or something with a fret… I have found if I absolute JAM on the B string right up against the 3rd fret, it doesn’t happen, but if I make a 4 finger G I can’t obviously get my ring finger right up to the fret because pinky is in the way, it seems to start, but if I put ungodly amount of pressure on the B string in that position it tends to go away… so its like the sweet spot in the B string went from being serviceable to about 1/2 the fret length with reasonable pressure to maybe 1/4 of the way with very high pressure…

I’ll pick one up. This was my first suspicion, that the ball wasn’t set tight against the soundboard.

[speckpgh]

Well so far nothing new shop looked at it and said nothing wrong.. and of course couldn’t make it happen or the room had too much background noise to pick it up.. but as soon as home and playing noticed it again… So will be trying again.. .planned on getting a new nut and saddle put in anyway, so will take it back and have them replace the bone, saddle and strings and see what happens.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by  speckpgh.

[speckpgh]

I wouldn’t mind 2 weeks in a different situation, but working against a very tight deadline that’s too much down time. I am going to stop by another shop this weekend in town and see if maybe they can help. I know whatever this is it has to be something minor that I am just not seeing… either that or somehow I truly did damage something that isn’t obvious.

[speckpgh]

Thanks I plan on stopping into a different store this weekend with the guitar to see if they can help.. whatever it is it has to be minor, unless somehow i “broke” something, which I can’t see how I did, but who knows, and nothing is “obviously” visibly wrong that I can tell.

[speckpgh]

I’m honestly not sure, but it definitely appears to be something I am going to try another guitar store in town and see if they can help me. Plan on stopping in tomorrow.

[speckpgh]

Thanks Jeff, I have confirmed the gauge is the same.. though they are phosphorus bronze vs 80/20. There is no doubt that how hard the strings are struck definitely impact it, harder strum far more likely to introduce it than lighter, but even lighter it will happen.

The B string seems to be the worst culprit.. I did fiddle with it some more and got it less, but its still there, and oh so annoying. But thank you for the feedback and I will check out the video.

[speckpgh]

Bill I put D’Addario EJ16s on them which are the same gauge, but are phosphorus bronze, instead of 80/20… so I would expect a tinnier sound from them, but this is more than just slightly “brigher”.

[speckpgh]

@Loraine thank you for the feedback. I am not opposed too having a professional setup done, however when I inquired how long it will take last I was in the shop (before this issue began) I was told 2 weeks… and I’ll be honest I don’t want to go 2 weeks without playing guitar.

My main goal is to play at my Mother’s 70th birthday this summer, entire family is getting together for a week to celebrate. I have never touched a guitar in any meaningful way before January of this year. Neither she, or any of my family know I have taken up guitar, so it will hopefully be a nice surprise. I am trying to get as much time playing as I can in before the big “debut”. I really don’t want to buy a 2nd guitar at this point, and don’t want to give up daily playing for 2 weeks, so I decided to forgo the setup. Looks like I may not have a choice now, this is so annoying that I don’t think I have much of a choice if I can’t figure it out… the B String in particular is like fingernails on a chalkboard when acts up.

I hate to lose 2 weeks, I may have to buy a cheaper “fill in” guitar for that period, which isn’t the end of the world, but just hate to buy an even cheaper guitar for such a short time, because I know I won’t touch it again once I get the FG800 back… and I don’t feel I am far enough along to justify buying a “really nice” guitar yet either. Plan was put a year or two on this one and if still advancing and interested in it, then go buy a nice guitar.

But as the saying goes… “Men plan, God Laughs”.

[speckpgh]

@JoeT Thanks, I don’t think its humidity, haven’t had any radical changes there recently, and I have gotten it to be “better” but the B string in particular is still just annoying as all heck. I thought perhaps bracing had come loose or something since it was do drastic after the change and only on those strings, that perhaps something had come lose, but I don’t feel anything has detached or lose in the guitar when I examine it, but thank you for the suggestion.