In Guitar

What is a slide guitar?

A slide guitar is a guitar technique played by placing an object against the strings while playing to create glissando effects and deep vibratos that make the music emotionally expressive. It typically involves playing the guitar in the traditional position (flat against the body) using a tubular “slide” fitted on one of the guitarist’s fingers. The slide may be a metal or glass tube, such as the neck of a bottle.

When a musician plays slide guitar, it creates a unique sound due to its very different timbre compared to other forms of guitar playing. This gives musicians a unique tone, which may give them an edge during recording sessions, especially if they’re in a genre where there are already too many guitars cluttering up a mix.

The technique was first popularized by African-American blues artists, such as Robert Johnson and Son House, who used modified tubes and bottles. More recently, playing styles have diversified, with many other materials, including flat objects like spoons, garden trowels, and even chains being used to play slides.

10 Best Slide Guitar Songs of All Time

These top 10 best slide guitar songs contain some of the most memorable solos in blues, rock, and country music history. They show off the instrumental virtuosity of their performers and exhibit just how expressive the electric slide guitar can be when played by an artist who knows how to use it to his or her advantage.

1. The Allman Brothers Band – Statesboro Blues

No list of top slide guitar songs would be complete without one from The Allman Brothers Band. The original version was recorded in 1928 by Blind Willie McTell, but The Allman Brothers Band’s interpretation helped propel it on to Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and gave us the definitive slide version.

In Statesboro Blues, Duane Allman creates a powerful, hypnotic melody using his slide. It is a blues-based song with a bit of old country flavor. The guitar riffs here really give a nice groove feel, something that you’ll agree with and makes for some of the best slide guitar songs ever recorded.

2. Steve Miller Band – The Joker

The Joker by Steve Miller is one of the most popular blues-rock slide guitar songs. It’s an easy acoustic guitar song too. The song, which he wrote on an acoustic guitar while watching TV, was Miller’s first hit when it was released in 1973. The Joker went to No. 1 on the Billboard chart and remains Miller’s signature tune today. The single’s success played a significant role in making Miller one of the most successful recording artists of the ’70s.

It also helped that the song contained a slide guitar solo (played by lead guitarist Boz Scaggs) that caught many listeners’ ears — including George Harrison’s. Harrison listened to Miller’s first two albums when he wrote Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth). He later said that The Joker inspired him to use a slide guitar on his tune.

3. Eric Clapton – Running On Faith

Eric Clapton is one of the best living guitarists in the world today. Running On Faith was part of his Journeyman album, which won him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 1990. The title track on that album was another hit for Clapton, winning another Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

Running On Faith starts with a slow, haunting riff and builds to an intense solo performance. Clapton’s bluesy vocals are accompanied by a beautiful melody and arrangement purposefully kept simple.

4. Foghat – Slow Ride

With Slow Ride released in 1975, Foghat created a solid gold rock n’ roll classic with its laid-back groove and instantly recognizable riffs. The song became a greasy, sleazy tour de force of ’70s arena rock thanks to Dave Peverett’s gritty vocal performance.

Slow Ride’s musical vibe is primarily derived from merging three unique musical performances. The trashy, bluesy rhythm guitar, the grooving bass line with unforgettable slap and pop passages, and the classic slide guitar performance that ties it all together.

5. Led Zeppelin – In My Time of Dying

In My Time of Dying is one of the best-known slide guitar songs. This is because it’s one of the two songs featuring slide guitar on Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti album released in 1975. The other, Boogie with Stu, is a cover of an old blues tune by Ike Turner that isn’t quite as well-known.

In My Time of Dying has a sound bass-heavy and loud mix, which gives it a dynamic and forceful sound. One of the top surviving guitarists today, Jimmy Page, did the slide work but didn’t mess around with any fancy chords or scales. There is no progressive rock pyrotechnics here. Page plays some simple major and minor chords, with the occasional octave thrown in for good measure.

6. George Harrison – Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)

George Harrison’s solo career took off after he left The Beatles, and Give Me Love is an excellent example of why he soared as a solo artist. Fans and music critics agree that Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) is one of Harrison’s most famous songs. It includes a sequence of well-praised slide guitar solos.

Moving away from the sound identifiable with All Things Must Pass and his other co-productions with Phil Spector between 1970–1971, the song also signified a purposeful shift from his prior post-Beatles work.

7. Derek and the Dominos – Layla

The song that first made many listeners aware of Duane Allman and his slide-playing abilities was the Derek & The Dominos version of Layla. It’s a classic example of two guitarists – Allman and Clapton – complementing each other perfectly.

Clapton first heard Duane Allman play on Wilson Pickett’s cover of Hey Jude. He was so impressed that he asked him to be the session guitarist on his upcoming album, which became Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. The song Layla features some of Allman’s finest work, including an awe-inspiring solo.

8. Pink Floyd – High Hopes

This final track from The Division Bell album is one of Pink Floyd’s purest rock songs, with a towering solo from David Gilmour. The solo in High Hopes by Pink Floyd is played on a Gibson Les Paul with a slide and is one of the most popular slide guitar solos of all time. High Hopes is the closing track on Pink Floyd’s 14th studio album, The Division Bell, released in 1994.

David Gilmour has said that High Hopes is one of his favorite songs from the entire Pink Floyd catalog. Gilmour co-wrote High Hopes and numerous other songs from The Division Bell with his then-girlfriend Polly Sampson, who wrote the lyrics.

9. Muddy Waters – I Can’t Be Satisfied

I Can’t Be Satisfied is a great blues jam with some killer slide guitar. Muddy Waters used the electric slide guitar in this song released in 1948. It became a success upon release, and his fame in clubs skyrocketed. This song was remade by Buddy Guy in 1966 under the name I Can’t Quit You Baby.

Muddy Waters, who is often called “The Father of Chicago Blues,” has a sound often imitated but never duplicated. His late-1940s blues recordings are fundamental in the genre. It’s said that his electric Chicago blues helped define rock and roll, and this track is a stellar example of the slide guitar he used to achieve that.

10. Elmore James – Dust My Broom

Elmore James is considered the “King of Slide Guitar” that inspired many other notable blues guitarists after him. He earned this title by his skills with bottleneck, the historical term for slide guitar playing, and his emotional expressiveness and ability to transform simple songs into masterpieces.

Dust My Broom is one song where Elmore’s talent with bottleneck shines. He takes a regular 12-bar blues song and turns it into a gorgeous lamentation of lost love. This blues standard is arguably one of the most popular slide guitar songs ever recorded. It is why many think of slide guitar as being synonymous with blues music.

Conclusion

All in all, there are many excellent slide guitar songs out there. Slide guitar can be found all over the musical spectrum. If you’re a fan of any popular music genre, chances are you’ve heard it or been influenced by it, mainly because slide guitar can infuse something new and different into virtually any sound.

If you’re a guitar player and want to hear songs that will help you improve your technique while also showing off your skills, then check out the best slide guitar songs above. They will take a little time to learn but are worth it.

In Guitar

What Guitar Did Johnny Cash Play?

February 27, 2022 6 Mins Read

What Guitar Did Johnny Cash Play? While Johnny Cash played a wide variety of guitars throughout his musical career, he is mostly known for playing Martin Guitars. His Martin D-28, D-35, and D-42 guitars all served him well, but the Martin D-35 is often considered to be Cash’s main guitar.

Johnny Cash and His Guitars

The Man In Black

Johnny Cash lived from 1932 to 2003, his somber music and black stage clothing leaving a tremendous impact upon the music world that has sustained far beyond his passing–and will undoubtedly continue to influence aspiring musicians indefinitely. His deep, rich voice and sorrowful lyrics pierced listeners’ hearts while he made a name for himself as a man of defiance and brutal honesty in Memphis, Tennessee.

Cash quickly stood out amidst others in the rockabilly scene as a musician of note once he started performing. He later played with his backing group, the Tennessee Three, for over 20 years. Together they recorded numerous hits like “Ring of Fire”, many of which are go-to songs for beginner guitarists today. But plenty of Johnny’s most poignant performances consisted only of himself and one of his trusty guitars. So, which guitar is he most known for playing? Well, it’s hard to say for certain which guitar was Johnny’s true favorite since he performed with several, but many people know him best for his Martin D-35 and believe that he preferred it over his other instruments.

The Black Martin D-35

Johnny Cash clearly loved his Martin D-35–he played it in most stage performances for about 20 years, after all. Cash had made a name for himself as “The Man In Black” by the early 1970s thanks to his wardrobe, and by 1989 he decided that it was time for his guitar to match: So, he ordered himself a custom Martin D-35 in a sleek, black finish. C.F. Martin III was the president of the Martin Guitars company at the time, and he actually rejected the idea because he believed that a completely black finish was too radical and deviated too much from the signature design of Martin Guitars.

Luckily for Johnny, not everyone at the company agreed with the idea of denying a request from such a legend. His custom black D-35 was indeed crafted with care, and the process was carried out entirely in secret. C.F. Martin III didn’t catch wind of it until he saw Johnny Cash playing the new guitar on TV! The black Martin D-35 has been directly associated with Johnny Cash ever since and served as a powerful symbol of his influence, not only on music itself, but upon the instrument manufacturing industry as well.

Martin Guitars later crafted replicas of Johnny’s custom instrument, making a limited number of “The D-35 Johnny Cash Commemorative” guitars before discontinuing production. As a result of their very limited availability–not to mention their connection to a musician that many people see as a hero–these black D-35 guitars are highly sought after and can be quite expensive. But of course, plenty of passionate fans, guitarists, and collectors consider the purchase to be totally worth it.

What Did Johnny Cash Play Before His Signature D-35?

Before he got his hands on the Martin D-35, Cash played a variety of other guitars. And not all of them were Martins, either! Johnny played the Höfner Congress during his early days, first getting familiar with it during the year 1950. He also played the Gibson “June Pride” Hummingbird and the Gibson J-200 during the late 50s and 60s, with the latter serving as quite the musician’s status symbol at the time. Johnny even had his name engraved on the fretboard of his J-200 to commemorate the way his song “I Walk the Line” exploded in popularity and became a top hit during 1957. Interestingly, despite the customized nature of the Gibson J-200, Cash played his Gibson Hummingbird for far longer.

Johnny also played a black Fender Kingman for a few years starting in 1966, and many believe that he got the idea from Elvis Presley who played one as well. Johnny and Elvis considered one another to be friends, and always spoke highly of one another’s work and creativity during interviews. Plenty of people theorize that Cash liked the Fender Kingman as much as he did because of its black finish, which was uncommon amidst the glitz and glam of the 60s–a credible theory, considering his custom black D-35 that came along later. Johnny played his Kingman at many different shows, including his appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in 1968.

Now, Johnny Cash consistently circled back to Martin Guitars even before the legacy of his all-black D-35 began–and he continued to try out different Martins throughout his career, even while he performed mainly with his Gibsons, Kingman, and others. So, it should come as no surprise that he fell in love with Martin Guitars before the D-35 came along: He especially enjoyed the feel of the Martin D-28, which was essentially the predecessor to the D-35. In fact, Cash continued to play the D-28 all throughout his career, playing it in between his other favorites. Plenty of people would argue that the D-28 was a close second to his legendary D-35, if not secretly his favorite guitar after all.

During Johnny’s later years, the Martin D-42JC entered his arsenal, custom made to honor his faithfulness to the classic Martin instruments. Johnny used the D-42JC now and then from 1997 until his passing in 2003, but predominantly stuck with his old favorites–the D-28 and D-35–since he’d become set in his ways by that point in his career. While some people would be justified in confusing the custom D-42JC with Johnny’s black D-35 at first glance, the D-42JC sports a couple of visual differences: A fancier arrangement of tone woods and bindings, and a glitzy set of golden tuning pegs.

An Eternal Legend

No matter what type of guitar Johnny Cash held in his hands from one gig to the next, he delivered compelling performances that touched listeners’ hearts all across the nation: He was the Outlaw, The Man In Black, and an absolute icon. His grave bass-baritone vocals and skilled, emotive guitar playing blended together to create a signature sound that you can still feel in your heart to this day while you contemplate his messages of moral struggles, suffering, and redemption.

While the Martin D-35 is considered to have been Johnny Cash’s main guitar, there’s plenty to be said for the feelings he evoked with each and every guitar he played!

In Guitar

Why is the 1959 Les Paul Special?

February 27, 2022 6 Mins Read

As an iconic instrument in the music industry, not only has the 1959 Les Paul become a legend, but it has also attained the highest, most acclaimed value in quality and investment. The 1959 Les Paul is widely regarded as the most desirable electric guitar ever manufactured. It has achieved such heights on the collector’s market.

Indeed, the 1959 Les Paul is a legendary guitar by anyone’s standards, but why exactly does it stand out from all the other models produced by Gibson? In this article, we’ll take a look at the unique attributes of the 1959 Les Paul and learn about its history and how these elements make it such an iconic guitar.

Why is the 1959 Les Paul special? Widely regarded as the holy grail of all guitars, the 1959 Les Paul was used by several guitar legends such as Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton. It was the most advanced solid-body electric guitar by Gibson at the time.

What is the 1959 Les Paul?

The Gibson 1959 Les Paul guitar was in production from 1958 to 1960. Its physical features include a solid mahogany body, mahogany neck, Brazilian rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays, PAF pickups, and cherry sunburst finish.

The sonic characteristics of the 1959 Les Paul are noted for their smoothness and warmth thanks to the even frequency response across the whole range of its controls, which makes it suitable not only for lead but also rhythm playing styles.

The 1959 Les Paul has a special place in history as one of the most important guitars ever created and one of Gibson’s most recognizable models. According to Tony Bacon, author of Million Dollar Les Paul and 50 Years of the Les Paul, the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard “represents the pinnacle of imaginative design and masterful craftsmanship.” This is because the guitar has become the holy grail of guitars in the minds of professionals and collectors the world over.

What makes the 1959 Les Paul so special?

1959 Les Paul’s Hardware

The original 1959 Les Paul, otherwise known as’ Bursts, came into production for only a few short years between 1958 and 1960. In hindsight, its production represents a benchmark of guitar evolution.

At the time, it was the most advanced solid-body electric guitar the music world had ever seen. The 1959 Les Paul was literally maxed out on all special features one could think of that made the guitar a classic.

Cherry Red Burst

In 1959, the original Les Paul Standard was given a fresh makeover in a colorful cherry red sunburst. Gibson used a lush, semi-transparent cherry sunburst finish to the model to showcase the potential beauty of the carved maple tops used on Les Pauls, which typically displayed finely figured quilted, flamed, or tiger-striped maple.

PAF Pickups

The 1959 Les Paul also featured the PAF humbucker pickups invented by Gibson engineer Seth Lover. The “Patent Applied For” (PAF) pickup, first introduced in 1957, became one of the greatest tone icons of all time. Aside from eliminating the hum in Gibson guitars, the PAF pickup also enhanced the fuller, warmer, and more sustaining tone that has come to be known as Les Paul’s signature sound.

Necks

Another thing that made the 1959 Les Paul iconic is the better neck feel than its 1958 or 1960 counterparts. David Davidson, a vintage guitar collector and CEO of Songbirds Guitar Museum, explained in a MusicRadar interview:

“I think [1959] was the year Gibson really got everything right. In ’59 they had the big neck but they also had the big frets. In ’58, you also had the big neck, and the frets are smaller. In 1960, unless you get a very early production ’60, you get a thinner neck and the big frets. You don’t get the big neck and frets unless it’s very early 1960. I think that most people like that feel, that larger neck, and it’s much easier to bend the strings with the larger frets.”

“I think the artists that wound up playing ’59s played them because of the bigger neck and frets… it was kind of the perfect storm,” he added.

The rarity of the 1959 Les Paul

Gibson only shipped 643 Les Pauls in 1959 from the Kalamazoo factory, which makes it extremely rare. Considering all the other factors, including its special features, it should come as no surprise that 1959 Les Pauls are some of the most expensive vintage guitars in today’s market.

While it is common knowledge that Les Paul guitars are pricey, a 1959 Les Paul guitars commonly have six-figure prices, according to Forbes. A well-preserved 1959 Les Paul with a prized flame maple top might easily reach $500,000 or more.

Despite being reissued several times, nothing has since quite lived up to the virtues of the original 1959 Les Paul in the minds of many players and collectors who believe Gibson guitars are worth the money. To them, specific construction processes and materials used in the past are irreplaceable. Because of this, collectors are willing to pay top dollar for an original standard production model of the 1959 Les Paul.

Legendary Players of the 1959 Les Paul

The desirability of the 1959 Les Paul is also due to the legendary guitar players such as Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, and Slash. They used it as their main axe, further pushing the iconic image of the guitar in music culture.

In 1964, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones began playing a sunburst 1959 Les Paul Standard, making him the first “star-guitarist” to play in the British scene.

In 1966, George Harrison used a 1959 Les Paul when recording Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) with The Beatles.

In 1967, Jeff Beck played a 1959 Les Paul in his band The Tridents before joining The Yardbirds.

Conclusion

The 1959 Les Paul is closely associated with rock and roll because of its popularity among guitar heroes like Keith Richards and Jimmy Page. Beyond its association with these musicians, though, Gibson’s Les Paul has an unmistakable look and feel that—even sixty years later—remains unmatched by any other electric guitar.

For all these reasons and more, there will never be another Les Paul—and as an icon of electric guitar design and popular music in general, music fans have reason to celebrate it forever.

In Guitar

Top 10 Most Skilled Guitarists

February 27, 2022 8 Mins Read

If you are to ask someone who’s the greatest guitarist of all time, you’d probably get different answers.

It’s just that every popular guitarist right now is skillful in his/her own way.

They just have different genres, flavors, techniques, and styles that made them excel in their respective fields.

Nonetheless, if you look around or listen to people’s answers intently, you’d probably get some names twice or thrice.

So, we tried to narrow them down and identify who are the ten most skillful guitarists of all time. Here’s what we found.

Top 10 Most Skilled Guitarists

1. Eddie Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen is the guitarist, keyboardist, and main songwriter of the band Van Halen.

Eddie was accustomed to playing his guitar without the support of a bass guitarist. Because of this, he developed a one-of-a-kind technique that involves placing the guitar pick between his middle fingers.

This allowed him to gain a wider picking range, hitting multiple strings at once.

Additionally, he also lets his wrist “float” over the bridge, and with every downstroke, he hits an average of two to three notes with each string by using hammer-ons, pull-offs, open strings, and other picking techniques.

To sum it up, Eddie has a wider picking range, hits multiple strings with every downstroke, plays multiple notes with every string.

Combine all of that with his unbelievably fast picking and fretting fingers, and you get one of the most skillful guitarists to ever walk this earth.

2. Stevie Ray Vaughan

Unfortunately, this next guitar legend died at the young age of 35 years old.

Nonetheless, he was still able to garner multiple awards and nominations.

This includes six Grammys, ten Austin Music Awards, five W.C. Handy Awards, a double-platinum album Texas Flood, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

What helped SVR achieve stardom was his versatility in playing the guitar.

He had the ability to play subtly, slowly, loudly, or aggressively. He also played country, rock and roll, blues, jazz, and sometimes a mixture of all of them.

When you see him play, it’s like the guitar is a part of him.

There was even a time when he played live, broke a string, kept playing, adlibbed the rest of his guitar solo, waited for the pause, and switched guitars without missing a beat.

3. B.B. King

It’s difficult to answer who the greatest guitarist of all time is, but if you were to ask us who’s the greatest blues guitarist, there’s one name that always comes to mind; B.B. King.

He is perhaps one of the most expressive guitarists out there, aside from also being an exceptional singer and songwriter.

His intricate riffs combined with breathtaking vibratos seem like, pardon the lack of a better term, he’s making love to the guitar.

He also stood out among the other blues players because of his note choices.

Most blues guitarists use the pentatonic scale as passing notes. However, B.B. King uses the notes on the pentatonic scale as if they were part of the main act. This really catches the attention of the listeners as his guitar, Lucille, cries out every note. Thus, earning him the title “King of Blues.”

4. Tom Morello

Before modern guitarists started using a dozen pedals for their effects, Tom Morello was already there, doing anything and everything possible to his guitar.

If you’re not aware, Morello is the lead guitarist and co-founder of Rage Against the Machine, which then switched to Audioslave after the former’s disbandment.

Morello didn’t use a dozen effects pedals.

Instead, he used simple tools and techniques like scratching the strings with his palm, switching the toggle between treble and bass, and a lot more.

This allows him to make crunchy, heavy sounds while also making his guitar seem like a DJ’s turntable.

5. Slash

Slash is a really charismatic and flashy guitarist at times, which sometimes takes the spotlight off of his skills.

Then again, you didn’t think Guns N’ Roses would reach the popularity they have today if it’s all about appearances, right?

His timing, combined with his tone, vibrato, and phrasing skills, make it look like playing the guitar should be effortless.

Additionally, Slash seems to have mastered the exact time of when he should play the instrument and when he shouldn’t. That’s what made him an integral part of the band.

In fact, when Slash left Guns N’ Roses in 1996, the band started to deteriorate in terms of musical quality.

6. Eric Clapton

We’re here to tell you that being skillful in the guitar is not always about speed.

Eric Clapton is proof of that.

Believe it or not, Clapton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times! It was once as a member of Cream, once as a member of The Yardbirds, and once as a solo artist.

He’s a prolific singer and songwriter and has exemplary skills in playing blues vibratos with perfect form and phrasing. He can play multiple genres, and he also has a good command of both the acoustic and the electric guitar.

In fact, he’s so good at what he does that The Rolling Stones and The Beatles considered him to be part of their respective bands.

7. Tommy Emmanuel

When we talk about the most skillful guitarists of all time, we shouldn’t focus merely on electric guitarists.

Moving over to the acoustic department, we have Tommy Emmanuel, arguably the best acoustic guitarist alive today.

He started playing the acoustic guitar at an early age of four, and from then on, he developed his skills by playing numerous songs from different genres.

He’s very famous for his fingerpicking skills, and he can make the acoustic guitar sound like a whole orchestra.

8. Keith Richards

When we talk about guitar skills, we almost always assume that it’s about fast fretting and picking, making loud and heavy noises.

However, “guitar skills” is an extremely broad topic. With that, let’s talk about Keith Richards, the rhythm guitarist of The Rolling Stones.

What makes Richards a skillful guitarist is his way of composing riffs.

Despite the riffs and note progressions of The Stones’ songs being relatively easy, Richards knows how to cement them into people’s hearts and minds.

His compositions are so unique that they make the band stand out. Nonetheless, he is also just as skillful in actually playing the guitar.

On top of that, he can even make it look so easy.

He’s one of the few guitarists to receive the “Living Legend Award” from the ABC network.

Additionally, Keith Richards is also considered one of the pioneers of the alternative rock genre. It’s just that Richards has a way of expressing deep, dark, and enchanting emotions with his guitar.

9. Jimmy Page

He may not be the greatest guitar player of all time, but we’re certain that Jimmy Page is the 1970s’ greatest rock guitarist.

Some guitarists gain fame because of their overbearing skills that sometimes overshadow the band’s character.

However, Page can fling his guitar solos to the sky while still being grounded in the band’s songs.

If you listen to “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, you’ll know what we mean. His guitar-playing skills do not devour the band’s sound, but without them, the sound is incomplete.

His most famous technique is palm muting the sixth string between multiple notes. His alternate picking is also just as exceptional.

Lastly, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, which is more than enough reason to include him on this list.

10. Jimi Hendrix

Lastly, we have someone who a lot of people will argue is the best guitarist of all time. Of course, that’s difficult to prove.

However, simply hearing his name and instantly recognizing him is proof of this guitarist’s amazing feat.

We’re talking about none other than Jimi Hendrix.

Hendrix died at the age of 27, but his legacy will probably live forever.

This left-handed guitarist defied the traditional laws of guitar-playing.

He played lefty on a right-hand guitar by inverting the strings, and he popularized some of the most unusual guitar tricks ever, like playing behind the head or playing with teeth.

However, that’s not purely what made him famous. It’s his distortion effects, wah-wah pedal, and unconventional choice of notes and progressions that propelled him to the top of the music industry.

In fact, there’s not a list of “greatest guitarists” out there that you wouldn’t find Jimi Hendrix.

If that’s not proof enough, the fact that Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Slash, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante, and a thousand more popular guitarists look up to him is a testament to his legacy.

Conclusion

A list of ten is obviously not enough to talk about the world’s most skillful guitarists of all time.

There are dozens more that we failed to mention here.

However, we believe that these people are the ones that really made it to the top.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll see your favorite guitarist on our next list!

Let us know who you think should also be on this list!

In Guitar

How Long Should A Guitar Stay In Tune?

February 27, 2022 6 Mins Read

How long should a guitar stay in tune? Generally, guitars will only stay in tune for a day or two on average after settling in. However, new strings will probably only stay in tune for a few minutes. There are various factors that affect a guitar’s tuning stability, so there’s not really a definitive answer to this.

New guitar-owners often wonder if they’re doing something wrong to their instruments because the strings regularly go out of tune. Some say their guitars stay in tune for just a few hours. On the other hand, there are also those who say their guitars are in tune for almost a week.

Is there a trick to prolong a guitar’s tuning stability? How long should a guitar stay in tune? What factors affect the string’s tuning? In this article, we’ll teach you the most important things you need to know about your guitar’s tuning stability.

How Long Should a Guitar Stay in Tune?

On average, a guitar should stay in tune for at least a day. That is, of course, if the strings have settled in. It is important to note, however, that this is not a definite answer. Each guitar is different, and their sensitivity to tension and a lot of other factors vary as well. This means that some guitars may stay in tune for longer than a day, while others may require you to retune them after a couple of hours or so of playing.

Factors that Affect a Guitar’s Tuning Stability

To give you an idea of why guitars have such a short period of tuning stability, we need to look at the factors that influence the strings. This will help you understand your guitar better and learn how long it should stay in tune.

Type of Guitar

The first major factor that affects the strings’ tuning stability is the type of guitar you own in the first place. Electric guitars, when it comes to design and build, are by far the most stable. That’s because of their solid-body construction. The truss rod inside the neck also keeps the fretboard stable. All of these prevent the string from loosening, which in turn keeps the guitar in tune.

On the other hand, acoustic and classical guitars have hollow wood bodies. These are susceptible to changes in temperature, which cause the wood to expand or shrink. While the change in size is not very noticeable, it still somehow affects the strings’ distance from the bridge to the headstock, which then causes them to go out of tune.

Additionally, acoustic and classical guitars don’t have truss rods in the neck. This means the constant pull of the strings will affect the levelness of the fretboard in the long run. This is particularly true for poorly-built guitars. When the fretboard or neck bends a little, the strings go out of tune, not to mention the higher string action that makes them uncomfortable to play.

Type of Strings

The next factor affecting a guitar’s tuning stability is the type of strings. Generally, we have two types of strings; nylon and steel. Nylon strings are used in classical guitars and are made out of plastic. Plastic is elastic, which means they are prone to temperature changes. This causes classical guitars to go out of tune more frequently than acoustic and electric guitars.

On the other hand, steel strings are often used in acoustic and electric guitars. They are more rigid than nylon, which means they stay in tune longer. However, electric guitars have thinner string gauges, which means they are more fragile. By that merit, acoustic guitars will probably stay in tune longer when it comes to the type of strings.

There is another type of guitar we failed to mention earlier; the lute. This instrument uses 15 to 24 strings nylon strings. Because of this, they are by far the least tuning-stable guitars.

There is a joke within the guitarist community that says, “you spend half your life learning/playing the classical guitar, and the other half tuning it.”

It goes further by saying, “you spend half your life tuning the lute, and the other half playing it out of tune.”

Age of Strings

Moving forward, the strings’ age itself can also affect your guitar’s tuning stability. Strings, whether they be nylon or steel, will stretch after you purchase and install them. This can cause guitars to go out of tune mere minutes after installing the strings.

It’s completely normal. It usually takes one to two weeks before the strings settle in. This means you might have to tune your guitar more frequently during the first few days after restringing. By “frequently,” we mean every half an hour or so.

It’s also for good measure to use new strings every three months to keep your guitar in good shape.

Frequency of Playing

How frequently or seldomly you use your guitar will also affect its tuning stability. You see, when you pluck or strum a string, its tension increases. This means that the more you play your guitar, the more frequently you subject the strings to tension, which then stretches them.

This can cause the strings to go out of tune more often, but that’s not a bad thing! Don’t stop yourself from playing the guitar just because you’re afraid the strings will go out of tune. Guitars are meant to be played in the first place. After all, it will go out of tune eventually because of the other factors we’ve mentioned here, so you might as well just play the instrument regularly.

Mode of Playing

This is contrary to what we said earlier. We mentioned that electric guitars stay in tune longer, but that’s only because of their design and solid body construction. How they’re played will also affect a guitar’s tuning stability. For instance, if you play them hard and bend the strings frequently, as is often the case with electric guitars, they will go out of tune quicker.

Conclusion

We can’t get a definitive answer on how long a guitar should stay in tune simply because every guitar is different. Besides, it’s a guitar’s nature to go out of tune once in a while. The best thing we can do is to try different methods to prolong its tuning stability.

Nonetheless, it’s also important that you know how to tune the instrument because you are likely to do so every time you play it.

In Guitar

What is Drop G Tuning?

February 27, 2022 6 Mins Read

Ever wonder how musicians give life to the soul of heavy genres that typically stimulate our desire to rave, such as hardcore, death metal, and drum and bass? Do you find lower registers appealing to the ears? This technique may do the magic for you, guitar players! If you ever think Drop D tuning is already low, then you aren’t prepared for Drop G.

What is Drop G in tuning? Drop G tuning refers to an alternative tuning where the pitch is arranged to G-D-G-C-E-A (or to more specific, G1-D2-G2-C3-E3-A3).

Understanding Drop G Tuning

Drop G tuning is best demonstrated using a 6-string guitar, described to be a fifth lower than Drop D, which has the tuning D-A-D-G-B-E. If you tune down Drop D to a fifth, you will be able to yield G-D-G-C-E-A. The change done alters the pitch of all the six strings in your guitar, which helps you play in the key of G major power chords easier.

The Drop G technique is largely used when using baritone instruments, such as baritone acoustic or electric guitars, to improve playing pieces at lower notes. Note that baritone guitars are characterized by having longer-scale lengths! The usual baritone standard tuning follows the chords B-E-A-D-F-#B, a musical fourth lower than the tuning on regular acoustic guitars.

Baritone players tend to achieve tuning down their instruments by adjusting them two more semitones lower, which recommends improving the instrument by equipping heavy-gauge strings.

The reason why you need heavier strings? Dropping them down several steps can cause the strings to slack, lack tension, and produce undesired sounds. After the adjustment, it is then tuned to the 6th string, and sometimes, the first string, both to G, yielding the tuning patterns G-D-G-C-E-G or G-D-G-C-E-A.

Drop tunings in general help perfect fifth intervals, concerning the bottom two strings, in playing a power chord with one finger only. Open chords in guitars also tend to have greater resonance in comparison to bar chords. Drop G tuning helps to utilize open chords better to play sounds as bottom-heavy as it is, especially for guitarists who want to play their instruments in a bass-like tone.

Here’s our very own teaching what is drop g tuning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00MSp2mH5sM

Drop G: Song and Musicians

The use of Drop G has been prominent in rock music, particularly heavy metal, which rose to prominence during the late 1960s in the West. They were largely known for developing thick sounds that are heavily distorted, emphatic beats, and emphasis on guitar solos.

As music has evolved into the recent years, however, the tuning was also used for stylistic experimentation of artists beyond the genre. A notable musical field that uses the technique is metalcore, combining extreme metal and hardcore punk. They are defined by having good instrumental qualities for breakdowns, heavy riffs, stop-start playing, and blast beats.

While Drop G tunings have been rare in popular music, they have been notable for their usage by different bands and artists! American metal band Darkest Hour used the tuning to their songs “Wasteland”, “Attack Attack!” and “Baroness” early in their career. South Korean rock band FTISLAND, known to experiment with the tunings of their songs, applied Drop D to their song “Shadows”. Metalcore and heavy metal bands such as Dead by April and In Flames used the technique as staple parts of their discography and concerts. Pantera’s song “The Underground in America”, from The Great Southern Trendkill, made use of Drop G with a D standard variation.

How to Tune Your Guitar to Drop G

To achieve the Drop G tuning on a 6-string guitar, you must do the following in this order:

The low E string should be tuned down to G by four and a half steps.
Afterward, tune A should be strung down to D by three and a half steps.
Then, strings D, G, B, and high E must be tuned to strings G, C, E, and A, respectively, through tuning them down by also three and a half steps.
Lastly, try plucking the strings like how you normally play the guitar in order to see if the desired notes are achieved.

While Drop G tuning centers most on 6-string guitars, the technique can also be applied in seven-string guitars! The 7-string guitar follows a standard tuning of B-E-A-D-G-B-E. It shares a similar pattern with the standard tuning of the 6-string guitar, with the difference being the first B string added to be the new lowest tone.

Drop G tuning is achieved by having a tuning pattern of G-D-G-C-F-A-D. This is a whole step lower than Drop A of a 7-string guitar (A-E-A-D-G-B-E), requiring extra work to be done. Drop G tuning in 7-string guitars share a similarity to a D standard combined with a low G string!

To assist you with the tuning, here is a guide:

https://youtu.be/yp3RTyFH1eE

The Beauty of Alternate Tuning (Final Thoughts)

The purpose of alternative tunings, after all, is to make playing music more diverse and more fitting to one’s vision or experiment. Not every song or piece can be played pleasantly in any key with standard guitar tuning.

The biggest benefit might be the ease of access to any chord, riff, or key you desire to play. Specifically, under drop tuning, you may be able to play both octave and power chords with more comfort and ease, now that they are closer together on the E and A strings.

Bands prefer tuning down during their performance in order to insinuate a darker, more menacing ambiance towards the direction they are aiming for. Sometimes, they conduct alternative tunings to suit the range of the vocalist without compromising the quality of the instrumentation. Alternative tuning also allows them to get out of the zone of comfort, from playing the same comfortable patterns to achieving musical independence in terms of fingering.

Aside from improving the beauty of performances, alternative tuning also makes the standard impossible, possible. Players of riff-based music may be able to increase the complexity of their pieces. Chord inversions and wider combinations of open and fretted strings become more available due to the change in the overall tonality of the guitar.

Still, as much as you enjoy the expression of playing your guitar on drop tuning, don’t forget to learn them the way they are intended to be played also!

In Guitar

Top 10 Hardest Guitar Songs

February 27, 2022 7 Mins Read

The guitar is one of the first instruments most musicians learn to play before going into stardom. If you’re trying to advance your guitar-playing skills, maybe learning about the hardest songs you could play on the instrument will help.

More often than not, the most difficult guitar songs come from rock metal because of their fast-paced nature. Nonetheless, there are also songs from other genres that are just as hard to learn. Don’t worry. Learning to play them will surely improve your mastery of the guitar.

Having said that, here’s a quick list of the hardest guitar songs you could play.

Top 10 Hardest Guitar Songs

1. “Snow (Hey Oh)” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The song “Snow (Hey Oh)” is about two popular drugs; cocaine, sometimes referred to as snow, and heroin, which sounds like hey oh. Anthony Kiedis further explains that it’s also about continuously failing to start a new life and going back to destructive habits.

Some people might argue that this song is not that difficult to play, but Kiedis says so himself that when John Frusciante came into the studio playing what he thought was a “complex piece of flamenco music,” he didn’t even think it could work in a song.

What makes the song difficult is that, aside from being fast-paced, you have to play multiple strings in four different frets almost simultaneously. Not to mention the hammer-ons and licks involved in the riff.

2. “Master of Puppets” by Metallica

Metallica is one of the most prominent rock metal bands from the 80s and up until today’s time. They also wrote a song about drugs and how it controls the user’s life, hence the song title “Master of Puppets,” the master being the drugs and the puppet being the user.

While they were recording the song, Kirk Hammet pulled the top string of his guitar on the fretboard. It then ended up making an extremely high, almost siren-like sound. Everyone from the band loved how it sounded, and so they kept it on the track.

“Master of Puppets” is a relatively difficult guitar song because of how fast the song is, which is around 212 beats per minute. Additionally, the entire song is played with downstrokes. This means you must have quite a strong wrist to learn this.

3. “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Jimi Hendrix is one of the most popular musicians of all time, sometimes referred to as the world’s greatest guitarist. Obviously, this list will not be complete without him. “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” actually came from an impromptu jam of the band. An ABC film crew went to the studio and asked them to make it look like they were playing their instruments. Hendrix then ended up creating the riff of the song.

“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” was such a huge hit that even popular guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughn covered it in one of his albums. It was also the last song Hendrix was able to perform live before his death.

The song is full of string-bending and vibratos. Even the intro involves palm mutes. The song also incorporates mastery of the wah-wah pedal. Despite being a relatively slow song compared to the rock metal ones on this list, “Voodoo Child” is a difficult guitar song because of these characteristics.

4. “This Charming Man” by The Smiths

“This Charming Man” is one of the brighter songs on this list, and it’s also one of the easiest, despite being relatively difficult. It’s about a male protagonist who got a flat tire while on a hill. He was then approached by a charming man who helped him and eventually flirted with him.

Johnny Marr, the guitarist who composed the song, said that he wrote it specifically for a BBC radio session. DJ John Peel, a vital promoter of The Smiths, granted bands studio time for up to three hours.

The song incorporates a repetitive riff on the lower strings. However, it’s mostly upstrokes, and you have to switch between the 11th, 9th, and 7th frets to the 3rd and 5th frets quickly. That’s why you must have rather good picking skills to play the song.

5. “Neon” by John Mayer

Despite not being a rock song, “Neon” from John Mayer is surprisingly difficult. That’s probably because of the quick chord changes that span over almost the entire fretboard. Additionally, the chord shapes are also very different from one another, so you need to have flexible fingers.

Another thing worth noting is that the song does not use the standard guitar tuning. The low E string is tuned even lower at C. The original version is played with an electric guitar. However, what really gained traction from Mayer’s fans and followers was his live performance in LA, where he used an acoustic guitar. The entire riff makes it extremely difficult to even sing while playing the song.

6. “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix

We have yet another iconic song from Jimi Hendrix. The studio version of “Little Wing” is two minutes and 24 seconds long. Nonetheless, Rolling Stone ranks it at 188 of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

The chord sequence and progression are not that difficult. However, what gave it a spot on our list is Hendrix’s solo. He played numerous notes with surprisingly large gaps, and missing them or playing it slightly wrong somehow kills the song.

7. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Just like “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” also incorporates rather straightforward chord progressions. However, it’s that guitar solo that makes it a difficult song to play. The entire song is nine minutes and eight seconds long, with the guitar solo lasting for four minutes.

There are a lot of off-beats, hammer-ons, string-bending, and finger vibratos on the solo. You have to be an intermediate guitar player just to even attempt to play the song. That’s because it requires advanced skills in both your fretting and picking hands.

8. “Cliffs of Dover” by Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is best known for his guitar-playing skills. “Cliffs of Dover” is an instrumental song and is hailed as his best work. Ironically, Johnson didn’t initially think it was a great song. He wrote it in five minutes and thought it was a fluke.

His mother heard him when he was rehearsing it and said, “That song will be a huge hit.” Sure enough, the song won a Grammy Award in 1992 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

We don’t have to tell you that this song is difficult to learn. You are learning an award-winning song, after all. It’s almost exclusively for expert guitarists because you need to play the right notes at the right tempo while making sure that you get the song’s phrasing properly.

9. “Heartbreaker” by Led Zeppelin

The beginning of “Heartbreaker” is almost percussive, playing only one or two notes per beat. Don’t be fooled. It is a Led Zeppelin song, so you can expect hard-hitting guitar parts. The guitar solo requires you to press and bend the strings past the nut. Yes, we’re talking about the strings above the headstock!

Additionally, Jimmy Page almost always plays different solos every time the band performs live, so learning the song really makes it difficult.

10. “Eruption” by Van Halen

Van Halen is another rock band known for its electrifying music. Of all their songs, perhaps “Eruption” is the most difficult. That’s because it incorporates almost all guitar-playing techniques known to man.

From fingerpicking to string-bends to vibratos to slides to hammer-ons to tapping to shredding to tremolos, all of these are part of the song’s guitar solo and riff! That’s why you need to have really advanced skills before attempting to learn this song.

Conclusion

The guitar is a very common instrument in the music industry. However, as Tom Petty says, “no matter how long you play the guitar, there’s always something else to learn.” The top 10 hardest guitar songs on this list are proof of that.

Ergo, keep on learning! Who knows? Maybe your song will be featured on our next list of hardest guitar songs to play.

In Guitar

Top 10 Baritone Guitar Songs To Learn

February 27, 2022 7 Mins Read

The baritone guitar is one of the least common guitar types, but it’s also one of the most unique and dynamic instruments you can own. Since baritone guitars are even larger than standard dreadnoughts, they can accommodate larger strings and lower tunings. Whether you’re an experienced musician or just getting started, you can learn how to play baritone guitar songs using this list of top 10 baritone guitar songs to learn.

What is a baritone guitar?

Baritone guitars are tuned lower than a standard guitar (B, F#, D, A, E, B) and are typically used to play lower registers. This means that regular guitar tabs may not be compatible with your baritone in terms of tuning and string size.

Although baritone guitars are an adaptation of a standard guitar, they are not as common. Therefore, you may need to adjust your guitar tabs to make them baritone-friendly. You may also have to play chords deeper on the neck of the baritone compared to the standard guitar.

Their deep, dark tones are the perfect complement to heavy rock, metal, and punk music. There are plenty of great songs that take advantage of the baritone’s rich sound and lower notes, so we’ve put together some of the best songs to learn on a baritone guitar.

Baritone Guitar Songs for Beginners

Here are 10 songs that work well with a baritone guitar. These tunes use simple chord progressions and melody lines, making them easy to learn. Baritone guitars can be difficult to play compared to other guitar types, but you have a good chance of sounding like a pro with these songs under your belt.

1. Twin Peaks Theme

The main theme from Twin Peaks is one of the most memorable television tunes ever. It’s also pretty easy to play on a baritone guitar. The theme is played in the F major key, a common choice for popular songs.

This theme was composed by Angelo Badalamenti and made famous because of its appearance in a 90s television show called Twin Peaks. This is a beginner-level baritone guitar song that most amateur baritone guitar players should play after some practice time.

2. Glen Campbell – Galveston

If you want to learn baritone guitar, start with an iconic country song featuring Glen Campbell’s smooth voice and acoustic guitar playing. The song Galveston tells the story of a man who has been drafted and is preparing to leave for war.

It was written by Jimmy Webb, who was also the composer of songs like MacArthur Park, Up, Up and Away, and Where’s the Playground Susie. It was recorded in 1969 and reached number one on the Billboard charts in January 1970.

The chords are straightforward, and there aren’t any tricky chord changes. It only features basic guitar chord shapes. The song also starts slowly, so you’ll have time to get your hands in position on the fretboard before the tempo picks up.

3. The Beach Boys – Caroline, No

This 1960s classic is one of The Beach Boys’ most loved songs that appeared as the closing track on their album Pet Sounds. The song’s lyrics, written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, depict a disillusioned guy reflecting on his aging past love interest and losing her innocence.

This song features a baritone guitar line that is easy to follow, even for beginners. It’s definitely worth learning if you want to get into some good baritone guitar songs.

4. Metallica – Invisible Kid

Invisible Kid is about a little boy who has shut himself off from the outside world and is only visible to himself. With his sentiments of apathy and despair, he “floats” alone in his room. No one is aware of or cares about the anguish and anxiety he is experiencing on the inside.

This song is, without a doubt, Metallica’s most controversial song. It’s from their album St. Anger, their first studio album in almost five years since Reload in 1997. In this song, James Hetfield used his signature ESP baritone guitar, “The Grynch,” which was tuned to Drop-Ab.

5. Dave Matthews Band – The Space Between

The Dave Matthews Band song The Space Between was included on their 2001 album Everyday. It was the album’s first successful single and the band’s first Top 40 hit, reaching number 22 in the US.

This specific song is actually relatively easy to play. It starts with the main riff, then a chorus you can easily strum along to. After the first chorus, you can play the main riff for the verses with a swing strum rhythm. Many DMB songs don’t require too much practice as they tend to not go outside their typical structure, making it ideal for beginners.

6. The Cure – Primary

The Cure has always played with odd tunings and time signatures, but Primary is one of their easiest tunes to learn on the baritone. Robert Smith is one of the few rock guitarists that play the baritone guitar.

He uses his humble old Fender Bass VI, a baritone guitar, in many of The Cure’s songs over the years. This baritone guitar has recently come back in popularity with numerous Fender reissues.

7. Mark Lettieri – Barreleye

In 2019, Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy released his solo album Deep: The Baritone Sessions.

One of the tracks entitled Barreleye has an addictingly catchy melody. This is partly due to Lettieri’s ability to use a tremolo pedal effect for his chords. Using this style can feel good on your fingers, making it easier to play along.

This song also lets you use various techniques, from bending strings to tapping. It’s accessible enough that even beginner baritone players can learn some of these guitar techniques and not feel out of their depth.

8. The Pixies – Here Comes Your Man

The Pixies may be best known for Where Is My Mind? but they also had several great baritone guitar-oriented tracks. Here Comes Your Man is a bright, upbeat tune that serves as a nice introduction to people who are new to playing such a low-pitched instrument. It has some great bass lines and melodies, which will give you plenty of practice opportunities.

9. Van Halen – Spanked

Eddie Van Halen played a baritone guitar on the song Spanked from Van Halen’s 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. His guitar was a double-necked Ernie Ball EVH Music Man with a baritone top neck, which he used in music videos and live performances.

Baritone guitars were part of Van Halen’s sound for the first few albums, and this early tune features the instrument prominently.

10. Staind – Mudshovel

There is no denying that Staind is one of the most popular bands in metal ever. Mike Mushok, the band’s lead guitarist, has a distinct playing style. Mushok is noted for his baritone guitars and for playing with tunings, although he also plays standard guitars.

One of the band’s most famous songs, Mudshovel, is one of the first songs that comes to mind when you think about rocking out on a baritone guitar. The baritone guitar’s lower pitch makes the riffs on the song sound really heavy. This is a great song to learn if you want to add some metal music to your repertoire.

Conclusion

The baritone guitar is a beautiful instrument for any guitarist. Since it’s tuned lower than a standard guitar, it can add depth to your music and allow you to play different styles of music. We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of baritone guitar songs. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert player, these songs will give you a chance to work on your skills.

In Guitar

Why Your Classical Guitar Won’t Stay In Tune

February 27, 2022 6 Mins Read

Classical guitar won’t stay in tune: If you’ve just recently changed your strings, your classical guitar not staying in tune is normal. On the other hand, if your guitar doesn’t stay in tune for days, you might not have prepared or tied the strings properly.

One of the most common problems we see among classical guitar players is that the strings don’t stay in tune as long as a steel-string guitar. If you own a classical guitar, you might have experienced this yourself a number of times before.

Why does this problem seem isolated to classical guitars? What is it with this type of guitar that detunes the strings? Is there a way to solve this problem? Well, there are multiple factors we have to consider before we can answer your question.

So, without further ado, let’s begin our investigation.

What Causes Classical Guitars to Go Out of Tune?

Strings going out of tune is one of the many things classical guitarists share, aside from fingerpicking playing style, of course. Before we can solve this problem, we have to troubleshoot or diagnose what causes it. Here are some possible reasons.

Nylon Strings

The most prominent culprit of detuning strings in classical guitars is the string itself! Contrary to acoustic guitars that use steel strings, classical guitars use nylon strings. Nylon belongs to a group of plastics known as polyamides. Plastic is elastic.

This means that from the time you purchase your nylon strings to when you’re playing them already, they will continue to stretch to a certain point. When they stretch, they become looser, which then causes them to have a lower pitch.

Heat and Humidity

The next possible reasons why your classical guitar goes out of tune are heat and humidity. Aside from being elastic, nylon strings are sensitive. So much so that warm temperatures cause them to expand, and cool temperatures cause them to shrink. This affects the strings’ tension on the nut, which causes them to go out of tune.

Additionally, and this is also somewhat applicable to steel-string guitars, your instrument’s body is made out of wood. This means that when you pull your guitar from a slightly colder place and hold it close to you, your body heat causes the wood to expand.

While the change is not noticeable, it causes the distance between the saddle and the nut to change, albeit just a little. Nonetheless, the change in the distance still affects the tension on the strings, causing them to take a higher or lower pitch.

Improper Tie

Unlike acoustic guitars that have pegs to keep the strings attached to the saddle, classical guitars need to be tied. It takes a little bit of practice restringing a classical guitar because you need to tie the strings tightly.

Loose ties will cause the strings to slip incrementally while you wind the tuning pegs. Ergo, even if you have tuned your classical guitar properly, the constant tension from the pegs pulling the strings will cause them to go out of tune.

Loose Pegs

Another possible reason why your guitar goes out of tune is loose pegs. The string tension from the bridge to the nut and eventually to the pegs is not something trivial. If the pegs are rather loose, the strings will gradually pull on them, causing them to twist. It’s as if your classical guitar is detuning itself. Check the screws in your tuning pegs and ensure that they’re tightened.

How to Fix Frequent Detuning in Classical Guitars

Now that we know the factors that contribute to the constant detuning of the strings, it’s time to take action. Luckily, there are various methods for you to fix this problem. Below are the easiest and most common options you have.

Frequent Tuning

You always have the option of retuning your classical guitar frequently to keep it in the right pitch. If you notice that it’s out of tune, then just adjust the tension on the strings. Eventually, the strings will settle and reach their maximum stretch, allowing them to stay in tune for longer.

If you’re not a huge fan of tuning your guitar by ear, as most beginners are, you can use various tools to make tuning more convenient. There are numerous guitar tuners you can purchase from your local music store. All you have to do is to clip them to the headstock and adjust the strings accordingly.

On the other hand, your smartphone could do it for you! There are multiple smartphone applications that incorporate this technology. You just have to place your smartphone’s microphone close to your guitar’s soundhole and adjust the strings.

String Stretching

This is a very common technique used by classical guitarists when restring their guitar. If the strings stretch gradually and continuously when you install them to your guitar, then why not stretch them before tuning?

To do this, install the strings like you would when restring the guitar, but don’t tune them yet. When they reach a considerable level of tension, pull one string or all of them manually. You can either use your index finger or thumb to pull one string or place your hand under all the strings with your palm facing upward and pull them all together once or twice.

This should stretch them enough that they don’t have more room to expand after you tune the guitar.

Semi-Tone Higher Tuning

If you play your guitar every day, this method is for you. The driving principle of this technique is to give the strings room to stretch before you play them the next day. To do this, tune your guitar to the standard tuning before playing it.

However, when you’re done, make sure that you tune all the strings semi-tone higher or half-step up. All of them would be half a pitch higher, but after leaving them for several hours, they should be in the right tune when you play them the next day. Continue the process until the strings have settled.

Conclusion

Strings going out of tune are very common in classical guitars. Gladly, there are various ways to solve this problem. No, we’re not saying that you should just switch to steel-string guitars. After all, classical guitars have their own unique sound.

What we’re saying is that you follow the various methods we’ve listed here so that you don’t encounter this problem with your classical guitar.