How To Produce Good Tones on an Acoustic Guitar

Learning to get a good tone is one of the first steps in learning to play acoustic guitar. Many beginning guitarists are surprised and disappointed to find that the strings either sound dead or buzz when they first play them. Usually with regular practice a good guitarist can get a clean tone within a few days to a week, but not always. If the guitar is badly set-up or the neck is warped, the guitar may continue to buzz until it is adjusted.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Light strings Light pick

1. String the guitar with light or medium strings. When you are first playing guitar, your fingers will lack the calluses and possibly the strength needed to push down the strings enough to get a good tone. Lighter strings will not last as long---particularly in the hands of beginning players---but they will make it easier to start getting a good tone. On the other hand, you may prefer to start with heavier, more durable strings which will last longer while you learn.

2. Position your fingers properly on the fret board. When you finger a chord, each finger should be close behind the fret, but not directly on it. If you place your finger on the fret directly, you will mute the tone. If you place your finger too far behind, you will get a buzzing tone.

3. Strum gently and play with a light pick. Beginning guitarists almost invariable play their strings too hard, since they lack the pick control required to play gently. This will make the strings buzz and also cause them to break more quickly. A light pick and a light touch will get you a nicer tone from day one.

4. Play every day. When you first start playing guitar, your finger tips are soft. The strings will dig into them, hurting them and making it hard or impossible to play notes cleanly. If you practice daily, you will quickly build up calluses and strengthen your fingers, which will allow you to play clean tones.

5. Take your guitar into a professional guitar technician to get it set correctly. A guitar tech can adjust the truss rods, string height and other things that might be out of whack on your guitar. This will make your guitar easier to play and eliminate any tone problems you still have.

Tips & Warnings

• Most music stores have on-site guitar techs who will set up your guitar for you.
• Don't adjust your guitar yourself. If you don't know what you are doing, you can easily damage it.