New Here and need some help

Would like to say Hello to all i am new here form Orlando FL, I use to play guitar back in the late 80's early 90's, I was wondering if someone could lead me in the right direction as I dont know if this is the right section to post this in.

This is my problem just got back into playing again, but I cant figure out this problem, I just bought a new Ibanez with 24 medium type frets when I play a G chord even if the guitar is in perfect tune when I hit that top note which would be (middle finger top E string 3rd fret) it always sounds out of tune, I noticed if I pushed harder down on the string the sound or tune of the string goes higher and back down as I let it go.

I am stoked by this are my frets to high ? :confused: , am I not playing the note as it should be played? :confused: , the action on this guitar is really great considering it is brand new I am using Dunlop/Wylde medium 10's but it doesnt matter this has happened to me before and i dont know how to fix /correct the problem, and it is so frustrating please help :(
if anyone could help me or guide me in the right direction i would so greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for any comments and i'm glad to be playing again and a new member of Guitar Tricks as I have seen some amazing videos so far God Bless.
Louie :(

Hey Louie,
The intonations may be off if you are having this problem. I would recommend getting your hand in the g chord position and just play the high e string and see if the G note is out of tune. Make sure you are not bending that high e string because this will for sure make it sound out of tune. If you are not bending the note and it is still out of tune, I would take it to someone who could set up guitars. I am sure there are people here that could help you with this but I always take my guitar to someone when I have problems. I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by: Dan AcheronHey Louie,
The intonations may be off if you are having this problem. I would recommend getting your hand in the g chord position and just play the high e string and see if the G note is out of tune. Make sure you are not bending that high e string because this will for sure make it sound out of tune. If you are not bending the note and it is still out of tune, I would take it to someone who could set up guitars. I am sure there are people here that could help you with this but I always take my guitar to someone when I have problems. I hope this helps.

Hi Dan,
Thanks you for your reply, I might just do that and take it in, I can tell you that I am not bending the string but I do notice that when I am playing the G chord I look at the frets and they seem high up, even though they are medium frets, so just pressing down on the string so it will touch the fretboard changes the tune like almost a half step up but not quite all the way and as I slowly let up it will go back to the regular tune, i dont know if you understand what I mean.

its like taking a string and putting it across 2 pieces of wood spread apart then pushing down on the string causes the string to sound higher in tone then letting off of course it goes back to its nomal tone same problem i have playing this G and others too like the A note on the E String right next to the nut as well.

I am also thinking maybe I am not pressing the string hard enough? or maybe I should have my frets filed down ? I mean isnt the proper way to play is for any string that I play to be touching the fret board hard ?
:confused: thanks for any help

Originally Posted by: Louie_blu
I mean isnt the proper way to play is for any string that I play to be touching the fret board hard ?

Hi Louie... its a common mis-conception that you have to press really hard to make the note sound correctly. Actually you simply have to press hard enough that the note sounds CLEANLY, which usually isn't that hard at all. For example, on both my electric & acoustic I can sound single notes without even having my thumb behind the fretboard. I don't need a "deathgrip" to get the notes to sound correctly.

What I'd suggest is be open to the idea it could be your technique, and divide & conquer. First, make sure the guitar is in perfect tune. If you don't have an electronic tuner, get one. Then, like Dan was suggesting, play just the single note that is giving you trouble, but play it with your index finger. Check the note by ear and with the tuner. If its in tune, the problem is you. I had the same thing happen to me where in a solo I just kept bending a note out of tune, and it just took a while of making a conscious effort to get rid of the problem. It may be that when you add your other fingers, you're unintentionally bending that note. Even just a little bend will make a note in a chord sound out of tune.

If the note seems out of tune even when you just play it with one finger, check your intonation with the tuner. Tune your guitar, make sure each note is spot on, and then play each note at the 12th fret. If the notes at the 12th fret are flat or sharp, but your open strings are spot on, then yes, your intonation is out. You can set it yourself, but I won't go into that right now. Its not complicated and its a good thing to learn how to do. Just do a Google search and you'll find instructions.

If the intonation is good, and you're still getting the problem, then it could well be that the fret is too high. However, you'd think that would cause problems with the other notes as well. You could have a high spot, but you'd need a guitar tech to determine and fix that for you. I'd only go to tech when you've ruled out player error and intonation.

Let us know how it works out,

Cal

Thank you Slipin, will take your advice gonna pick up a tuner from the music store, I will also try positioning my finger around the fret see if that changes, but i have a good feeling i might have to take the guitar to a tech, I would like to learn how to do all this on my own, I have seen a couple of videos on you tube already that make sense, thanks again for your help

I really appreciate it :)

Louie

Your goal isn't to touch the fretboard. The FRET is what cuts the string length off and gives you different pitches. That is why you play as close to the fret as possible, not further away from it. The best way for a note to be played is to touch the string as lightly as you can, while still getting a good tone. That is, you have to press down enough for the note to sound, but no further pressure is needed.

Take a look at scalloped fretboards and try to touch the fretboard haha.

I tried that eariler Hunter and it works a lot better then how I was playing it before, I would like to get the strings a little bit lower on the neck I can tell the guitar needs a little work on it, so I am gonna bring to a tech.

Thank you so much for the great tip it really helped me and again thank you guys for all your help, Love the Guitar Tricks Community

Rock on
Louie :) :) :)