How Do I Stop Acoustic Guitar Lift-off String Sound?
Posted in acoustic guitar on 10. Feb, 2009
This week’s question is as follows:
Question: Hi. I’m a new but aspiring acoustic guitar player. I have a pretty good guitar (Yamaha FG 730S, my first!), but also a bit of a problem… Simply put, if I press down on a string, as soon as I lift my finger from the fretboard the string makes a loud noise – as loud as if I had struck the open string. Surely this isn’t normal? I can’t seem to reduce the noise even if I carefully lift off the string, and it’s worse if I do it quickly. Can any of the guitar pro’s out there give me any tips? Thanks!
Answer: You are not taking your finger off the string properly, you are actually performing a pull off.
Practise just putting your fingers on and off the frets without strumming or picking any strings.
Practise just putting your fingers on and off the frets without strumming or picking any strings.
fed ex
possibly cause you haven’t toughened up your finger tips, so the grab the string more? the other is to make sure u lift off not sort of pull off. You will learn how to control this stuff the more u play. try using your palm to mute the open strings (your picking one), it is a technique that will help
i agree 100% with jacojbass and john b. you’re actually pulling off the string. just keep practicing!
don’t be concerned ,as your ca louses develop on the fingertips that will go away
Sounds to me like you are actually giving it a little puck action upon release because you are eager and dive into the touch aspect of playing a little too enthusiastically.
Just develop a lighter touch if it is that bad.
String instruments operate by vibration. As long as the string is in motion, it will continue to resonate and produce sound. You have to get used to the feel of an instrument, you have to learn how to stop and use that factor to determine when and where you want that to occour.
Be patient… It is like the process involved in comitting anything to the subconscience. It takes loads of time and lots of practice.
Try laying the butt of your palm across the strings you hit immediately after picking or pulling off but remember that resonation is how the instrument functions… It is a string instrument!
Practice!
Hi, as a long time player, I’d agree, I hear beginners make this sound frequently. I bet you make the mistake of using too much pressure in the fretting fingers too. Your forearm weighs at least ten pounds, so don’t think about holding the headstock of the guitar up, rather clasp under the plucking arm, and use the headstock to hold up your lazy, heavy, ten-ton forearm. Use a little thumb pressure behind the neck, and just the lightest pressure you can get away with holding a barre chord with on the fretting fingers. If you clamp too tightly, you’ll never develop real colour to your notes, nor any real speed. As little pressure as you can, always.
I hope you retain your enthusiasm. A guitar can be a great and true friend over the years, and give much pleasure not just to you, but to those you play for. Never quit!
I’ve been playing for ten years seriously and even now I still do it at times.
The comments on here are accurate. You need to approache the guitar fretboard from a perpendicular angle and make contact with the tips of your fingers. When you lift your fingers, don’t pull them off simply lift upward. When that fails you do what I do……learn right and left hand muting. Palm muting with your picking hand, and muting with the extra fingers on your fretting hand can work wonders. Not going to try to explain that one on here….
The points about having too much pressure are good too. No need for the Iron Kung Fu Grip! This won’t help. You as little pressure as you need….it takes a while to get that level of touch itno your playing…but its worth it. You need to keep your hands relaxed!