CityOfAngels

I've been learning how to play guitar for about a month and a half or so, and even though it's a slow process of learning at times, it frustrates me to no end when I'm trying to play and some of the guitar strings rattle off of my nail or a fret or whatnot. Just so you know what I'm talking about, I recorded myself playing a small tune I wrote to practice switching strings. You can hear the rattle in some of the notes: http://www.gamesandbkbcards.com/guit.../practice1.wav

How do I prevent this? When I hear people perform, rarely if ever do I hear that rattling sound, so there must be something I'm missing.

pig

I'll have to get to speakers in a second. Quick questions:

1. Can you tell if it's in the box, the fretboard, or the head stock? A lot of rattles/buzzes some from strings hitting the frets on the top end of the guitar...speaking of which

2. What kind of guitar / how nice, etc? If your neck is warped, or your tuning pegs are loose, or your frets are too high...or if your saddle isn't secure - expect the buzz. I get one one occasionally on my g-string...and for me it was a question of tuning pegs and a little neck work.

Just listened to your audio. To me, it sounds like technique...like your thumb (most likely) is catching the string as you play. The big question is whether you get this on an open string note, and if not is it related to a particular fret position on the A string or whichever that was it was catching on. It will take you way longer than a month and half to get solid picking technique. Frankly, I'm impressed that you sound that clean after a month and half.

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crackpot

I can't listen to your audio right now, unfortunately...

As <b>pigglet</b> mentioned... headstock: check that all the hexnuts around the tuning pegs are reasonably tight...
Umm, so, clean picking technique is a good thing.
Clean fingering: bar chords can sometimes cause buzzing if your barring finger is not solid across all relevant strings. Or, perhaps, a specific fret is to blame. Try playing single notes on every string & fret (one at a time!); see if certain spots give you a little rattle. Sometimes a fret can be worn down such that when fingering on that fret, the string sits a little lower than it ought to be, causing it to vibrate against the next fret up (a less worn fret). Aside from a costly refretting, you can (I <i>think</i> you can!) raise the string a bit from the bridge saddle.
Alternately, one (or more) strings may sit a bit too low in the nut, causing slight vibration against the first fret. Again, that string may be raised slightly at the bridge... or you can get someone to replace or adjust the nut. I think I read that you can put a little epoxy glue in the offending nut slot (without the string in it, obviously!), let it dry, perhaps file it smooth, and voila, it's a little higher than before. Ask someone knowledgable before putting epoxy all over your guitar please!

I'm really hung over at the moment; I apologize for any lack of clarity in my response!

ratbastid

Two things:

1) I played your wav file just now, and lurkette stuck her head around the corner into my office and said, "That was pretty, whatever that was." So there's your compliment for the day.

2) It's all a matter of practice. You miss the fingering on a fret and your string screeches at you, and eventually, eventually, you learn not to do that anymore. A month and a half into learning guitar, you shouldn't expect to be Segovia!

cyrnel

Technique, but also callouses and strength.

Before my callouses developed, the buzz always reared its head after about a half hour of practice.

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drainpipe

Just curious CityOfAngel, but what song was that?

vanblah

That comes from not being in the proper position or not "pressing hard enough" on the string. The string rattles against the metal fret.

It can also happen if you over pick the string (pick too hard -- or pluck too hard in the case of finger picking).

guthmund

There are plenty of physical reasons why a string will rattle, but listening to the recording and knowing your playing history (by the way, you sound fantastic for a couple of months in ), I'd chalk it up to poor positioning or insufficient finger strength.

Personally, when I get the 'rattle' it's usually because my finger positioning is out of whack causing me to apply insufficient pressure on the strings (usually the lower strings E and A).

I should also mention the strings themselves. Strings stretch, which means they'll lay closer to the fretboard and sound unnaturally flat. Unless you've been gifted with perfect pitch or regularly tune up before you sit down to play, it can be difficult to notice. And since vanblah mentioned finger picking...if you are finger picking this (and I'd say you are, but that's just a guess) the direction you pluck can cause the rattle as well. If you pull the string away from the guitar, which is especially easy with the 'lower' strings when using your thumb, it can cause the string to fly back and slap the fretboard when you release it. I had a helluva time breaking myself of that habit, since pulling the string 'out' seemed so natural.

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