2 heights to play comfortable?

tony_clifton · #1 06-26-2010, 05:50 AM

Hi!

I know strain is a bad thing and is as good as always caused by bad technique. However, what do you guys think about this?

I play in a rock band and riffing and punking along is going great, even fast licks and fills I remember from my time on guitar are a piece of cake. But one song is country and I play the good ol' 5-chords (like G-D-G-D for the G-chord). I try to relax, to not push extremely hard on the frets, use my pinky with my ring finger in support, but still my fingers feel sour/tired afterwards.

The only solution (besides changing technique maybe?) I know of is to sit down during playing, but that's not an option since it's a song the whole audince is dancing to (most of the time

)...

To be able to play comfortable I should change straps for that song. Which sounds rediculous to me? Feel free to comment on this

.

squashedOpossum · #2 06-26-2010, 06:18 AM

Doesn't sound ridiculous to me at all ... it's what I do. I use a strap like this (not this exact one, but this style) which has two holes on the bridge end that are about 6-8 inches apart. I use the higher setting most of the time, but when I play with a pick I'll adjust it to the lower setting.

JimmyM · #3 06-27-2010, 10:33 AM

ya, if you're going to change height in the middle of a gig, it's way better to have a strap with 2 or 3 button holes on it than to change straps. by the time you change straps, you could totally kill your audience momentum if you're not careful.

skwee · #4 06-27-2010, 11:12 AM

Just have a tall stool back by the drummer, and let the other band members take over for a song. Worked for me on my last gig, but we have a variety of people able to really take the stage, though.

m_bisson · #5 06-27-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

by the time you change straps, you could totally kill your audience if you're not careful.

That's what I read. Should I seek help?

JimmyM · #6 06-27-2010, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_bisson

That's what I read. Should I seek help?

immediately!

SurferJoe46 · #7 06-27-2010, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_bisson

That's what I read. Should I seek help?

Nah! You can always find another audience and start killing all over.

Yools · #8 07-01-2010, 09:20 AM

I had a similar issue with a band years ago, so I took a cheap nylon strap, sewed a couple of pieces of 1" wide nylon webbing to the front, and attached one of these quick release plastic cargo strap buckles:

Here's a side view showing what I mean:

This way I can instantly shorten the strap so that it rides higher for upper-register playing. The audience won't even know about it. The buckles are adjustable, so you can control how much shortening you want.

-Y

PS I filed a provisional patent for this years ago, so if anyone wants to mass-produce these, let me know.

PJSShearer · #9 07-01-2010, 09:32 AM

Get a hole punch and or/a Stanley (craft) knife and cut yourself a couple of extra holes in the end of your strap 2 -3 inches apart. Thats what I used to do until I found a strap with 3 holes on the body end!!,

m_bisson · #10 07-01-2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PJSShearer

Get a hole punch and or/a Stanley (craft) knife and cut yourself a couple of extra holes in the end of your strap 2 -3 inches apart. Thats what I used to do until I found a strap with 3 holes on the body end!!,

If you cut the holes without reinforcing them they might fray/tear apart. Grab a needle and thread just to prevent that from happening.

PJSShearer · #11 07-02-2010, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m_bisson

If you cut the holes without reinforcing them they might fray/tear apart. Grab a needle and thread just to prevent that from happening.

OOPs, I was assuming you had a leather strap where that wouldn't be necessary. However, if your strap was made of fabric then it would.