Guitars: How to change your strings

D'Addario and Planet Waves have an excellent video on how to Restring a Guitar. It's great for both beginners and experienced players.

After changing your strings, it's common to have to retune it constantly. This only happens if something "gives." Often, it's the extra slack that is found in the 3 to 6 wraps that the string made around the tuning peg. As you play, the slack gives... and you're out of tune.

In the video, they do a lock wrap. (Put the string through the peg, wrap it back around and then under itself. When you turn the peg, the string will wrap over itself.) This is a lot like a clove hitch, one of the strongest basic knots. Because it holds the string so well, you can have fewer wraps. (I often don't even have a complete wrap on my bottom strings.) With fewer wraps, you have less slack. Your strings can be "broken in" in minutes rather than hours.

I've been stringing all my guitars this way (except the nylon-string guitar) for about 3 years now. I've even changed strings just before performing (usually not done because of constant retuning). It works great and I recommend it without reservation.

Notes:
(a) I did try to embed the video... but I couldn't keep it from playing automatically.
(b) This didn't really work as well with nylon string (classical) guitars, for me. I think it's because the pegs have a larger diameter, the strings are a lot slicker, and the strings stretch so much. So, I haven't found any advantage to using this method with classical guitars.

Broken String

I broke a string while performing this Sunday. Really embarrassing when you're only doing 3 songs.



It was my D string. Broke at the bridge. How do you break a D string? What do you do?

I had been religiously changing my strings before every 'gig.' I really love the sound of new strings, but very few people notice. So, at $4/pack I started making them go longer.

And when the cursed event happens:

• Everything on your guitar is now out-of-tune. It
  is, indeed, the laws of physics.


• What's that? Did you say that you don't keep a spare
  set of strings in your case? For shame!


• Changing a string will take at least 5 minutes because
  you have no roadies, and the case is 30 feet away.


• Tuning quickly and making do could work... but all those
  hours of practicing all those tasty licks are... not much use now.
  Every scale. Every arpeggio. They need that string.


• What's that? You don't know where the octaves on your
  guitar are located? Too bad. It's going to be very
  hard to make-do.

I chose to make do, because I knew I couldn't grab a string fast enough.

The best way is to change your strings is on the D'Addario website: here. They stay in tune, break in very quickly, and makes changing strings super fast. You end up with about 1 wrap (which breaks in quick), but you do a "lock-wrap" so that it stays really secure (which stays in tune). Using this method, I've been able to change strings right before a performance without having to re-tune more than once or twice.

So tell me: What are your broken string war stories? What did you do?

[1] - Image from http://www.verkstad.com/art/stringball/StringBall05.jpg, by John Kieltyka

[2] - @Mike: better? :-P