Chords for My Top Acoustic Guitar Tips

[Dm] _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ _
_ [D] _ _ Hey y'all, [N] Jay here.
I'm coming at you with a couple tech tips.
I get frequently asked
at live shows and in recordings how I get the guitar tone that I get etc, etc, etc
So I wanted to take a minute to share with you what I learned from an actual guitar tech _ _ _ full disclosure _
Not a guitar tech at all
In any way shape or form now a few years ago
I had a really good conversation with a guitar tech who was a tech for a rather well-known artist
I happen to be on the same stage that day had a great conversation showed me a few things.
So here you go
_ _ One of the things I found to be incredibly invaluable is this right here _ _ _
_ Yeah, boy _ _ _
dr.
Ducks
_ Axe-wax I use it on the fretboard
Also to clean it up that sort of thing.
I've had that particular bottle
I think for about two years now only takes a few drops and you're good to go keeps the fretboard conditioned
_ Keeps it from being sticky
_ Especially at outdoor events because I think we all know as guitarists that happens a lot
I'm not a big fan of the other products on the market.
I'm sure they work fine
I'm sure lots of people are gonna say lots of things good for you.
I don't like it
_ _ Probably the most frequently asked question is what's my preferred guitar string? _
So here you go
_ _ right there
_ _ Those strings right there string joy mediums now when I'm doing a lot of shows
It gets to be fairly cost preventative, even though these strings last quite a while
But when I'm doing a lot and most of them are outdoors during the summer, honestly
_ _ When I'm on the road and I can't get these I just use D a Darius.
Now.
This is a little more specific to the
three per side headstock
_ Acoustic guitar setup _ _ and that is when I
Tune the guitar _ I tune from the center out in other words.
I bring up the center to _
strings
_ Almost attention, but not quite
But I moved to the next two then I moved to the outer _ and then I just repeat that again to bring it fully up to
tension and tune
Now what I noticed when I use that tuning method is a much more balanced and stable tone out of my guitar
_ now I always ran into issues with
_ _ Boominess or real spikiness or just that ice picky sound on the high strings when I do it this way
I don't get that when I plug it in.
It sounds great.
In fact, I get a lot of compliments and questions
_ About my guitar setup when I go play live now, I prefer a compensated nut on all my guitars.
In fact
Several of them have compensated nuts and I don't generally play those with other guitar players
because it always creates this course the effect because
_ _ _ _ Acoustic instruments are sort of or specifically acoustic guitar is _ _
Intonation is not stellar _ _
Most all the time _ now
This is a question I get frequently from other guitar players trying to figure out my songs and how I'm playing them, etc
Etc.
_ And I don't view this as a competition.
So I'm just gonna tell you I
Generally just don't tune to 440
_ _ If I do it's down a half step.
I don't personally care for the sonic characteristics _ of
My guitars tuned to 440 some personal preference
Right wrong and different don't care doesn't matter.
That's what I do now depending on the song
I'll either be down a half step from 440 plus it makes it easier to play and as some of you know
I have a degenerative nerve disease.
So I need all the help I get
_ _ But honestly a lot of times and the reason people always ask me.
Hey when I play that G it doesn't sound right
It doesn't sound like what you're playing.
That's because I'm playing in 432 _ _ _ _
We don't know what that is look up different tunings different voices there's lots of open tunings and things but 440 standard
_ There's a lot of very heated debate from a lot of people about the _ 440 being right or 432 being right?
I don't care
What sounds good to my ear is what I do if it works better for the song
I run it in 432 _ if it works better in 440.
I will do that as well
so I encourage you to _ _
_ Experiment and find what works for you. _
I know there are some common rules
_ But it's your art and you're the one creating it.
So you make your own decision now, I believe that your hands
_ Make the biggest difference in the world in any instrument.
I've seen
_ phenomenal guitar players take a total crap box and
Blow me away. _
I'm not that dude
_ _ _ But you get your sound
Right [E] here.
All those gadgets and things are cool and fun
[C#] _ _
The latest greatest coolest coded strings or whatever.
[N] That's great.
Those are all fun little things to do _
They're right here.
That's it.
This thing right here.
_ _ _ _ That's probably the most important tip I could give you
_ _ So to recap I keep my fretboard hydrated. _ _ _
I use nut lube
_ insert bad joke here _
which is
_ This stuff here not associated with them at all in any way shape or form
But it works.
I've had that bottle for like two years just takes a couple drops.
It's phenomenal _ _
These are my strings of choice have been since I heard about them.
I got lots of friends in Nashville who use them all the time
_ _ But again when I can't get them or I'm going through them like crazy because it's a crazy summer or whatever and there's
Strings being changed a couple times a week.
I just use regular old D'Addario's
I tune
_ From the inside out or vice versa.
I don't go one two, three, four five six or one two, three, four five six
_ Always in pairs always opposing pair starting in the middle going to the outside and I never tune one string up to full tension
Before tuning everything else up I get everything up gradually
_ Too close to tension and then fine tune it in that pattern
Lastly I don't always tune in 440.
I tune in 432 or down a half step of either of those two or both _
Depending on what the song calls for and what feels right to be honest
Now this isn't a new topic by any stretch of the imagination
Everybody has their opinion and I'm sure you do too, and that's great.
Just tell me what I do
Now when I tune I use my tuner to get really really close, and then I finish it off by ear now if I
_ Run everything up to a perfect pitch or whatever on the tuner.
It never sounds quite right to me
So I fine-tune by ear and it's always off according to the tuner
Which is fine if I'm playing with a large group.
I'll make sure everything is right _ _
But I _ do what sounds best.
I put it where it sounds good to me now if you're an acoustic guitar player
_ Specifically I would encourage you to go check out James Taylor's
_ Video yeah the James Taylor's video about how he tunes his guitars _
That did more for me than any books or videos.
I've ever watched
regarding tuning I
gained a much better comprehension of the relationship between the strings and
Quite frankly when I use that method it just sounds better
Plain and simple
_ Anyway, there you go if you have any questions love it
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