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Gaining
Speed
Q I can
play along flawlessly with slow versions of leads, but when I switch
to performance tempo, I stumble repeatedly. My right hand gets rigid
and won’t move fluidly. Is this normal?
Trevor Schultz
Salt Lake City, Utah
A It sounds
like you may have answered your own question: "my right hand becomes
rigid." The trick is to relax that hand as you pick up the pace
of your leads. First, be sure that your right hand is relaxed when
you’re playing slowly. Then, gradually increase your speed using
a metronome, and make sure that your hand stays relaxed and your
movements stay precise every step of the way. Take it slowly; don’t
ratchet up the metronome until you’re ready. In time, you’ll be
able to play those tricky passages you’ve been working on fluidly
and at performance tempo.
You may also find that you need to simplify those complicated leads
you’ve worked out at a slow tempo in order to play them at performance
tempo. As you slowly increase your speed along with the metronome,
notice which parts you’re having trouble with, and see if you can
simplify them somewhat. Sometimes even just playing the same notes
on a different part of the fingerboard will solve the problem. Other
times, your pick may just be getting held up on one note, and removing
that note or substituting a different note for the problem child
can work wonders.
—Andrew DuBrock
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The
Zero Fret
Q How
does the zero fret on guitars help intonation?
Russ Horner
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
A The zero fret, an actual fret some
guitar makers use in the position normally taken by the nut, does
not change intonation in and of itself. Zero frets have appeared
on guitars practically as long as fret wire has been used, and in
fact, some 19th-century guitars used fret wire as a bridge saddle
as well as for a zero fret. In theory, the zero fret causes an open
string to have the same tone as a fretted one and makes it easier
to set action at the factory. But as long as the slots in the nut
(often positioned behind the zero fret) or the zero fret itself
are at the correct height, then the zero fret’s effect on intonation
is practically nil. There’s more difference in tone and intonation
between brand-new strings and week-old strings than there is between
a zero fret and a string nut. I’ve made guitars both ways, and I’ve
gone back to using a conventional string nut as much to avoid having
to talk about it as for any theoretical reason.
—Rick Turner
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Acrylic
Allergies
Q I recently developed
a severe allergy to fingernail polish, so bad that my eyes swelled
practically shut. Do you know of any product I can use on my nails
safely? I had acrylic nails for years but am really afraid to try
them again.
Jane Kerford
Pasadena, California
A
There are several alternatives to acrylic nails that you
could try, but given your severe reaction in the past, I’d proceed
with caution with any of them. The least problematic might be nail
strengtheners that rely on natural ingredients. Rather than reinforcing
the nail, these products make your real nail grow stronger, which
will obviously take some time. I’ve used a product called Nutranail
(www.nutranail.com)
in the past, and while it didn’t make my nails as strong as acrylics,
it allowed me to play with natural nails again after using acrylics
for several years.
If your allergy allows you to use superglue, then you have other
options. Savarez’ new nail kit (see New Gear, March 2002) uses a
special glue and synthetic silklike material to reinforce or repair
weak nails. I’ve used similar products from the drugstore with good
results as well and have found this to be an excellent and less
damaging alternative to acrylics.
One of the strongest solutions is to glue small pieces of Ping-Pong
balls to the underside of your nail. You may need to experiment
to find the right kind of balls and superglue, but the results can
be excellent and long-lasting. I only use this method to repair
a broken nail, but John Renbourn is among the players who have switched
to Ping-Pong balls for regular nail reinforcement.
—Teja Gerken
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Send Questions, tips, or observations to Acoustic
Guitar’s online discussion forums at www.acousticguitar.com
or write to Dear A.G., Acoustic Guitar, PO Box 767, San Anselmo,
CA 94979-0767.
Excerpted from
Acoustic Guitar magazine,
April
2002, No. 112.
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