When you play your guitar, you’re probably not worrying about the microscopic danger that could be lurking just inches away from your fingertips. Luckily, it’s nothing to worry about. But if you ever did happen to think about it, it’s a good idea to know how to avoid getting cut by your guitar strings. Besides being painful and annoying, getting cut by your strings can also cause serious damage to your hands. The sharp edge of the string may cause bruising and swelling. Later on, you might even develop ingrown fingernails and cuts in the skin as well as blisters or second degree burns on your fingers if they come into contact with the string again after its first cut. With these dangers in mind, let us discuss the ways in which you can keep from getting cut by your guitar strings:
Don’t pluck your strings
While it may seem like a great idea to pluck the strings on your guitar, this could result in serious injury. Plucking the strings on your guitar can bend them out of tune, and it’s also harder on your fingers than just lightly touching the strings. Plucking strings also puts more stress on your bridges, which can cause them to crack over time. Plucking your strings also puts stress on your angle of attack, which can alter your sound and tone. Plucking is best left to electric guitarists and the occasional acoustic player.
Always restring before playing
It may seem like a good idea to pluck a new string or two and play a few riffs before your new strings have had enough time to stretch a bit. While this is fine if you’re doing this with new strings you just purchased, it’s a bad idea if you’re restringing your guitar with strings that have been on your guitar for several hours or days. If the string is worn or frayed, it could be too tight, and the tension from plucking it could cause it to snap. If the string is too loose, it’s an even more dangerous scenario. If you pick the string and it snaps back, it can very easily slice your hand. It could also damage your guitar’s strings and possibly crack the bridge over time. Either way, re-stringing before you play can be dangerous.
Use a soft, microporous string protector
There’s nothing wrong with using a string protector if you’re a beginning player who isn’t very experienced with string damages and cuts. String protectors are specifically designed to cushion and protect your strings from damage. You should still be very careful when using one, though. You should never pick your strings while they’re being protected by a protector. Doing so could cause you to bend or snap the string, or even damage the protector, which would leave you with a string that’s dangerous to come into contact with. You should also be sure to remove the protector before putting your strings away, or they might get damaged while they’re in their case.
Use a fingerboard cover if you don’t have any
Many people don’t like using string protectors for a variety of reasons. One reason may be that you don’t want to cover up the look of your fingerboard. If this is the case, you can use a fingerboard cover. These covers are usually made of the same material as your fingerboard, so they won’t detract from the look of your guitar. You can also use a fingerboard cover if you don’t have any string protectors on hand and you’re re-stringing your guitar. You should still be very careful when doing this, though. You should never pick your strings while they’re being protected by a cover, and you should be sure to remove the cover before putting your guitar away or else it may get damaged.
Hold your strings with fingers and thumbs when playing
This may seem like a no-brainer, but many guitarists don’t hold their strings with their fingers and thumbs when they’re plucking. While it might seem like a breeze to pluck the strings with your fingers, you’re putting more pressure on the strings with the hand you’re using to do so. This puts more stress on the strings, increasing the chances of damage or breaking. You should also be careful when plucking with your thumb. You’re putting a lot of force on the strings with your thumb when you use it to pluck them. Over time, this might damage your guitar’s neck or even crack your guitar’s fretboard.
Keep your guitar in tune and use fresh strings
It’s important to keep your guitar in tune by occasionally adjusting your strings’ tuning. If your strings are damaged or frayed, they’ll be much harder to tune. If you’re re-stringing your guitar, be sure to use fresh strings. It’s easy to confuse fresh strings with old strings by thinking you’ve re-strung your guitar with fresh strings when in fact you’ve re-strung it with old strings. In this case, your strings are much more likely to break or cause damage to your guitar.
Conclusion
Guitar strings get damaged over time and are especially harsh on fingers. If you’re not careful when plucking your strings, you could end up cutting yourself. That’s why it’s important to keep your strings protected and in tune. You might also want to keep a fingerboard cover on hand in case you break a string while you’re re-stringing your guitar or if you’re plucking your strings with a string protector in place.