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Topic: Bar to string pressure or not ? |
Ray Anderson
From:
Jenkins, Kentucky USA
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Posted 6 Apr 2011 2:46 pm |
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Rookie of the Newbies here, was wondering if there was pressure needed or not needed from bar to strings and if so how light or heavy? I need some string advice: what is the tone difference in Nickel vs. Stainless ? It's time to order strings and some help would be appreciated, I need all the help I can get. I just don't understand why a man would wait until he was 57 years old to undertake a task such as this but it sure is pleasing.  |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 6 Apr 2011 3:30 pm
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Yes: You should put enough pressure on the bar to stop any strings from rattling, but not so much pressure that you are causing intonation problems. Like most things related to playing steel guitar, there is a fine line that you must walk.
You should also be putting pressure on the strings to the left of the bar with your left hand fingers, to deaden the strings on the left side of the bar. The goal is to have all of the vibration of the string happening to the right of the bar (between the bar and the changer), and no string vibration happening to the left of the bar.
Stainless steel strings are brighter than nickel wound strings. In my experience stainless steel strings cause more extraneous noises from bar movement and your hand. Stainless steel strings may last longer before sounding dead. |
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Ray Anderson
From:
Jenkins, Kentucky USA
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Posted 6 Apr 2011 3:48 pm Bar to string pressure or not ?
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Thanks Paul, I guess I was doing it right after all. That 's what I needed to know on the strings, I make enough noise trying to play I don't need any extra help with that aspect. Just wanted you to know that you're Youtube videos have been an enormous help for me, esp. the B&C pedal tutorial, just one small problem here, there's not enough of them.LOL You are very thorough and slow enough to allow absorption for people like me. I need volume pedal help i.e. when to sustain and how much and at what point or interval in a chord progression of a melody. There just has to be a method or a practice to teach this. Thanks again.  |
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Norbert Dengler
From:
germany
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Posted 15 Apr 2023 1:10 am
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never thought too much about this , but recently I found out that i w as putting more pressure on the bar than necessary
Especially in the higher registers I notice a remarkably increase in sustain when I just use the bar weight.
now i have to get used to get a lighter touch on the bar hand. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 15 Apr 2023 4:51 am
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Fine line, like Paul says 
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 15 Apr 2023 6:29 am
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Think violin bow. Gentle , firm control . To much pressure is no good. Destroys tone. Also if you have tension in your hands they can’t react properly. Intonation will suffer also. I spent hours with Buddy Charleton showing me how to not grip the bar to hard.
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Bob |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2023 2:33 pm
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Check your fingers behind the bar pressure closely too. If you put to much pressure on the strings with your Little Finger, Ring Finger and Middle Finger. Then it takes more pressure on the bar to get clean notes. It can be a problem without realizing it.
If your hand was seriously hurt at some time, Can add to the problem.
Good Luck and Happy Steelin. |
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Mike Selecky
From:
BrookPark, Ohio
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 25 Apr 2023 12:33 am
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AND- you can acquire a couple of different bars with different weights. I've personally been using a lighter bar for a decade as I also have left hand fatigue issues now and then . And as mentioned above, its a fine line, hand, pressure , bar weight etc...
In 10 years (LOL) it will all become 2nd nature ! 
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2023 7:01 am
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Usually just the weight of the bar is enough.
Erv |
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