The Problem: Moving fretting fingers laterally along strings when shifting positions is an inherent part of playing a guitar. But, as most of us know, it can cause bothersome non-musical screeching sounds on round-wound strings. A player can reduce this noise through choice of strings (coated or flatwound strings), but let’s disuss what you might do with your hands.
A Solution: As explained in an earlier Tip from Mark, RELAXING your fretting hand is a key to reducing string screeching. Before you leave a chord position, relax your fretting hand as you prepare to move. This simple relaxation technique likely will considerably reduce the volume of the unwanted noise.
To totally eliminate the screeching, lift your fingers ever so slightly off the strings as you move laterally. Then squeeze again when you arrive. Many of you play my tune “Canyon Canon” – it’s all over YouTube. Apply this “relax and lift” lesson to that tune.
An Exercise: Play a first-position C chord in standard tuning. Slide this shape up to the 6th/7th/8th frets, where it becomes an F-chord sound, but is still a C shape. Experiment with relaxing the fretting hand before moving, and also with maintaining pressure on the strings as you move. Notice the difference.
This ‘relaxation’ idea is very subtle at performance tempo. Practice the ‘squeeze/relax/squeeze/relax’ exercise on the C chord slowly at first. When your fretting hand is relaxed and the strings have lifted off the fretwires, slide up to the other position. Hopefully the screeching is reduced.
More soon.
4 thoughts on “Reducing String Squeaking Noises”
I’ve now changed to flatwound strings …. no more squeaky sounds.
Glad that works, Les. It’s certainly a common string type amongst jazz players. But on an acoustic flatwounds do take some of the brilliance away from bronze strings. Make sure your fretting hand is as relaxed as possible when you move!
I am trying to solve this problem for many years, I love your books but relaxing the grip only makes the squeak worse in my case 🙁
Try “half-round” wound strings. This should reduce the screeching. They are not true flat wounds — they only lose some of the winding. Many jazz cats use flat wounds which lose some brilliance — that brilliance is nice to have on an acoustic. If you can find bronze half-round stings let me know. Or, follow my other suggestion and lift your fingertips ever so slightly OFF the strings as you switch positions. That will eliminate the screeching.
D’Addario seems to not make bronze half-round strings, but here are jazz strings you might try: https://www.daddario.com/products/guitar/electric-guitar/xl-half-rounds/ehr350-half-rounds-jazz-light-12-52/
I used Elixirs for many years with a coating that helps minimize squeaking: https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/elixir-16027.html
I now use D’Addario XS; those have a different coating process that works well for me: https://www.daddario.com/products/guitar/acoustic-guitar/xs-phosphor-bronze/12-53-light-xs-phosphor-bronze/?_gl=1*435u4j*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx9uVm–PjAMVdAqtBh0QOwT7EAAYAiAAEgJoNPD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAAD9YchtI4xQUFwgWD14rw8yKGTQ9k
Hope that helps.