Missing Strings

Nigel Mullen · Post by **Nigel Mullen** » 22 Jun 2017 3:20 pm

Lately I am missing strings every now and then. I still play every day for an hour or two at home and work in a four piece weekend band. I am 77 years old so that may have something to do with it. I'm wondering if there's an exercise that would help me out. It's frustrating when I mean to pick say the fourth string and maybe hit the fifth one. Appreciate any help you can give me. NM

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 23 Jun 2017 2:24 am

I'll be 80 in December and occasionally will miss a string, but when I was 35 I occasionally missed a string so in my case age has nothing to do with it.

Concentration is, to me, the key to trying to avoid mistakes. As we age, concentration can be an issue. I see this with many things, living in Florida with other "retirees".

I wouldn't let it worry you unless it is frequent instead of occasional.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 23 Jun 2017 5:09 am

Jack is right. Concentration along with proper hand placement and always thinking ahead of where you are playing at the moment in the song.

While I don't usually miss a string, I do occasionally strike the string on top of it if I'm playing a faster number. Concentrate Concentrate.

Nigel Mullen · Post by **Nigel Mullen** » 23 Jun 2017 5:55 am

Thank you folks. I'll give it a try. NM

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 27 Jun 2017 2:45 pm

Anchor your pinky at any point you can that doesn't kill a string.

If that doesn't work anchor some point of your palm or wrist. All the folks who insist that your hand must be used to block the strings will be appalled, but if you can't hit the right string blocking is useless - and you can always pick block and just learn to work around it if you must. Many players do.

The idea behind either is to give you a consistent "platform" so you are always moving your fingers to the same spots - if your hand floats at all you have to find different places for fingers every time you pick a string.

I play an 8-string Fender and can usually move my hand a bit, but when I was trying to play 10-string I had to use one anchor method or the other to hit strings consistently. And I don't think age has anything to do with it - my 10 string days were back in my 20's-50's and I'm 65 (going on around 23 as far as maturity goes - if you ask some!:whoa:) now.

Don Barnhardt · Post by **Don Barnhardt** » 30 Jun 2017 1:37 pm

Don't worry about it just stay in time. I'm 80 and been doing it all my life.

Chris Templeton · Post by **Chris Templeton** » 30 Jun 2017 2:27 pm

Just a thought for practice:
Start with a pick on the selected string and then, gradually lift the picking hand and try to come down on the select string, each time, from further away.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 1 Jul 2017 7:32 am

Nigel Mullen wrote:Lately I am missing strings every now and then

do you think anyone in the crowd noticed it? ..... relax and enjoy yourself....

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 1 Jul 2017 8:12 am

If BE could miss one now and then, I think we're all entitled

Jerry Horch · Post by **Jerry Horch** » 1 Jul 2017 12:44 pm

Well.....thats not as bad as flinging the bar away, which I've done at a younger age.

Dave Magram · Post by **Dave Magram** » 1 Jul 2017 11:55 pm

Nigel,

You may want to check out this video of Bobby Black playing pedal steel...
Starting around 1:06 the camera moves in for a close-up of Bobbyâ€™s hands, and you can see him switching from having his right-hand little finger curled under his palm--to extending it to touch the first string as an anchor point. Bobbyâ€™s picking and blocking are clean and preciseâ€”and he makes it looks so easy!

â€œBobby Black improvises an instrumentalâ€
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGaMma2ap0U

BTW, Bobbyâ€™s a bit older than you areâ€”he was born in 1934.

-Dave

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Missing Strings

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