String Energy, part 2

In this blog post, I spoke about string energy in tapping techniques.   Since then, I've continued to greatly focus on string energy in tapping, touch, and legato techniques.  The 30-string Contra-Baritone guitar has been key to this research/experimentation/learning process.

The two highest courses on the 30-string's Contra (18-string side) are tuned to  G and C.  Both of these courses are the only two unison courses on the instrument.  For the past couple of years, I'd been using .014 gauges for the G course, and .012 for the C course.  Last week, I realized that these gauges weren't speaking as well as I'd like when using tapping and legato techniques.  So, I moved to lighter gauges for both courses, changing them to .013 for the G course, and .011 for the C course.  It made a palpable difference in response, tonality, volume, and articulation.

This discovery was a bit counter-intuitive, as the heavier the string, the less energy is required for tapping or legato techniques.  However, the G and C courses are the highest open strings on this instrument, so it seems that the "heavier is better" rule doesn't apply as I'd expected; at least, on these two courses.

In fact, there have been other instances on the carbon fiber instruments wherein moving to slightly lighter gauges in the treble registers worked more to my liking.   For the bass registers, I still prefer using the heaviest gauges possible, up to a point.  I find better responsiveness, increased volume, and I prefer the tone and voice of heavier gauges in the bass registers.

Of late, I'm finding that I'm getting cleaner lines and chords in the bass registers by using less energy.  I'm still getting good volume and response, but I'm putting less energy into the bass register strings than the treble register strings.  It's creating an improved tone and voice in the bass registers.

It's really all just part of tapping, touch, and legato string techniques.   The research and learning continues.

-kk