There's nothing more annoying than going to play something on your guitar and hearing…
Bzzz
But why do your strings buzz?
Are you doing something wrong? Is it your guitar?
Today I'll show you a couple simple hand adjustments you can make to avoid that annoying buzz.
I'll also explain what it could be if it IS your guitar, and what to do about it.
First, let's make sure it's not something you are doing wrong.
By far the biggest mistake I see with beginners is they do not give it enough pressure. Especially on an acoustic guitar.
Try simply just applying more pressure to press the string down and see if the buzzing stops.
If you're brand new, it's normal for it to hurt your finger tips. You need to build up calluses first.
But you shouldn't have to give it a death grip. If you feel like you're really having to tense up to stop the buzz, it could be the guitar. More on that in a sec.
Another thing to look at is where you are placing your finger. If you are literally ON the fret, you'll probably get a buzz. Too far to the left will also create a buzz.
You want your finger to be just to the left of the fret. Right next to it. Sometimes for certain chords you will have it positioned more in the middle.
And that's really it.
- Make sure your finger is in the right spot.
- Make sure you're giving it enough pressure.
If you're sure you're doing that right, it could be your guitar.
Here's what to look for.
Does it buzz pretty much everywhere? Your action is probably too low. Action is how high the strings are from the neck.
This is very subjective, but I prefer my action to be as low as possible, without dead notes. But I also tend to dig in a little with my picking hand, so it does create what I would consider a "normal buzz."
You can lighten up with your picking hand to clean that up. But that's not really what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about a buzz that is so annoying it's distracting from the actual note being played.
Another thing it could be is your truss rod. That's the little metal rod that runs through the center of your neck. If it's bowed too much the wrong way, the strings touch the frets and you'll get a buzz.
Does it only buzz on one or two frets? You've probably got a high fret.
Frets are supposed to be dead level with each other. Sometimes one sits a tad taller than the rest, and the string rattles against it.
A tech fixes this by leveling the frets. And added bonus, if you've never had your frets leveled and polished, you'll notice how much smoother it plays!
Did you just change your strings? If you put lighter strings on to go easy on your fingers, that can cause it too. Lighter strings have less tension, so the strings sit closer to the frets.
So how do you fix it if it IS your guitar?
Well, I always take mine in to get a professional setup. And that's exactly what I would recommend. They will adjust your action, intonation, etc. It can do wonders for playability!
But make sure you take it to someone who knows what they are doing. Not all setups are created equal...
One time I was at Guitar Center, and the "luthier" was working on someone's intonation. I heard him say "I'm trying to figure out which way to turn this thing."
Yikes!
If you're the DIY type, sure, you can look around on YouTube for some tutorials and try to do it yourself.
Personally, I've always been way more interested in playing the thing vs working on it, so I never learned anything outside of basic maintenance and changing my strings. I also saw my dad try to "save money" and do it himself, end up screwing it up even worse, and having to pay someone to fix his mistakes.
But if you want to do it yourself, go for it!