What Strings Do I Use?

For the acoustic guitar most guitar players have a choice of light, medium or heavy strings. These are the choices in its simplist form. Take note however that you can actually buy strings by net weight in single string format. However for the majoity of recreational players, light, medium and heavy are the choices.

So how do you know which ones to string your guitar with? The obvious answer is you try all three and pick the ones you like the best for your style of play, but in order to get started here are some quick rules or thoughts about the pros and cons of each.

Light gauge strings can be manipulated very easily. They take slightly less pressure to press down to make chords. However, because they move so much sometimes they will actually move too much and slide up or down a bit more than you want which will distort the sound a bit. They also can cut your fingers a bit, especially the 1st and 2nd string. They tend to break easier if you strum too hard.

Medium strings are what I normally recommend when I am asked for advice. They tend to be very hardy with strong strumming, they usually do not twist or move when you don't want them to and they have a more robust sound to them. They are good for fingerpicking but they are just a bit tougher to play your chords on for a beginner.

Heavy strings hurt. They hurt the sound and they hurt your left hand. The strings are thicker causing more of a callous and so tend to be tough on the fingers. They very rarely break and can be used just fine for fingerpicking although they might take a bit more effort to move.