HOW TO ELIMINATE STRING SQUEAKS
HOW TO ELIMINATE FINGER SQUEAKS
HOW TO ELIMINATE STRING NOISE
HOW TO ELIMINATE FINGER NOISE
HOW TO GET RID OF STRING SQUEAKS
HOW TO GET RID OF FINGER SQUEAKS
HOW TO GET RID OF STRING NOISE
HOW TO GET RID OF FINGER NOISE
HOW TO REDUCE STRING SQUEAKS
HOW TO REDUCE FINGER SQUEAKS
HOW TO REDUCE STRING NOISE
HOW TO REDUCE FINGER NOISE

By Douglas Niedt

HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO ELIMINATE STRING SQUEAKS HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO ELIMINATE FINGER SQUEAKS
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO ELIMINATE STRING NOISE
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO ELIMINATE FINGER NOISE
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO GET RID OF STRING SQUEAKS
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO GET RID OF FINGER SQUEAKS
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO GET RID OF STRING NOISE
HERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO GET RID OF FINGER NOISE
HOW TO REDUCE STRING SQUEAKS
HOW TO REDUCE REDUCE FINGER SQUEAKS
HOW TO REDUCE REDUCE STRING NOISE
HOW TO REDUCE REDUCE FINGER NOISE

1. Change the left-hand fingering to avoid shifts to eliminate or reduce string noise, string squeaks, finger noise, and finger squeaks. Most string noises, string squeaks, finger noises, and finger squeaks originate from left-hand finger movement on the wound bass strings. Choose a different left-hand fingering to eliminate or reduce string squeaks, finger squeaks, finger noise, and string noise. Oftentimes, changing the left-hand fingering is the easiest way to get rid of string squeaks, finger squeaks, finger noises, and string noises. Shifts on the wound bass strings cause string noise, string squeaks, finger noise, and finger squeaks. Choose fingerings that eliminate shifts on the wound bass strings.

2. Change the left-hand fingering so that you STRETCH from note to note instead of shifting to eliminate string noise, string squeaks, finger noise, and finger squeaks.

3. Lift the left-hand fingers vertically or perpendicularly off the wound bass strings to eliminate or reduce string noise, string squeaks, finger noise, and finger squeaks.

4. Lift the left-hand fingers vertically or perpendicularly off the wound bass strings to eliminate or reduce string noise, string squeaks, finger noise, and finger squeaks. Correctly lifting a finger from a wound string during a shift (rather than sliding) eliminates the string squeak every time it is tried. Lift the finger off the string BEFORE the shift. However, you must lift vertically off the string. Some guitarists describe it as a “helicopter” lift:

5. NOTE: You can NOT get rid of string squeaks on the bass strings if you do a glissando. Other than using polished bass strings, it is pretty much impossible to eliminate a string squeak when performing a glissando.

Vertical takeoff: Lift the finger absolutely vertically off the string.
Fly horizontally or in a slight arc: Shift to the new fret destination.
Vertical landing: Place the finger absolutely vertically back onto the string.

But there is a tricky nuance to the technique. The finger must be lifted off and placed on the string at a 90-degree angle. Otherwise, the finger will scrape a coil or winding of the string (which is what causes the squeak). Here is how to do it: I call it "fake left, go right." Basically, you are overcompensating in the opposite direction and before the fact. If you are shifting up the neck (to the right), begin the shift by coming off the string to the left (when shifting down the neck, come off the string to the right). By experimenting with varying degrees of exaggeration, you will be able to find a point where you can eliminate the squeak without compromising the notes on either end of the shift. It may take some time and experimentation, but it really does work.

4. Using polished bass strings cuts down tremendously on string noise, string squeaks, finger noise, and finger squeaks. The polishing process flattens and smoothes the windings of the bass strings, tremendously reducing the friction that causes string squeaks and other finger noises. The downside is that polished bass strings sound different than regular strings. Most people would describe them as having a slightly dull sound. Others say they don’t have enough projection or clarity.

THINGS THAT WORK FOR ME TO ELIMINATE STRING SQUEAKS. Romeos and Juliets, listen up:

Strings

New strings definitely squeak more than old. But allowing strings to become dull sounding is not exactly a desirable way to eliminate string squeaks. By the way, be sure to practice the techniques mentioned in this article with NEW strings. For most players, old strings produce much less squeaking. Practicing on them will give you a false idea of how much string noise you will get when doing a real performance with new strings.

Using polished bass strings cuts down tremendously on string squeaks. Savarez, La Bella, and D’Addario all make polished bass strings. The polishing process flattens and smoothes the windings of the bass strings, tremendously reducing the friction that causes string squeaks and other finger noises. The down side is that polished bass strings sound different than regular strings. Most people would describe them as having a slightly dull sound. Others say they don’t have enough projection or clarity.

In a previous technique article, More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About GUIDE FINGERS, I related a story about guitarist John Williams. Let me quote it here again:

I was speaking with John Williams after his concert in St. Louis a few years ago. He was very excited about the strings he was using: D'Addario Pro Arte Composites Lightly Polished EJ45LP-normal tension (you can order the basses separately). He explained that the basses were lightly polished and that he could now play things like the fast middle section of Villa-Lobos' Prelude No. 4 without having to lift his fingers off the strings and that there were no string noises. He played a passage to show me. He said he much preferred to leave his fingers down on the strings to produce perfectly legato (smooth, connected) shifts. He said that in the past, when he used other strings, he would lift his fingers to eliminate the string noises. But lifting his fingers produced an element of disjointedness between the chord changes that he never liked.

The polished basses work for John Williams and he doesn't have a problem with their tone quality. They work well for me too—I especially find them useful for recording.

But a word of warning. Do NOT try to do the polishing yourself with fine sandpaper. Leave it to the professionals. Unless the string is polished absolutely evenly, it will play out of tune. I tried to do it as part of my research to write this article. We even made a video of me polishing a string. When I was done, the string didn’t squeak but its intonation was terrible. It doesn’t work.

Choose a Different Fingering

Many times, just using a different fingering eliminates string squeaks. Here are a few ways we could finger one of the squeaky phrases in the middle section of Leyenda (Isaac Albéniz):

Even though fingering solutions #2 and #3 will eliminate the squeaks, the down side is that you simply may not like the sound of an alternate fingering. But many times you can still use a fingering that you prefer (even if it is potentially squeaky) and by using different types of guide fingers or using them in different ways, eliminate or tone down the squeaks. Refer to my article on Guide Fingers for information on these techniques.

In the following example from Villa-Lobos’ Prelude #4, the first five notes are specified to be played on the 5th string. Whatever left-hand fingering you use will probably result in at least one string squeak.

We can finger the passage in various ways to eliminate shifting on the bass strings, thus eliminating string squeaks:

Some may say it is sacrilege to change Villa-Lobos’ fingering. Yes, the ideal thing would be to keep all the notes on the 5th string, maintaining an even tone quality on the melody. But in this and other similar instances, I would rather put up with the change of tone quality than have the beauty of the music jarred and my listeners’ ears assaulted by a string squeak. Remember Romeo and Juliet. You don’t want to ruin the moment.

When you are contemplating changing to a different fingering, the simple question you must ask yourself is this: is the overall effect better if I use the old fingering with the string squeak, or better if I use a different fingering that eliminates the squeak? Which preserves the mood of the music best? Which is less intrusive or noticeable to the listener? You must face up to the fact that normal considerations such as evenness of tone quality, ease of playing, security, logic, or “that’s the way I’ve always done it” may have to fall by the wayside for the greater good of not ruining the moment with a string squeak.

Lifting Fingers to Avoid String Squeaks

Correctly lifting a finger from a wound string during a shift (rather than sliding) eliminates the string squeak every time it is tried. The key word is “correctly.” The down side of the technique is that you will have dead space between the notes during the shift. When done well it will not sound obviously choppy, but as John Williams said to me, this kind of movement is never as smooth as keeping the finger tightly on the string and sliding.

Abel Carlevaro, the great Uruguayan guitarist, composer, and pedagogue doesn’t much like guide fingers at all. He recommends that the guitarist always lift the finger from the string before the shift. He says that before the shift, the fingers must "abandon" the strings. They withdraw their pressure from the string, allowing themselves to be lifted perpendicularly off the strings. After being lifted, they enter into a momentary state of relaxation, before being transported by the arm to their new fret. Carlevaro strongly emphasizes that the perpendicular lift off the string is nearly imperceptible to the eye.

Carlevaro’s focus is to execute shifts with maximum accuracy and minimal effort. But an interesting side benefit of his shifting technique is that it eliminates string squeaks and other shifting noise, especially on the wound bass strings. When the fingers are lifted perpendicularly off the strings, friction is eliminated. Therefore, no noise is produced.

Others describe the movement as a helicopter movement:

1. Vertical takeoff: Lift the finger absolutely vertically off the string.
2. Fly horizontally or in a slight arc: Shift to the new fret destination.
3. Vertical landing: Place the finger absolutely vertically back on to the string.

I call it "fake left, go right." Basically, you are overcompensating in the opposite direction and before the fact. If you are shifting up the neck (to the right), begin the shift by coming off the string to the left (when shifting down the neck, come off the string to the right). By experimenting with varying degrees of exaggeration, you will be able to find a point where you can eliminate the squeak without compromising the notes on either end of the shift. It may take some time and experimentation, but it really does work.

Watch me demonstrate the technique in this stunning video clip. This clip is sure to be a serious contender at the Cannes Film Festival this season.

But what do you do if the musical score indicates a glissando on a wound bass string such as in the opening of Villa-Lobos’ Prelude #1:

1. You could eliminate the glissando (and probably all the others indicated in the piece). Lift the finger and then shift rather than sliding. Or, refinger it. Play the opening B on the 6th string instead of the 5th with no glissando or shift. Eliminating the glissandi will markedly change the feel and character of the piece. Some would like the squeak-free and glissando-free sound, but many would hate it.

Incidentally, as I pointed out in my article about guide fingers, people often use the words glissando and portamento interchangeably or even incorrectly. A portamento can be thought of as a "slide" of infinite pitches while a glissando consists of individual notes being sounded out however quickly the glissando is executed. Therefore, a violin produces portamento when the player moves his bow on the string and slides his finger smoothly up or down the fingerboard. The guitar, piano, and pitched mallet instruments are not capable of producing portamento. The piano sounds each individual note as the player glides a finger across the keys. A similar thing happens when a guitarist plucks a note and then slides the finger up or down the string. The finger "defines" each individual chromatic pitch as it slides up or down the fretboard. That is a glissando, not a portamento.

2. Play the glissando, but use one of the techniques mentioned earlier in this article to eliminate the squeak. Maybe one of them will work for you. But I would stay away from the bacon grease.

3. Use polished bass strings.

The Conclusion

The three surefire ways to eliminate or lessen string squeaks

1. Use polished bass strings
2. Change the fingering to eliminate squeaky shifts
3. Lift when you shift.

Remember, you can NOT get rid of string squeaks on the bass strings if you do a glissando. Other than using polished bass strings, it is pretty much impossible to eliminate a string squeak when performing a glissando.

It’s worth trying the other methods mentioned earlier in this article too—you never know, they just might work for you.

However you choose to do it, whether playing your guitar or kissing your Juliet (or ladies, kissing your Romeo); do it with finesse—don’t ruin the moment with rude noises.