Do guitar strings become harder to play when they're old?

Question

I'm starting to play my sister's guitar which is about 7 years old and I'm having a really hard time. I played some of the guitars at school and I don't remember it being this difficult. But they were made of a softer material too and the one I have now is quite hard. Fat chance, but I'm hoping that it'll help if I get the strings replaced. Thanks if you can help!

Answer 1

Absolutely. They lose elasticity as they age. This causes them to be "harder to play". They also can oxidize over time which also makes them harder to play.

If you play regularly then the strings should be changed every month or so. (some change them every week or so)

Since the guitar has sat for so long I would take it to your local music store and have them check it out. They can put new strings on it and look it over for any possible problems.

Answer 2

Strings, especially nylon ones, do lose elasticity with age, making them slightly harder to play (at least with nylon). Old strings also tend to sound dull, which may make you feel that you need to work harder for less results than when they were new. However, guitars also tend to change shape with age (affecting how far you need to press the strings down), so without knowing more about the situation we can't tell whether new strings will completely solve the problem.



The bottom line, though, is that if your strings are 7 years old they're dead as a doornail and you need to change them regardless.



I'm a bit confused though - are you trying to say that the school guitars had nylon strings and your sister's guitar has steel strings? These are two entirely different kinds of guitar. You CANNOT put steel strings on a nylon string (classical) guitar (it will destroy it) or vice versa. A steel string guitar can take a couple of weeks for a beginner to get used to, and can be harder to play unless it is decent quality and properly adjusted.

Answer 3

Just wanted to add that even top of the line guitar strings are quite affordable--but you can get an entire set of standard strings from a reputable company (such as Martin) for under $5. If you play your guitar often, you should change them every few weeks or months when they start to look tarnished or start sounding dull.

Keep in mind that new strings also will go out of tune quickly until they have time to stretch and settle (which might take a few days depending on how often you play).



As someone has pointed out--make sure you know what kind of strings belong on the guitar. If you aren't sure--take the entire guitar to some music store and they can tell you if you need nylon or steel strings. They can even put the new strings on for you so you can learn how to do it yourself next time. Nylon strings come in different tensions, and steel strings come in different gauges--this can make a difference in how easy or hard they may be to press down.

Answer 4

It has nothing to do with the age of the guitar. It is likely the guitar itself. About three years ago, my wife bought me one of those Esteban guitars off the TV. I liked it, but dang, it was hard to play, so I went to a pawn shop and got me a nice acoustic electric guitar and it played so easily. I regularly go to Guitar Center to play the Taylors there all the time and they play GREAT. So to answer your question, it is NOT the guitar's age that may be your problem, it may be the guitar itself or the strings. Sometimes as guitars age, if they are not kept indoors, they tend to warp a bit, that does include the neck. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

In theory they don't get "harder" to play. However over time they get worn out and the sound is dulled, multiple times tuning the guitar will weaken the strings and so the sound quality will be less than.

Answer 6

Most guitars have steel strings. They will not get harder than they are. Nylon ones might? But, it could be your fingers are not accustomed to playing and are getting sore. Or that guitar has more distance from string to the fretts.

Answer 7

They tend to lose their sound and feel after a while. I suggest cleaning the strings after ever time you play.

Answer 8

Yes if your guitar strings are made of nylon.

Answer 9

Yes I think.

Answer 10

try google it also