is playing a guitar dangerous?

Question

my mom says that playing guitar is dangerous because the strings may break and hit your face, arms, eyes. is this true?

Answer 1

Your mom is a little to over protective.

Answer 2

I will go so far as to say, yes it is dangerous, keep your head away from the string when playing, because an old string could break at any time. Also, when re-stringing and tuning, again, keep the head away. It is extremely, extremely, rare, but why not use extra care? I use wire cutters and cut off all my strings at once, and I've never had a problem, but who knows. Try it yourself. Put your hand of the strings with your left hand. Use your right to cut the string, keeping your face away. Cut the string to the right a bit, so even if the remaing string flys up it can't hit you. You will see how very rare it is for the strings to fly up at you. Almost never happens.

It is also very dangerous to *not* play guitar. Playing guitar reduces stress, great exercise (if you do it right), is a great way to meet members of the opposite and sex, and is much better than dancing, which can some people look downright silly.

Answer 3

I've played for 35-40 years and I've never had that happen to me, what you have to know it not to take the strings beyond pitch. I know how your Mom feels, I feel this way about a lot of students, I always tell them to turn away from the guitar when tuning until you know what your doing, there's a way to turn it downwards away from the face when tuning you just have to be shown how. My Father did break a string one time and it hit him in the face, but no damage, and he was drinking at the time and probably not paying attention to what he was doing.
So don't worry this does not happen often, you have to know what you're doing that's all !!! Please don't let this keep you from playing, it's the greatest reward in the world and the greatest thing to keep you from becoming bored !!!!!!!

Answer 4

I think your main concern would be carpal tunnels. Just remember to keep your wrist and hand relaxed when you play. Strings do break on a guitar, but it's not likely to cause any major damage... unless you're looking down the body of the guitar with your face only six inches away when a string snaps! Then you might have something to worry about! I've had a string snap on me before, gave me a little cut on my hand, but it was gone in 5 minutes. Nothing to be overly worried about. Hope this helps. :)

Answer 5

Playing the guitar is only dangerous if you play out of tune. Then *I* will have to hurt you. I am a professional musician, and a teacher - and yes, a Mom - and there are always those *you'll put your eye out!" stories. If she lets you cut your own meat with a knife and then eat it with a fork, then playing guitar is no more dangerous. If she is still cutting you meat FOR you and spoon-feeding you - you need to move out.

Answer 6

Not necessarily. I've had some strings pop on me while tuning them after installation, but I always keep my face away from the top of the guitar while doing so.

The other dangerous element is if your music is so terrible a brother will pick up the guitar and bash you over the head with it.

Answer 7

No, this is not true.

I have been playing classical guitar for more than four years and nothing like that has happened to me.

If you know about guitars, you know not to experiment with the guitar and tighten the string all the way. This will damage it so don't even attempt it.

Answer 8

This is never going to happen to you unless you either have really really REALLY bad strings, or you're definitely doing something very wrong. This would probably only happen in a crazy newspaper story. Don't let this stop you from playing guitar, something like that happening is crazy and unlikely.

Answer 9

Just say "OMG INBD". Sounds like your mom doesnt like the idea of you playing guitar.

Strings do break, thats a fact, but your more likely to cut yourself drinking water. because the glass could slip and break and flying pieces of glass could "hit your face, arms, eyes...".

OMG INBD = Oh My God, Its No Big Deal.

In fact I let my 2 year old play with my old beater guitar all the time.

Answer 10

ummm no totally not true. i have had a guitar string break on me and i still lived. It hit me in the hand and cut me but i was still ok. it only broke cuz i was tunning it though and i twisted it to tight. moms just being over protective

Answer 11

I've had violin strings and Bass guitar strings break as I've tuned 'em, and I'm still here and playing like no other.