[JohnnySmash]

I am not a classical musician nor do I play guitar professionally. I play mostly as a hobby for my own entertainment so the tone I get from the strings and/or the tension is not that important to me. However, I do appreciate a good sounding guitar. I am posting here because we all get old and our bones, fingers, etc start breaking down and causing us pain that makes it difficult to continue with our love of the guitar. I have this problem and have searched countless hours for an answer. So far the best answer is to drop each string three half-steps. Then capo on the third fret if you must play in standard. With out the capo the strings do seem a little loose, but nice for hours of practice or playing for yourself. Minus surgery, this seems the best way to go.