In or Out of the Box?
I ran into a good friend the other day, one of the top notched guitar instructors in the Oklahoma City area. We were actually talking about martial arts and taking falls when the conversation changed to guitars and their inability to fall properly.
As a guitar instructor he frequently suggests to his students that they leave their guitar on a stand or in some way visible. It’s a logical idea. If you see it, you think of it, and you play it. Play, or practice, is a necessary component of making improvement (in anything)!
As a guitar repair person I usually suggest that the guitar/mandolin or whatever it is remain inside the case. A couple of reasons: first, if it’s out of the case something can fall on it, it can get knocked over, it can fall off the wall…. And something gets broken (necks seem to be pretty common). Second, especially in Oklahoma in the winter with the central heat blasting away it can get very dry and, especially with acoustic instruments, you end up with a crack.
There are some things you can do that keep us both happy (and more importantly, probably keep you happy!). Keep it in the case, but:
Enjoy it! If you really want to get better you won’t find it a problem to play or practice. If it is a problem try doing something else for a while – absence may make the heart grow fonder!
As a guitar instructor he frequently suggests to his students that they leave their guitar on a stand or in some way visible. It’s a logical idea. If you see it, you think of it, and you play it. Play, or practice, is a necessary component of making improvement (in anything)!
As a guitar repair person I usually suggest that the guitar/mandolin or whatever it is remain inside the case. A couple of reasons: first, if it’s out of the case something can fall on it, it can get knocked over, it can fall off the wall…. And something gets broken (necks seem to be pretty common). Second, especially in Oklahoma in the winter with the central heat blasting away it can get very dry and, especially with acoustic instruments, you end up with a crack.
There are some things you can do that keep us both happy (and more importantly, probably keep you happy!). Keep it in the case, but:
- Put a picture of it on the icebox
- Set you watch alarm to a given time of day when you commit to practice
- Get your spouse to nag you (read “remind”) to practice, sing him/her a song or play them a romantic tune
- Take a cheap guitar/mandolin to work with you, keep it in the office or car (but only if it’s cheap), and then play during lunch instead of eating
- Put a pick in with your change so that every time you reach for the change you see the pick
Enjoy it! If you really want to get better you won’t find it a problem to play or practice. If it is a problem try doing something else for a while – absence may make the heart grow fonder!
