Guitar Teacher Sydney – Dolan Guitar Studios

Pupils often pose me a wide variety of questions related to the care and maintenance of their instrument. I have listed a few of the more common questions I have received over the years and have tried to provide some helpful information to address these.

 

 

How to store your instrument

Acoustic guitars are sensitive to weather conditions and therefore should not be placed in direct sunlight or in areas that are subject to high levels of humidity. If at all possible, they should be kept in their hard case until the instrument is required.

Electric guitars are not as sensitive to weather changes as acoustic guitars however, the large majority of wooden instruments are subject to weather changes and should be stored in their hard case until played.

Another handy accessory is a guitar stand which can be used during practice sessions and sometimes performances. The stand allows the instrument to be cradled in a properly constructed stand that prevents the guitar from falling over although the instrument is still exposed to folks bumping or knocking it accidentally.

Preventing cracks, scratches and other unwanted maladies

Whether your instrument is an electric guitar or an acoustic instrument, it requires adequate protection while being transported or moved around. This requires a good case for the purpose which generally means a ‘hard’ shell case.

Many pupils are faced with budgetary constraints when purchasing their first instrument and so store and transport their instrument in material or plastic bags that offer some protection from in climate weather however, do little to protect the instrument from unintentional knocks and bumps. My consistent recommendation to these pupils in this situation is to begin with a ‘bag’ but progress as quickly as possible to a hard case.

In the case of acoustic instruments, knocks and bumps can seriously affect the guitar and be troublesome to repair, if they can indeed be repaired! Also read the next section for more information…

Maintaining the surface of the instrument

Most instruments require little if any treatment of the varnished / polished areas of the guitar. However, if the instrument is an acoustic guitar and is kept in a very dry climate, the wood may suffer extreme dryness and become subject to cracking.

In such climates, it may be advisable to use a humidity accessory or very occasionally apply a well designed / produced oil to the wood. The best counsel I can offer in these instances is to discuss your personal situation with a reputable music dealer and gain advice on their product range and how to use it to best effect.

Researching the available product range via the internet is also a good idea. This allows you to familiarise yourself with the range of products available before proceeding with your purchase. Discussing the matter with your teacher also helps to educate you and gain counsel from more experienced musicians who have walked the same path.

All these folks will also guide you regarding how and where to apply whatever product you have selected for your instrument.

What strings should I use on my guitar?

This is an area of struggle for virtually all pupils and quite often, professional musicians. Beginner pupils struggle more with deciding what type of string or which brand best suits their instrument somewhat more than experienced guitarists.

This is largely due to the fact that the instrument is fitted with a set of strings on purchase and most pupils are reluctant to change these for fear of either carrying out the process incorrectly, or, ‘making an error’ and purchasing strings that are not suitable for their guitar.

My suggestion to my pupils is always to carry out thorough research and speak to the experts before proceeding. I have quite often recommended a range of strings to a pupil who reports back at their next lesson that none of the strings were available or the model of string is out of stock. As a result they purchased a different brand as recommended by the store assistant.

It is also important to recognise that electric guitar strings are different to acoustic guitar strings and, classical guitar strings are very different to acoustic steel string guitar strings. So to narrow things down somewhat, her are some suggestions:

* research what is available in your area by referring to your local music store
* discuss the options with your teacher and obtain their counsel on what might be best suited for your instrument and finally,
* include internet research to familiarise yourself with what is available / possible for your instrument

Also, remember that if you are playing your instrument regularly then the strings should be changed more often. How often will depend on what kind of strings you are using i.e. nylon or steel and how often you are playing the instrument. I would encourage you to discuss this with your teacher or music store.

Lastly, maintain your instrument in pitch i.e. correctly tuned, as this maintains the correct consistent tension ‘pull’ on the neck which reduces the chance of the neck of your guitar bending.

Well, I hope that these few brief points have provided you with some valuable information on caring and maintaining your guitar in peak condition. If you have any specific questions regarding this topic, please feel free to forward your question to me via the contact page.

As a parent, what can I do to help my child’s progress?
This is a really critically important aspect of your child’s musical development and one which is not well understood. I think it is obviously self evident to most parents that the child should be supported with the basics such as the supply of an appropriate instrument, the required books and other required accessories (metronome etc.), a good environment to practice regularly as well as ensure that fees are paid as required.

However, there is an equally important aspect to ensuring your child’s progress and that has to do with positive encouragement, empathy, support and the loving involvement in the process. This means that parents need to be involved to a far greater extent than simply monitoring how regularly your child practices or providing ‘pep talks’ when they appear to be reducing their effort.

Indeed it means providing unconditional love and support as well as acquiring the difficult skills of how to influence, motivate and gently encourage your child while maintaining the structure they need to succeed with their dream of playing their chosen instrument.

McPherson’s Research project

So in my search for information that I thought might be helpful for parents in this regard, I would like to refer you to the study completed by Professor Gary McPherson at the University of Illinois in 2008. This research is now ongoing with 160 children in Australia. I would like to refer you to excerpts below provided from McPherson’s research that I hope you will find illuminating and helpful with regard to this issue.

Gary McPherson, the Zimmerman Professor of Music Education at the University of Illinois specialises in the psychological aspects of musical behaviour and giftedness and talent in music.

In this study he focused on ‘why and how some young music-learners develop into accomplished musicians while others do not. He believes parents play a key role in determining the outcome’. He came to the conclusion that the “The parents’ role is absolutely crucial, and the emotional climate in the home is very important”. I share this viewpoint whole heartedly.

“We’ve found that parents of successful kids tend to provide support and encouragement for them during the early stages of musical learning and that this tapers off as the children become hooked on music and more independent with their music learning,”
In contrast, children who give up playing tend to come from homes where there is little parental involvement during the early stages, but greater amounts of parental pressure to practice during the teenage years, when it is obvious that motivation is waning and when the parent tries to make a last pitched effort to keep the child learning.” The overarching message for parents is, he said, “Never, ever give up.”

“McPherson’s own extensive longitudinal study with colleague Jane Davidson, focusing on 160 children learning instruments, supports that conclusion. The continuing study, the first and most substantial of its kind, has documented the musical development and practices of 160 Australian schoolchildren since 1997”.

“Among other outcomes, McPherson said, the research indicates that “it is almost impossible to predict which children – in the first couple of years of learning – will eventually turn out to be the most successful musicians.”

“The key factor again is parents,” he said. “Parents who provide early encouragement and gentle ongoing support, are far more likely to see their child succeed with music.”

And, he said, contrary to what some might think, those students who have excelled aren’t necessarily from musical families.

“Many of the most successful learners in our studies have come from families where neither mum nor dad had any musical experience whatsoever,” McPherson said. “But in the early stages of learning, these children had opportunities for intense praise, such as when they played to a delighted grandma or when their parents made it clear to them that they could do something they couldn’t. They had loads of opportunities to feel special.   “One of the main problems we see in music learning is that very early after the child begins playing, parents begin to make judgments of whether they believe their child does or does not have what it takes to succeed musically,” he said. “So, if a child doesn’t seem to be making progress right from the start or has periods where he or she isn’t practicing, it’s not uncommon for parents to reduce the level of their involvement and support or even stop issuing gentle reminders to practice altogether.”

I hope this information has helped you, the parent, better understand the importance of your role in ensuring success for your child. The interpersonal dynamic between the parent and child clearly has a huge impact on the child’s eventual success or failure.

For those parents who would like to read the entire article published by Gary McPherson’s, please access the link provided below.

I would also like to extend an invitation to parents who might want to confidentially discuss some aspect of your child’s ambitions, challenges or dreams with regards to their music studies, to please feel free to contact me at 0425 304 530 or ron@guitarteacher.sydney

Gary McPherson’s article : http://news.illinois.edu/news/08/1113musician.html
M: 0425 304 530 E: ron@guitarteacher.sydney