01/24/2026
Don't forget to prep your guitars to ride out the winter weather ☁️ 🌡️
The biggest winter threat to your guitar isn’t actually cold—it’s low humidity. During the winter months humidity can easily drop below 30% – well under the 40-50% safe range for guitars.
Common humidity-related winter guitar problems include:
-Cracked acoustic guitar tops and backs
-Fret sprout from fingerboard shrinkage
-Neck movement and truss rod changes
-Finish checking from temperature shock
-Tuning instability and dull tone
Thankfully there are some simple things you can do to keep your babies safe!
1) Keep a humidifier in the room where you store your guitars. Ideally you want to maintain 40%-50% humidity. Keep a hygrometer with your guitars as well to monitor the humidity situation.
2) Keep your guitar in its case. There are also plenty of guitar-specific humidification devices that can be placed directly inside your guitars' case for targeted protection.
3) Keep guitars away from heat sources. Avoid placing your guitars near radiators, heating vents, fireplaces, or space heaters. Direct heat dries wood unevenly and can damage finishes and glue joints.
**AND MOST IMPORTANTLY**
Let Cold Guitars Warm Up Before Playing.
Strings and metal hardware need time to stabilize after being exposed to the cold. Allow your guitar to reach room temperature before tuning and playing.
08/19/2025
A mistake I see a lot of beginners make is putting too much pressure on themselves to get "good" by some arbitrary date. Don't do that.
Enjoy the learning process and take it one day at a time.
05/22/2024
Don't be a Bailey ⬇️
As with any type of class, when it comes to learning the guitar you get what you put into it. I've taught many students over the years, and the most successful ones all have the same behaviors in common:
1. *Set goals*: Define what you want to achieve, whether it's learning a specific song or improving a particular skill.
2. *Practice regularly*: Consistency is key. Aim for a daily practice routine, even if it's just 5-15 minutes.
3. *Come prepared*: This is a big one. Bring your guitar, music sheets, and any questions or concerns to each lesson.
4. *Be active in the lesson*: Engage with your teacher, ask questions, and participate in the learning process.
5. *Listen and observe*: Pay attention to your teacher's guidance, demonstrations, and feedback.
6. *Take notes*: Write down important points, mark tricky song sections, or tips to reference later.
7. *Stay motivated*: Celebrate small victories, set achievable milestones, and find a practice buddy or community for support.
8. *Communicate openly*: Share your progress, challenges, and interests with your teacher so they can tailor the lessons to your needs.
To start, try and improve in just one of these areas this week. Working on becoming a better student will maximize your learning, help you stay engaged, and enjoy the journey of improving your guitar-playing skills!
05/03/2024
Are you taking guitar lessons but are finding it difficult to get consistent practice time between lessons? Here's a strategy that might help: ⤵️ 🎸
**This week I want you to make a commitment to practice for just 5 minutes a day.**
Yes you read that right: 5 minutes. Every single day this week. Set a 5 minute timer on your phone if you want.
🤔 "But what good will 5 minutes do me??" you might be asking yourself. 🤔
**The goal here is to just get the guitar into your hands each day.**
Some days you might be so burnt out from life that you sincerely only have 5 minutes of practicing in you, and that's ok. You reinforced your practice routine stayed disciplined!
But this is what's going to happen most days: Your five minutes will come and go and you'll think to yourself
"well, let me just go over this section a few more times".
And then BAM! Before you know it the 5 minutes you've committed to turns into 10-15 minutes of productive practice time!
Leave a comment below if you're going to give this strategy a try and I'll DM you to see how it's going! You've got this 👏🏻👏🏻
05/03/2024