Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Can a single guitar make you a better guitar player?

My Guild F-512 12-string guitar is the only one I have played ever since I brought it home from the Dallas International Guitar Festival back in April. I've used it for the Sunday morning Children's Time, and at all nursing home, children's hospital visits, and local performances. It will be what I play for at ten VBS worship times this June.

Several people have told me, "that's the guitar!" "That's the one you've been searching for!"

I think they might be right. I can do things technically on this guitar that I haven't been able to do before. It's all pretty amazing. I think I have become a better guitar player.

Can a single guitar make you a better player? Maybe. I think, however, it's the amount of time I've been putting in playing. I've not rehearsed as much as I have in the past several months in a long time. The Guild is that fun to play. I pick it up all the time. I play it a lot. I take it home and play it when I am by myself. I don't care that it's a jumbo, and heavy, and cumbersome to carry around, and the case won't stand like I want because of the double buckles on the bottom. It is just a fun guitar to play.

I took out my Martin D12-16 the other day. Funny thing, I could play it just as I have been playing the Guild . . . with intro bass line runs, and scale progressions between certain chords.

Yeah, it's the rehearsal. As much as I tend to believe that electric players can sound better through pedals and amps, I think the acoustic player simply has to put time into practice and rehearsal. Well, anyone who wants to get better at any instrument can only really do so through practice.

But this Guild is really FUN to play.

I think I need to practice some more.

Funny how journeys go. I was convinced that "the" guitar would be a Martin. Or that I would settle for a Taylor (a fine guitar by-the-way). I'd never really considered a Guild, even though my friends Jim Newton and Paul G. Hill at Hugworks.org have played Guilds for years. Why? Because I never saw one in a music store!! I frequent and give most of my guitar business to local guitar stores . . . and I can't remember the last time I saw a Guild jumbo in a guitar shop.

But, I did notice "my" Guild at the right time and at the right place, I guess.

God's graces still amazes me . . . ><>

No comments:

I don't feel dressed without having a pen, pencil and notebook with me!

I'm at the age where I pretty much know what I like to have with me in terms of every-day-carry.   I like 4"x6" sized notebook...