First Guitar -Acoustic or Electric By Jake Lenhart
Every day I hear at least once from a well-meaning parent, “My child’s just starting, so we’re only interested in acoustics. It’s best to start on an acoustic.” I’m not certain where this conventional wisdom comes from, but it seems fairly wide-spread among those who are not professional guitar instructors. Few of the professional guitar teachers I talk to agree that it’s that simple.
There are advantages and disadvantages to starting on either an acoustic or an electric guitar. The two advantages I often hear cited as the reasons one must start on an acoustic guitar are: you’ll toughen up your calluses better making it easier to play electric guitar once you switch over, and electric guitars are too complicated.
Acoustic guitars will toughen up your calluses better, because they are physically more difficult to play. The string tension is higher on acoustic guitars than it is on electric guitars, meaning when you press a note with fingers that haven’t developed calluses yet, acoustic guitars hurt more!
We do have students quit shortly after starting because they weren’t prepared for guitar-playing to be physically painful. The pain is something all novice guitar players have to work through until they’ve built up their calluses. It’s a much less painful process on an electric guitar than on an acoustic guitar, and the calluses one develops on an electric guitar are sufficient to painlessly switch to an acoustic guitar later if you want.
As for electric guitars’ complexity, yes there are some knobs and switches on electric guitars that aren’t on acoustic guitars. But if we’re talking about kids, they can all seem to handle video games just fine, and those are significantly more complex than are electric guitars.
So what are the real advantages of each? For acoustics, they’re more portable, they weigh less, and all you really need is the guitar. With the disadvantage that they’re physically more challenging to play and they’re more limited in the styles of contemporary music they can play.
For electrics, they’re physically easier to play and they’re more musically versatile, with the disadvantage that you need an amplifier and an electrical outlet.
I also hear daily from well-meaning parents. “He wants to be playing electric. But we’re going to start him on acoustic. If he sticks with it, we’ll get him the electric he really wants.” As a parent myself, I understand how we need to use both carrots and sticks to motivate our children. In my experience, though, this particular carrot isn’t an effective one. If your child doesn’t like acoustic guitar, he won’t stick with it long enough to earn his electric guitar. “Sticking with it” in adult language often means six months to two years, which to a kid who can’t see past next week, is an eternity.
So which is best, acoustic or electric? Simple. Which one does the student want to play more? Which one are they going to pick up and practice every day because they like it more? That’s the right one.
Establishing Good Practice Habits By Jake Lenhart
You’ve invested in an instrument and have begun lessons. Now the questions arise, how much practice? How often? And how do I fit it into my schedule?
To get the most out of your lessons, practice is absolutely essential. Students that practice 5 times a week or more outside of their lessons make tremendously better progress than those who don’t.
But how do you fit that in your schedule? There’s only 24 hours in a day! You do it by making your practice time a “habit”.
Brushing your teeth in the morning is something you do every day without thinking about the time it takes, agonizing over how it’s still hanging over your head, or dreading the actual brushing. That 5 minutes in the morning is habit – you never even think about it anymore…. At least I don’t.
Or how I start the coffee pot as the second thing I do after I get out of bed….
Or how I shave before I put my shirt on in the morning….
Or how in the car I turn right, then right, then left, then left, then right, then right and somehow I wind up at work each morning barely remembering the 15 minutes it took me to get there….
Practicing your instrument can be worked into your routine and truly become habit. And like all other constructive habits, it’s effectively free work.
Here are two essential strategies to help establish that habit. First, find a time when you can consistently practice. For myself, I’m an early bird and always ready for work much earlier than I need to be, so I can practice after I’m ready for work before I actually leave. My son has found the time before his daily chores, and my daughter the time immediately after schoolwork. Look through your day, and you’re sure to find some time somewhere.
Second, remember that you don’t HAVE to practice for a long time if you’re practicing daily. Five minutes is enough. If you’re like most people and you tell yourself “Anything less than an hour doesn’t count”, practice time will be something you dread, something that hangs over you, and something you never find time for. But surely you can find five minutes each day.
Once you’ve practiced 5 minutes, you’ll likely find many times through the week, you’ll keep practicing because you’re now enjoying it – this becomes more and more true the better you get, which of course only happens if you practice. But if after 5 minutes you don’t want to practice anymore, that’s fine, too. Stop. There’s tomorrow’s practice session to pick it up again.
Parents, if you’ve got a small child as a student, of course you’ll have to help them establish and maintain this habit. Just like my 9 year old still needs to sometimes be reminded to brush his teeth, he also needs to sometimes be reminded to practice as well. And just like with brushing teeth, once it’s a daily routine without exception, you meet minimal resistance when you remind them to practice.
Stick with the 5 minutes minimum each day at the same time, and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with the results.
How Often Should I Change My Guitar Strings? By Jake Lenhart
This is a question we’re often asked. Unfortunately, there’s not a single simple answer.
How often do you play? How long do you play? Where do you play? Where do you store your guitar? What’s your body chemistry like? What brand of strings do you use? How clean do you keep your hands before playing? Do you live on one of the barrier islands? Are you heavy-handed, or do you play with a light touch? How particular are you regarding your tone and ability to keep the instrument tuned? The answer to all of these questions matter when answering the question of “how often”, making it next to impossible to directly answer the question of “how often” when we’re asked.
What’s so bad about old strings anyway? The tone, the intonation, and the feel.
The tone of old strings will be sound dull and lifeless, almost as if when you strike a string you hear a “thud” rather than a tone. Since this is such a gradual process, your ear may not notice the degradation in tone on your guitar. But if your strings are long overdue to be changed, you will immediately hear the difference with a new set of strings. Every day I hear, “It’s sounds like a brand new guitar!” after I’ve changed someone’s strings that were overdue.
Old strings are much harder to keep in tune as well. You’ll particularly notice this on strings you tend to bend a lot, like the G and B strings.
Finally, old strings will have a rough feel to them, making slides, bends, and vibrato more difficult. This will be most noticeable on the thinner strings, like the E, B, and G.
So, back to the question of “how often”…. There are people who change there strings daily, and that’s right for them. That’s rather unusual, though. For most people, monthly to every three months will work out well. You’ll have to experiment to find the right frequency for you.
If in doubt, look at your E and B string. Are they still silver, are they discolored, or are they black? If they’re silver and you aren’t a professional, then you’re probably fine with the set you’ve got.
Somewhere in between, and you should consider changing them. If they’re black, you’re way overdue and need to think about not only changing them now, but also changing them more often.
**Prices are approximations. Please bring your instrument in for appraisel.**
Restring; includes polishing guitar, cleaning fret board and replacing the strings.
-Acoustic $15 (Plus the price of strings)
-Electric $15 (Plus the price of strings)
Basic Setup; includes restring, adjust truss rod, adjust action at nut (if applicable), adjust action at bridge, check intonation.
-Acoustic $25 (Plus the price of strings)
-Electric $25 (Plus the price of strings)
Replace nut; includes installing nut and basic setup.
-Acoustic & Electric $50 (Plus the price of strings and parts)
Replace tuning keys; includes replacing tuning keys and restring
-Acoustic & Electric $30 (Plus the price of strings and parts)
Pickup Installation; includes replacement and installation of pickup(s)
-Electric $30 for first pickup, $10 each additional (Plus the price of parts)
Electronic;
-Trouble-shoot: from $10
-Replace worn input jack: $15 (Plus parts)
-Replace worn or broken pots: $20 first pot, $5 each additional (Plus parts)
Special Instruments; An up-charge can be applied to the service of these instruments due to their complexity.
-12 String- up-charge for any service: $10
- Floyd Rose (or similar bridge) up-charge for any service: $30
-Hollow or Semi-Hollow Body Electronic up-charge: $35
-Classical/Nylon upcharge: $5
Additional Repairs; If you are inquiring about a repair not on this service list, please ask.
**Prices are approximations. Please bring your instrument in for repair apparaisel.**
Woodwinds:
Clarinet/Student Oboe Full Re-pad;
- Economy (Just pads, corks extra) $100
- Complete $125-$150
Flute/Piccolo Full Re-pad;
- Economy $100
- Complete $125-$150
- Open Hole $200
Saxophone Full Repad;
- Soprano/Alto $200-250
- Tenor $250-300
- Baritone $300-$350
Replace;
- 1 pad $7
- 1 key cork $5
- 1 spring $10
- Mouthpiece cork $10
- Neck cork $20
Joint cork;
-1 for $10 (center joint is $15)
-3 for $25
Brass
Trumpet;
-P/C Clean, corks, felts $50
-Free tuning slides $10-$25
-Valve work $25-$50
Trombone;
-P/C Clean, corks, felts $50
-Trombone Hand slide work $25-$75
Additional Repairs; If you are inquiring about a repair not on this service list, please ask.
**Prices are approximations. Please bring your instrument in for repair apparaisel.**
Note: String prices are subject to change with foeign exchange rate.
Violins & Violas
New Bows — $30 – $100
Bridges — $30
Cracks & Seams — $30
Reset Broken Neck — $40 – $75
Reglue Fingerboard — $25
Clean & Polish (Wrong glue removal) — $50 per hour
Rehair Bow — $40
New Soundpost — $40
Fallen Soundpost —$20
Pegs Replace — $25 each
Lube Old Pegs — $15
Peg Bushing — $35
Nut — $20
Ebony Chinrests — $30
Plastic Chinrests — $20
Ebony Tailpiece — $20
Fine Tuner Tailpiece — $20
Fine Tuners — $6 each
Tailgut — $5
Perfection Planetary Pegs — $125
Reshape/Plane Fingerboard — $45
Cellos & Basses
Cello Bridge — $78
Bass Bridge — $110
Cracks & Seams — $40
Reglue Fingerboards — $40
Rehair Bow — $50
Cello Bow (New) — $82
Bass Bow (New) — $100
Reset Soundpost (Cello) — $25
Reset Soundpost (Bass) — $30
Cello Soundpost — $50
Cello Endpin — $30 – $70
Cello Tailpiece (W/ Fine Tuners) — $30
Cello Tailgut — $10
Cello Peg — $30
Lube Old Pegs — $15
Cello Fine Tuners — $10 each
Bass Tailgut — $20
Bass Endpins — $70
Bass Soundpost — $80
Reshape/Plane Fingerboard (Cello) —$125
Perfection Planetary Pegs (Cello) — $150
Additional Repairs; If you are inquiring about a repair not on this service list, please ask.
ANDREW FATTA – PERCUSSION
Andrew earned his degree from Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. He worked professionally as a percussionist in various bands in Jamaica and with a theater group that toured North America and the Caribbean. Andrew taught music for over 10 years at Edna Manley College of Performing Arts. He is the author of the instructional books, “Decorated for Bravery” and “Jazz Independence”. While teaching, Andrew steresses a strong foundation in the fundamentals, and encourages students to become fluent in various styles of music.
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TATYANA MCDONALD – PIANO
Tatyana studied piano and teaching at the College of Art in Russia and the prestigious Conservatory of Music in the Ukraine. Since moving to Brevard, Tatyana has performed locally as a member of Melbourne Community Orchestra, at the Grace Bible Church of which she is a member, and at The Den. Tatyana has taught hundreds of students here and in Europe during her 25 years of teaching piano. Tatyana is universally appreciated by both students and parents, as students learn quickly with her style of teaching.
KRISTIN MOORE – PIANO
Kristin studied music at Lee University. She led her church choir in Tennessee before moving to Brevard County. Kristin has been teaching piano for five years, and is especially adept at building comfort in younger or reluctant students. Kristin can flexibly adapt to different learning styles of sutdents, and truly enjoys sharing her life-long love of music with her students.
BILLY CHAPMAN – GUITAR
Billy grew up playing music in his church, and has been a professional musician for over 20 years, playing primarily classic rock, reggae, and calypso. Billy is a well-known figure in the local music scene as a member of “Million Tiny Fingers”, “Funky reggae Jam Band”, and “Carmic Tricycle”, and has opened for acts such as Peter Frampton, Buddy Guy, and Corey Bell. Billy has taught hundreds of students during his career and receives a special joy from progress made by those students he teaches and mentors
EVENS COLAS – GUITAR
Evens has been playing guitar for over 30 years, having toured 40 states and 20 countries working with innumerable R&B and Reggae acts – The Drifters, Luther Vandross, and Bob Marley’s Wailers to name only a few. He presently works as a studio musician, and is adept at performing a multitude of musical styles. Evens has extensive teaching experience, principally in New York, where he was working full time as a music teacher.
JOHN HULLAND – GUITAR, BASS
John has been playing guitar and bass for over 15 years, and has a degree in the recording arts. He has played with many bands of various genres including rock, funk, blues, and reggae. John is currently a member of Naturalistics but played with Dub City Tribe, named Brevard’s Favorite Original Band 2007 by Brevard Live. He enjoys and takes pride in teaching music, with a knack for keeping lessons fun. John stresses both theory and technique in his teaching.
JOE KOUBEK – GUITAR
Joe studied guitar privately for several years, focusing on rock, classical, and theory, before studying formally at the Berkely School of Music. He has worked professionally as a recording engineer and as a performer, playing rock, blues, and jazz. Joe enjoys teaching and sees it as a way to share all the things he’s been given over the years. Joe mixes practical playing techniques for applying music theory in his teaching, he has a knack for using a student’s own music preferences for teaching broader musical concepts.
