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Topic starter
18/05/2007 3:58 pm
I'm going to be heading out on vacation next week, and I can't take my guitar with me. Any ideas on how not to lose any progress I've gained? I've only been doing this for a couple of months, and I'm afraid when I get back in two weeks, I will have lost it all. :cry:
-Kirk
18/05/2007 4:24 pm
You can do an amazing amount of practice in your mind.
Pick up any good book on sports psychology from your library and read the section on visualization techniques. Utilize those while on your trip and you may even return to find you've made progress!
(I'm not kidding, I've seen it happen!)
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
Topic starter
18/05/2007 4:32 pm
Interesting.
I'm visualizing myself with Steve Vai's or Joe Satriani's hands.....
18/05/2007 4:32 pm
I recently went to the provinces of the Philippines. A quick stop at a Manila mall and $34, at the current exchange rate, and I walked out the door with a new beater. It was hard keeping it in tune but I did play some.
Right now the guitar is hanging on the wall with the family I stayed with. It was pretty.
18/05/2007 4:33 pm
I just went to Singapore and couldn't practice for more than 10 days. While my callusses did deteriorate a bit, my playing did not. I have been practicing for almost two months and the time away seems to have made me a bit more relaxed about it which seems to have helped.
I was worried, too but can say from experience to enjoy your vacation and don't worry about it. It will be there when you get back!
18/05/2007 5:22 pm
You might actually find that taking a short break and relaxing is good for you. I doubt you'll regress. Enjoy your vacation.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
18/05/2007 6:37 pm
I'm going to be heading out on vacation next week, and I can't take my guitar with me.
Do they have pawn shops where you are going?
Stop in and try out a few guitars.
You might have the same kind of luck as Jhengsman
And even if you don't find a cheapie to mess around with, the act of guitar shopping can be entertaining (and good for the fingers :wink: ).
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
Topic starter
18/05/2007 7:51 pm
Thanks for all the encouragment and the ideas. We're going on a cruise, so I doubt I'll find many pawn shops on the ship, but there might be something in one of the stops along the way. I'm not sure if there's a band on the ship, but maybe I can sneak some time on one of their instruments if so.
-Kirk
18/05/2007 8:42 pm
any good book on sports psychology from your library and read the section on visualization techniques.
I know you said "any," but can you be more specific? 8)
I bought this http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Bay-Ricardo-Iznaola-Practicing/dp/0786658738/?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179520701 last year and it discusses visualization for the guitar. Quite interesting and very cheap but I've come nowhere close to being able to use it all yet.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
18/05/2007 9:08 pm
any good book on sports psychology from your library and read the section on visualization techniques.
I know you said "any," but can you be more specific? 8)
My four favorites:
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
19/05/2007 4:30 pm
It might be a good time to get a basic book on theory (unless of course you already know it) and read up on all that. It might also be a good time to get a harmonica and a book and learn that.
19/05/2007 7:53 pm
Even cheaper - print of several of David Hodge's beginner level lessons (and any others that suit you) and do a little reading while at the pool, etc. Cost = $0! 8)
Topic starter
19/05/2007 9:36 pm
COFenderBender - now THAT is a great idea. I'll probably do that very thing. Thanks fo the idea!!
19/05/2007 10:18 pm
I always try to take my guitar on vacation, but when I can't take it along I work on timing. You can simply tap your foot and clap or tap out rhythms with your fingers. Timing is one of the most important aspects of playing.
Have fun on your trip.
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
19/05/2007 10:56 pm
Hi,
+1 to all the opinions above that you won't go backwards by taking a short break.
There are also a few 'travel guitars' on the market that are a lot more portable than a full sized guitar. Our local music store sells a Johnson one that is very cheap (I'm being offered one new, with a slightly padded gig bag, for around US$100). Not much more than a neck with a very small body. No great shakes in the sound department, but the neck is full sized so it's ideal for carting around when you don't have much room, or for playing in confined spaces. They sold one recently to a taxi driver who likes to practice while he waits in the car, and a full sized instrument is just too bulky. Being both small and fairly quiet it's ideal for 'private practice' where you actually may want to keep the sound down.
I'm thinking of getting one for the same purpose - just to leave in the car, as I'm currently doing some driving that involves a bit of waiting around that I could use to practice. Maybe you could squeeze one into the cabin with you... :twisted:
Cheers,
Chris
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