Holiday Gift Guide for the person taking Guitar Lessons
a ton of gutiar picks
Guitar picks are kinda like socks - they tend to disappear into the abyss, and its always good to have a ton on hand. One of the most common questions I get asked when someone starts lessons is “What kind of pick should I use?”. The answer is, “Whatever you like.” A large pack like this that has multiple thicknesses of picks is a great stocking stuffer.
headstock tuner
If you looked at Guitar Player Gift Guide you’ll see a headstock tuner on that list as well. This is the tuner that I specifically like for lessons. The screen is big, and when we’re in a situation where we can do lessons in person I, or whoever the teacher is, can see the screen while the student learns to tune their instrument.
Music stand
Can you think of a more basic music item? Music stands are one of those things that you don’t think you need until you get one and practicing becomes much, much easier. This is the classic Manhasset stand that is kind of like cast iron cookware or a butcher block - take care of it and it will be in your family for decades.
guitar strap
A not-so-secret is that I love Spiderman. I might have squealed when I saw this guitar strap that looks like Peter Parker’s camera strap from the newest set of movies. This one also comes with a couple picks, which are always good to have around.
a solid capo
A good capo isn’t hard to find, but quite easy to lose. This is the capo that I tend to find myself using the most. Some capos pull your guitar out of tune, I don’t think this one does - and I like the way it looks. I like this one so much I put it on my Guitar Player Gift Guide as well.
string winder
If a guitar gets played a half hour everyday, the strings should be changed about once a month. This little tool really speeds up the process. You can get the strings on your new instrument in about a tenth of the time of turning all the keys by hand. The next couple items help with this process too.
Guitar work mat
Change your guitar strings once and you’ll do it on a table next time. There’s a good chance that you’ll scratch either the guitar or the table in the process. One is definitely worse than the other, just depends on who you ask. This work mat is similar to the one I use to do all my string changes.
Headstock rest
This is the last piece of the string change Tri-Force. This gets your headstock up off your work surface making it easier to wind the strings, and it helps keep the guitar from wobbling back and forth on its back.
USB Mic
Lets face it, virtual lessons are here to stay for awhile and getting a good sound in your lessons lets your teacher help you more. While nothing quite sounds like the mic that is built into your computer, most mics sound better. This USB mic by NEAT will improve the sound quality for lessons, live streams and at home recording. I don’t own this one yet, but it’s officially on my holiday list.
Ring light
While not quite as important to sounding the best you can for a lesson, being seen is also important. There are a lot of options for ring lights on the market, but this one stands on the desk next to the computer, and has multiple color tempature settings so you can be seen clearly in any lesson, video chat, or video recordings that might happen.
If you choose to purchase an item from these links, I will make a small percentage from each sale.