Change your strings!

I'm always surprised by the number of music therapists I meet who don't change their own guitar strings. I can never quite figure it out. Obviously, there is the financial argument against this in that paying someone else to do something which you can do yourself just doesn't make fiscal sense. But to me, it goes beyond that. To me, it comes down to taking pride in your instrument and musicianship. Changing your strings is part of basic maintenance of your guitar, and performing basic maintenance on your instrument is part of being a musician.

If you ask music therapists about their principal instruments, I'd be willing to bet a majority of them will tell you that they know how to, and preform, the basic maintenance that each one requires. Woodwind players know how to use a dollar bill to remedy sticky pads, brass players know how to clean and oil their valves, percussionists can change a drum head, and vocalists know how to take care of their voice before a performance. If you asked if they felt the need to have someone do it for them, I imagine you would get a resounding no.

Yet when it comes to the instrument most of us as music therapists use more than any other, many feel lost. Admittedly, it is a secondary instrument to many of us, but that mindset can hold us back. I talk to many music therapists (students, interns, and professionals alike) who are not confident in their guitar skills. This lack of confidence leads to a fear of trying new things (feeling bound to I, IV, V songs), and more importantly an inability to focus solely on the therapeutic process in a session.

So what is the remedy for this? Well, the obvious answer is PRACTICE! But there's more to it than that. One simple thing you can do to boost your confidence on an instrument is to take pride and ownership in it, and that means performing basic maintenance yourself.

Think about how good you feel after cleaning your house. You can hardly wait to have friends over to enjoy it. Or after you spend an afternoon cleaning your car, it just feels faster, newer, and more fun the next time you drive it.

The same is true with your guitar. When you do the work yourself, you FEEL more like a guitarist, and that will translate into your playing and therapeutic method. With all the resources we have at our finger tips these days, there are really no more excuses.

That being said, here are some great videos I dug up on youtube that give you detailed instructions on how to change your strings, for both nylon and steel stringed guitars. The first one is from the author of one of my favorite web resources, Justin Sandercoe of justinguitar.com



Part I



Part II



Another good steel string example



Excellent nylon string example video in which the video maker shows you how on a large scale with rope (easier to see)



This video gives you some extra easy maintenance you can perform at the beginning. The string changing begins at around the 5:50 mark. Excellent, HD video.

Cajon and Microphone

I've been in an instrument building frenzy this summer! After completing my guitar and kalimba, I tackled a cajon. This may be my favorite one so far. I'm very pleased with how it came out, it looks and sounds great (if I do say so myself!). Rather than do a video this time, I decided to have some fun and record a song using the cajon, plus it gave me a chance to show off my new Blue Snowball Microphone. You'll find that after the pictures:



Progress picture



Completed product



Back view with sound hole



View inside with guitar string snares. Started with just 2 strings, but it didn't quite have the sound I was looking for, so I weaved some extra strings in between the original 2, using tape to keep them in contact with the sound board.



Bottom with rubber feet.

This was a really fun project, and I've already used it several times with some of my clients. To get an idea of what it sounds like, take a listen to the song I recorded below. The song is a cover of the song "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" (Orginally "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" by Cuban song writer Osvaldo Farres, how appropriate!). I gleaned most of my inspiration from Cake's version of the song. The only instruments used in this recording were the cajon, ukulele, saxophone, vocals, and egg shaker.

Kalimba instructions

Got a lot of interest in the kalimba I made, so here's a video with some quick and dirty instructions on how to make your own!




Materials needed:
Cigar box (or similar sized wooden box of another type)
2 large nails, 1 dowel rod OR 3 dowel rods
Rake with metal teeth
2 machine screws
2 washers
2 nuts

Tools:
Drill (with wood bits, wire brush, and hole bit)
Saw
Bench Grinder (optional)
Hacksaw (optional)


Instructions (details in video)
1) Cut nails/dowel rods to width of box
2) Cut teeth off rake
3) Drill 2 holes in 1 of your dowel rods, being extra cautious to make holes straight
4) Drill holes in lid of box, matching holes to dowel rod holes
5) Drill large sound hole in lid of box several inches below where the dowel rod will be placed.
6) Lay bottom nails/dowels on either side of screwed dowel
7) Lay trimmed metal tongs across bottom rods, under top rod
8) Tighten screws, leaving them loose enough to adjust tongs for tuning.
9) Once tuning is complete, tighten screws until tongs are firmly in place.
10) Use wire brush to clean any jagged edges on tongs
11) Play and enjoy!

Homemade guitar!

I've been working on a cigar box guitar this summer, here's a video with some information!