Music Myths

A while ago I posted music truths.  Now, let’s expose some myths.

• You have to learn on acoustic guitar before electric – simply not true.  In fact, electric is easier due to the lighter strings and lower action and in the end, what we want is to make playing music easy for the beginning student.  There is no benefit to making things hard.  That being said, there is also nothing wrong with starting on acoustic.  Start on the instrument that the student is most interested in, keeping their interest is important.
• On a related point: You have to know another instrument (usually piano) or have some prior musical instruction before starting lessons – Nope, we take ‘em from complete, never touched an instrument before.  No bad habits to overcome!  Bottom line, come as you are, a good teacher will take you where you want to go.
• American instruments are more handmade than ones made overseas – Not always.  In fact, most larger US builders use CNC machines (which isn’t a bad thing) for carving out necks, bodies, etc.  Much of the process is automated.  CNC machines are often too expensive in other countries, human labor is actually more cost effective compared to the cost of human labor in the US.  So many times that Chinese or Korean guitar is more handmade than the top known brand US products.
• Older is better – Sometimes.  Sure, vintage guitars can often have that ‘vibe’ and it is true, some things are done differently now that aren’t necessarily improvements.  But, modern guitar making has moved forward in many important areas.  For instance, it is a well known fact that many Martins of a certain era had poor neck pitch, making playing more difficult.  Martin, as well as many other companies with similar issues, has since corrected that.  Another common issue is inconsistency in pickups.  Old Fred back in 1959 might have not been so precise when winding pickups.  These days, most pickup makers are incredibly meticulous and precise, so that you are assured the same quality and tone across a model.

Hope you enjoyed some ‘mythbusting’ and I welcome your comments.  Thanks Tim Renner for the blog idea too!  Bob C.  www.cmusicshop.com