Another best advice – buying a guitar

The other day I wrote about a student from Berklee College of Music, who asked for my “best advice” – and I wrote about how you could optimize your practicing time. Here’s my best advice if you are thinking about buying a guitar or know someone who wants to start playing guitar, and therefore are about to invest in an instrument.

This is written either to advice beginners, or to inspire you if you are a serious guitar player with years experience, and therefore is someone your friends or students would ask for help in buying guitar related stuff 🙂

My best advice on buying a guitar

Don’t bother about the brand or model, don’t give it a lot of thought if its made of certain kind of wood, or has fancy features, looks extraordinary cool, has the latest invention of a tremolo system or anything like that. What’s important is that it should be easy to play and stay in tune!! Oh maybe one thing more – if you want to have an electric guitar – guess what: … buy an electric guitar.

My interest in guitars started from envy. I became SO jealous on my big brother who got an electric guitar when I was 4 years old. During the following years my interest for guitars grew because my brother started playing in bands. When he bought a “real” guitar – a Gretsch, I started to envy him again. Therefore I was allowed to use some of my child savings for a “real” guitar as well.

My brother found a second hand Hopf SG type electric guitar. He recommended that because it was easy to play and stayed in tune.

Jesper Reiff playing livewith Soren Reiff (10 years old) @ Smogen, Holbæk
Jesper Reiff playing livewith Soren Reiff (10 years old) @ Smogen, Holbæk

My best advice on buying a guitar

And I’ll pass that advice on to you: easy to play and stay in tune. Let me go a little in details on that 🙂

Continue reading “Another best advice – buying a guitar”

Music as a profession – my history

Some time ago I wrote a post about how I didn’t choose to have music as a profession – I just couldn’t imaging a life without playing guitar every day … all day – so today we are looking down the history lane.

My first guitar

I started playing guitar when I was around 4 years old. My big brother bought an electric guitar and I got so jealous that my parents bought me a small acoustic as well. I guess they thought I would keep interest for a week or two and then return to my normal routines, but no …

My brother, who was ten years older than me, showed me new chords or a scale every once in a while, but I didn’t had “real” lessons on a regular basics. I had fun with the guitar, but I also did a lot of other typical child stuff.

When I was around ten years old my brother took me to an Eric Clapton concert and I was blown away. When we left the concert hall, I told my brother that I would play like Clapton one day. He smiled and told me that if I wanted to do that, I should practice and practice a lot. l remember how I said to myself: “hell yeah, then I’m going to practice a lot”, but I just looked at my bro and said “ok”.

Jesper Reiff playing livewith Soren Reiff (10 years old) @ Smogen, Holbæk
Jesper Reiff playing livewith Soren Reiff (10 years old) @ Smogen, Holbæk

After that experience my interest for music intensified. I bought my first electric guitar when I was ten years old and started practicing a bit more seriously. Continue reading “Music as a profession – my history”