Recommended Christmas Gifts for Classical Guitarists

How about a nice solft cloth to put over the guitar. So many beginning guitarists never find out about the importance of removing the fingerprints and cleaning off the strings until it is too late. A nice soft cloth placed over the guitar means that the guitar is less likely to rattle around when we carry it around from fro and to. If you want to make it personal, have their name embroidered on a corner. Be sure to use thread that does not scratch however. Some other items off the top of my head:

1. A nice metronome
2. a guitar tuner. There are many of them with different capabilities and with vastly different prices. Even if a guitarist has a tuner, one of the small ones that fits in the case is always appreciated. A tuner that attaches to the headstock and works by induction is a lifesaver when we need to tune in a noisy room
3. A biography of a guitarist is usually the last thing that someone thinks of, but is generally very well received. Autobiographies count, and don’t always have to be ancient. Gordon Sumner’s life – starting as an English Teacher and currently exploring everything from Jazz to the lute – is a good read, especially now that he isn’t taking himseld quite so seriously.
4. Julian Bream’s Guittarra or My Life in music might be a surprising addition to your guitar player’s collection. I’ve never seen either of these on cable or PBS and although Mr. Bream still does take himself Very Seriously, he kind of has a right to?
5. Accompaniment CDs or DVDs especially for music that the guitar player enjoys listening to but does not play. It helps to look at music with fresh ears now and then and makes going back to the regular discipline more palatable. Music Minus one also makes duet recordings for those times when your friend can’t get over or you can’t get the hang of recording the one part so you can play to yourself.
6. There is no such thing as an extra footstool. You can never find the one you own when you need it and you can always use one in the classroom, the gig bag, or one of those other rooms where you play guitar while you prop your leg against the chair leg or a stack of magazines
7. A sturdy music stand is a lifesaver that guitarists treasure, but seldom think to spend money on. Some of them use that same wire stand that they got when they took Band. Some of them prop their music up against a stack of magazines, or prop it up on the piano. a few of them have one that they borrowed from someplace and always meant to return. A musician with his own Manhasset or Wenger, bought and paid for, is a thing to behold however. You wouldn’t believe how much they treasure it, and possibly you for thinking of it.
8. A subscription to the trade publication that actually represents what they do. You would not believe how many guitarists get subscriptions to rock guigar magazines by people who really know better, when there are publications like Fingerstyle Guitar and Classical Guitar (is it still active?) that can’t even be found in the local libraries – mostly because guitar players keep borrowing them, meaning to return them someday!
9. You may not be able to afford that dream guitar your musician lusts after. You might be able to swing a case to protect the guitar that he or she currently owns. Most guitarists carry their precious folios in a plastic bag they picked up a six pack or a bag of nuts they picked up a few days ago. A nice tote bag – especially one that holds a footstool – is a revelation to a musician who might never think to spend money on anything but music.
10. Finally, how about a nice conservative shirt, tie, or pair of slacks or outfit. Something that the musician would never catch themselves dead in, except for the night before an important audition or concert, when the stores are all closed. He or she will not be thrilled to get this gift on the day that you give it to them, but on the day they need it and find it in the back of their closet, you might be the person that they never forget! Especially if it really fits. the better the musician, the less likely they are to shop off the rack! Yes, I know that Mother’s are supposed to rule in this province, but not everybody has one.

Hope this helps