Practice Space

So you've just started down the road to guitar fame, fortune and fun. Congratulations! You keep hearing and reading about this "practice space" you should set up, but you live in an apartment where you have to go outside to change your mind. I know your pain and hopefully can alleviate it with some helpful advice. It may cost you a little bit of cash, but the following items helped me out.

1. A stool/chair (folding if possible) and a small rug that fits beneath it with enough space for your feet to rest on.

2. A folding tray stand (television dinner style).

3. A cookbook stand.

4. A guitar stand. I'd suggest one that supports the neck. (If your guitar is visible, you'll play it. Trust me.)

5. A container to hold cables, pedals, etc.

6. A small container for picks. (Make sure it can fit into your gig bag or pocket though.)

Now you're probably asking, "Why a chair and small rug?" The stool I use is for one thing only: practicing and playing. Same with the rug. If I go out on my balcony, they go with me. If I go to jam at someone's house, they go with me.

The folding tray and cookbook stand are for your sheet music/tabs. Also a great reason to put the computer to sleep and concentrate on practice.

All of these items should easily fit into a closet/behind a chair, except your guitar. NEVER hide your guitar (unless you have/know destructive children). Guitars like to be looked at and admired, it makes them happy. Not as happy as being played, but happy.

Some helpful stuff that's not vitally important when you first start:

Paper: For taking notes and copying tabs/chord diagrams. While you can print out tab and chord diagram blanks, you can also use graph paper.

Capo: You'll need one eventually and they're not that expensive.

A Pedal: A cheap multi-effect pedal. Practice can get boring sometimes. Spice it up with some effects.

String Winder: Another cheap must-have item. Unless you want Popeye forearms.

Spare Strings: Make a checklist of the brands of strings you want to try, then each time you change strings buy the next on the list. Unless you really love the ones you have on your guitar. Make notes on the checklist about the strings.

A Small Notebook: Great for keeping your string checklist in. I also have a "quick fact sheet" for each of my guitars with the recommended string gauges, recommended intonation gaps, measurements of the guitar (helps with gig bag/case purchases), etc.

Feeler gauges: For intonation. Check an auto parts store though, they tend to be cheaper and the same quality (if not better). Heck, most of the tools in a "guitar tool kit" are cheaper at a hardware/auto store.

I've probably forgotten a few things, but you get the idea. Now go practice!

It's a great idea to have a dedicated space for practice. They key I believe is to make it easy to start. The more work involved in getting going, the less likely you will practice. I had these thoughts in mind when I set my space up. The only drawback for me is that I am set up in the basement which can get damp. I won't leave my guitars down there, so I have to grab a guitar to bring down with me. Not the end of the world.

I wonder why you suggest a TV tray with a cookbook stand rather than a dedicated music stand?

I agree that guitars should be left out. In addition to be able to admire them, the moment inspiration hits, you can pick it up and start playing. My wife isn't too keen on that, but it is what it is :).

I use a cookbook stand to hold books open, since I'm still in the early stages of learning I have a few "beginner" books that I'm working through and some exercise books. The TV tray easily holds the book stand, my tuner, pick container, pencil, highlighter, etc. Later I'll pick up a dedicated music stand but will probably still keep the tray out to hold extra stuff.

They're also items that are useful for more than just music practice (in case the person learning decides to stop learning).

Having a set practice space with the guitar left out all the time on a guitar stand really helps me stay motivated.[br]I work from home and in my home office my guitar is out, standing on a guitarstand all the time. Not only does it look great, I see the guitar those 8-9 hours I work in the office. When I have some free time during the day or it's a slow day at work, it's so easy to just grab the guitar and do some practice.[br][br]An other thing that help me get motivated is very simple but works the same way as having the guitar out in the open: I leave guitar picks out in the open around the house. When I see a guitarpick I get in the mood to play guitar. Picks are dirt cheap and I have one in pretty much every room.

+1 on the ready available guitar that is out all the time.

If you have to unpack it or even take it out of the closet... It is one more impediment to playing.

Originally Posted by: Johangarden

Having a set practice space with the guitar left out all the time on a guitar stand really helps me stay motivated.[br]I work from home and in my home office my guitar is out, standing on a guitarstand all the time. Not only does it look great, I see the guitar those 8-9 hours I work in the office. When I have some free time during the day or it's a slow day at work, it's so easy to just grab the guitar and do some practice.[br][br]An other thing that help me get motivated is very simple but works the same way as having the guitar out in the open: I leave guitar picks out in the open around the house. When I see a guitarpick I get in the mood to play guitar. Picks are dirt cheap and I have one in pretty much every room.

Originally Posted by: Johangarden

[br]An other thing that help me get motivated is very simple but works the same way as having the guitar out in the open: I leave guitar picks out in the open around the house. When I see a guitarpick I get in the mood to play guitar. Picks are dirt cheap and I have one in pretty much every room.

I may be a dork, but I carry a couple of picks in my pocket all of the time. On the rare occasion a guitar unexpectedly falls into my hands, I'm ready! :).

My band used to rent out a monthly practice space. It had 24 hour access... Boy, do I miss that!! It's pretty expensive if you're not splitting it between a lot of people.

I love your idea about making a checklist of the strings! I will definitely have to try that.

Also... Even with a "designated space" for picks, I lose them. Constantly xD

Following up on the sub-subject of 'how' or 'where' to keep one's guitars in the practice space... Having to take a guitar out of its case is never an impediment to playing or practice for me

I have never liked the idea of hanging guitars on the wall or keeping them on display on a floor stand. I freely admit to babying my instruments much more than some and keeping them safely within their cases is the way to go for me. The environment in my practice room may be more extreme than others' rooms but the issues affecting guitars are not that much different. There's a lot of dust (rural area in the arid Mountain west), large temperature changes during any 24-hour period (again, Mountain west), low humidity or significant fluxes from day to day (arid...), sunlight streaming through the windows, pets, foot traffic, etc. And I don't have kids...or air conditioning...or forced air heat; all of which are varying risks to guitar health. During this time of year, daytime closed and nighttime open windows exacerbate some of these issues none of which are good for guitars. Keeping them in their cases helps protect the axes from virtually all of the 'threats.' (my friend had his guitar knocked off its floor stand by an enthusiastic floor vacuumning

Feeler gauges?!