This blog is for those pre-racers thinking “I play guitar at home (or I want to learn), but do I really want to lug this thing around for 11 months to who knows where?”
For those who play guitar at home and aren’t sure whether to bring your guitar or not:
There was a time in my life when I was a pre-race baby, and I thought that same thing. So I get it. Sometimes that joy you get everyday from playing guitar seems like it would be overshadowed by the burden of dragging that thing around.
But I’m here to tell you that’s false.
Like, I couldn’t have been more wrong if brought a spoon to the Superbowl. In month 7, I play my guitar almost everyday. Much of the time for fun, other times for worship among the team, worship among the squad, and I’ll probably be playing with U2 or something by month 11.
But seriously, if you play at home, bring it. Don’t think about it, just bring it.
You will have downtime on the race and there will be times when you want nothing more than to grab your guitar and sit in a corner and play for hours. Or you will see other people with their’s and wish that you had brought yours.
It’s also a gift to your squad. It took me a while to learn this, but people actually appreciate hearing you play guitar. It allows you to give back to the squad. Live worship is entirely different than iPod worship. You may be thinking “I don’t play in front of people, or that’s not me” but you will. And you should. Bringing a guitar will push and stretch you, but all for the better. Your squad will love that you can play, and you will inevitably get better. It’s really a great way to love your squad. So do it!
**Further suggestions are at the bottom that you will probably want to read.
For those who want to learn guitar on the race:
Let me start by saying that the race is a great place to learn new things. You’ll have some down time and some people on your squad that can probably help you learn guitar.
But if you can’t see yourself having the perseverance to learn at home, I would bet that you won’t on the race either. The race (unlike what our brains tell us at first) is much like home after the first 3 months. You choose what you do with your down time. The race won’t give you the discernment to practice guitar when you can be watching a movie, you have to have that discernment. I say all of this because I know people who have brought guitars on the race in hopes to learn, but it has just escaped them. Then they just have to figure out what to do with a guitar they’re dragging about.
However, there is hope! If you are serious about it bring it! Don’t be discouraged! The race is a great environment to help you learn.
Tips for all the brave guitar draggers:
Below I will address some of the concerns/tips that I had/have for bringing guitars on the race!
I have a nice Dean acoustic that is my baby, but for the race I bought a cheap (kinda) $300ish Fender acoustic with a built in tuner. **It came with a hard case** (Which I would consider a must).
- I was initially worried about flying with my guitar. I’m here to tell you not to. Every flight will let you walk onto the airplane with your instrument for free and your instrument with the case will fit into the overhead compartment. Trust me. Mine is a monster. Plus it’s kind of funny to see people’s expression when you go about it.
- Bring at least one extra set of nice strings if you care about having nice strings(maybe two). You can find good strings, but they are few and far between.
- DEFINITELY bring a nice Capo.
- I would definitely suggest bringing a hard case instead of a soft case. But it isn’t necessary. You just have to keep a better eye on how people pack your guitar.
- DEFINITELY download the app “Tabs” by Ultimate Guitar. It allows you to look up any song with chords in seconds with wifi. You can favorite songs and it will save them so that you can view them without wifi anytime after that. I think it cost me $3 to buy. It’s the only app I’ve ever purchased, and the Starbucks coffee I didn’t get because of it was totally worth it.
- I would also suggest bringing some sort of guitar tuner. There is an app called “Guitar Tuna” that is free and works great.
- I also have a cutaway guitar, so I can perfectly fit a container of Peanut Butter between the cutaway of the guitar and the case. If anything, bringing a guitar is totally worth the extra packing space. Seriously though.
I think that’s about it! If you have any further questions, just comment down below and I will reply! 🙂
