Welcome to CindyLouWhoMusic! My name is Cindy Lester & this is my second music website which I'll devote mostly to guitars. I give private guitar & piano lessons in Malden, MO in beautiful southeast Missouri. I picked up my first guitar around age 12, taught myself to play & have enjoyed it ever since. I majored in music in college & also play piano, flute and several other instruments. See the following pages for guitar and music related topics and email me at:
maldenmusic@yahoo.com if you have requests for anything specific or if you have articles and/or photos to post here. This site be a work in progress. Happy playing!





For info on private guitar or piano lessons:
www.maldenmusic.net

For information on blues music in the Missouri bootheel:
www.bootheelblues.info

If you are a blues band or performer and would like your schedule or profile listed here contact me at:
bootheelblues@yahoo.com
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For info on the latest happenings in the Cape Girardeau, MO area and more:
www.iLuvLocalPlaces.com

Let's Make Music!!
Do you play guitar and/or like to sing? I want to get a few  musicians together for a semi-regular musical get together. Maybe weekly, maybe monthly, my house, your house, church basement or wherever. Email me and let's see what we can come up with. My only requirement is that you leave your ego at home and just have fun. Musicians of all abilities would be welcome.
maldenmusic@yahoo.com

CARING FOR YOUR  ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Now that you own an acoustic guitar one of the things you need to do, besides learning to play, is learning a few simple things to help care for it.

Your acoustic guitar is made of thin wood and the wood is affected by heat and humidity. These two things are probably the most important factors to be aware of when it comes to your guitar. Most guitarists/luthiers recommend an average humidity in the 45%-55% range and temps between 72 and 77 degrees.
 In addition, any rapid changes in heat/humidity aren't good-a rapid increase in humidity can make the wood swell and too high a temp might cause glue to loosen under the bridge allowing it to fall off. Increased temp or exposure to cold could cause "checking" which are small cracks that develop in the lacquer finish.
Too dry a climate is also bad news for your guitar and may cause the guitar to develop cracks. If your guitar has been exposed to freezing temps, the best way to warm it up is to leave it in the case, set indoors and allow it to warm gradually. Never set your guitar near a heat source-vent, fireplace, etc as this can cause over drying and too high a temp. Don't expose it to direct sunlight or leave overnight in your car.
Some experts recommend keeping your guitar in it's case with a humidifier at all times when you aren't playing it. I have to admit that I DON'T follow this advise for two simple reasons. First, a guitar left in it's case is less likely to be played and practiced. Secondly, in our southeast Missouri environment, we almost always have enough humidity and I've never had a problem with this. I always keep my guitars in their stands or better, their wall hangers. I like wall hangers because it keeps them up off the floor and away from our dog and cats. When I lived in the Colorado Rockies where our average humidity was about 20%, I did keep my guitars in cases more often with a humidifier in each one. Guitar humidifiers are small, cheap and come in all different kinds. As far as having too much humidity around here, if you have your guitar inside in an air conditioned environment, your guitar will probably not suffer.
I also clean the wood on my fretboard (fingerboard) every time I change strings, which for me is about once a month. I use lemon oil on the fretboard as well as the entire guitar when it needs a little cleaning. I've been using D'Andrea Lemon Oil for years and it lasts forever and doesn't cost much. Warning-use it very sparingly with a soft cloth-a little goes a long, long way. There are hundreds of guitar care products available today and you don't have to spend a ton of money to properly care for your acoustic guitar. Just a little common sense and a little cleaning will help keep your guitar sounding and looking good. One more thing, if you aren't going to be playing a guitar for a period of a few months, loosen the strings a bit before putting it away. This will help avoid too much tension on the neck. Happy playing!

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Scenes from the Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, Helena, AR
Oct. 8-10, 2009

   
 
  

 

 
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In Memory
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1995-2008

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