My Review on the Taylor Acoustic-Electric 312ce

[Untitled photograph of a Taylor 312ce]. Retrieved September 30, 2010, from:
http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/Acoustic-Electric/300/312ce/

I got this Taylor Acoustic-Electric 312ce for about $1,700 just over 2 years ago. Ya it sounds expensive, but it is the best investment I’ve made in my life thus far. Here’s why:

Sound!

The sound is just incredible! Even when it isn’t plugged into an amp the sound of this small body guitar can fill and warm a room all on its own. Plugged into my amp it sounds just as awesome, if not better! With the Taylor Expression System® you don’t even need to touch the controls on the amp. Just change your settings straight from the guitar. The chrome-plated tuners keep this guitar in tune so well that I almost never have to retune it. The full, bright, and warm tones are matched by very few guitars.

Beauty, Feel, and Comfort!

This guitar is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen. The woods used in the guitar not only help give it a beautiful sound, but an astonishing complexion. The satin finish with a gloss top gives an amazing glow. The black bindings outline its beautiful curves and give it the bold yet humble look.

The bindings and wood are so smooth it makes it almost impossible to put it down. The neck makes switching between chords and moving up and down the full length effortless. The curve in the body helps it sit in your lap just in the right spot. The guitar feels so comfortable while on my lap that I sometimes forget I’m holding it. This is definitely one of the most comfortable guitars I’ve played.

In conclusion, I’m giving this guitar a perfect 10 for its marvellous craftwork.

How To Stay Focused While Studying

There are a lot of us out there that have trouble staying focused while studying. It took me awhile before I learned a few awesome ways to keep myself focused. Here are four simple steps that can help you stay focused while studying.

1. Have a set time to study and take planned breaks.

It helps you to concentrate when you know how long you’re going to be studying and what material you’ll be covering over that set time. Make sure you plan your breaks so that you never take too long of a break. Make sure when you take breaks to walk around or do something active. It helps to keep you awake if you’re feeling a little drowsy.

2. Find a quiet room with little distractions.

Stay away from your biggest distractions and keep them in a separate room. Even if you’re in your room with your computer and cell phone off, it’s going to be tempting you if it’s within your reach.

3. Plan punishments and rewards.

Have a reasonable punishment ready to go just in case you do get distracted or stray away from your study schedule. Of course if you’re going to plan a punishment for yourself, you’re going to have to reward yourself for getting through the study material you planned to finish.

4. Study with a friend.

Having a friend to quiz you can help you to remember a lot of the concepts and definitions. Make sure your friend knows your study schedule and any punishments you’ve created. You and your friend can help keep each other in line. On the other hand, don’t bring a friend that isn’t studying the same topic that you’re studying for. It’s fun to have friends around while you’re studying, but if they’re studying for another topic or class, they’re going to distract you.

Beginner Guitarist Mistakes

Quite a few friends of mine that are just beginning to play guitar tell me they haven’t been improving a lot since the last time I’ve heard them play. When I go to visit and help them out, there are a few things I noticed that seemed to be common between all of them. These are in my opinion the common mistakes that beginner guitarists make.

Not Tuning the Guitar:

Make sure to get a tuner when you first start out playing guitar. Tuning your guitar is the first step you should do when you pick up a guitar. You’ll never learn how the strings are supposed to sound if you play a guitar out of tune. Once you learn how those strings are supposed to sound, you’ll be able to tune a guitar just by your ear. Playing that song out of tune will never sound good.

Thinking Negatively:

You’re not going to get anywhere fast if you stop playing all the time to think about how you’re the worst. Everyone’s a beginner at some point in their life. Thinking negatively about yourself is just going to stress you out while you learn to play, and that stress is just going to make you want to give up.

Not Using their Pinky Finger:

There isn’t a lot of strength in your pinky finger when you first start to play the guitar. Using your pinky finger is going to help strengthen your fingers and stretch your fingers out. This is a need for when you get to the more advanced techniques.

Not Keeping Tempo:

Make sure you learn to play on time and how to count the beats of a song. This is a key concept for anyone learning to play a musical instrument, especially if you’re planning on playing in a band. If all the band members play at a different tempo, the music will just turn out to be just a big mess of sounds.