When you have something as delicate and valuable as a classical guitar, you need to take good care of it. If you are just taking beginner classical guitar lessons, then one of the basic things you need to learn right from the beginning is how to take care of your guitar. It is good to form these good habits right from the beginning so there is no hardship involved later in keeping your instrument safe and working long. If you are interested in knowing more about the classical guitar as an instrument, you can read up at: http://guitarlessonssingapore.com/classical-guitar-lessons-getting-know-classical-guitar/.

One of the most important things to discuss when taking basic guitar lessons is how the climate affects your classical guitar. It is important for the guitar to be exposed to  a decent humidity level. Humidification is a significant factor in keeping your guitar in good condition. Without the proper humidity level, the guitar can really get damaged badly.

Dry weather can shrink your guitar. Once the wood shrinks, every part of the guitar feels the pressure. This ultimately leads to cracking, which destroys the guitar. On the other hand, there is also the fact that very high moisture content in the air can make the guitar sound bad since the tone would lack volume and projection. The wood in the guitar expands due to the moisture, which leads to bloating. Once again, this can put pressure on the guitar, damaging it.

So we see how important it is to keep the classical guitar within the acceptable humidity limits. This is around 40 – 55%. Anything higher or lower than this can damage the guitar, especially if it is kept under such conditions for a long period of time. There are ways to ensure that your guitar is kept in good humid condition to ensure its longevity.

  • The first step is to ensure that you have a decent guitar case. Always store your guitar in its case to protect it from the elements. Whenever you are not actually playing your guitar, it should be in its case. It is very easy for musical instruments to get damaged if they are left standing by as a decoration as people are apt to do. So forget the décor and go with the case.
  • Keep a humidifier in your guitar case. This will ensure that there is the desired level of moisture in the air, without resorting to major changes. The humidifier will keep the guitar at the optimum level of moisture.
  • Another option is to keep a hygrometer in your guitar case. This helps in measuring the moisture content of the air, which in turn, helps you make decisions on how far to go with the humidifying.
  • Keep an eye out for any change in the way your guitar sounds. Chances are that these may be caused by weather conditions. A simple storage period in its case will ensure that the guitar goes back to normal.

While humidifying, one thing you need to avoid is to actually humidify the guitar itself. Some people prefer to put a humidifying device or wet sponge inside the guitar, but this can lead to overexposure to moisture. The moisture needs to be evenly distributed, so the best way is to humidify the guitar case and ensure that the guitar is in its case most of the time.

With just a bit of effort, you can ensure that your guitar doesn’t get affected by extreme weather conditions.

To learn more about caring for your guitar, please refer to www.guitarlessonssingapore.com.