Playing an instrument is good for the brain

[soulman101]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng
For me playing the guitar and listening to music , helps to trick my mind with regards chronic pain.

[boingy]

It helps on lots of fronts. You use both halves of the brain, the creative and the analytical (especially with composing) maths is involved with timing, English with Lyrics (having to adapt and change words different options to fit lines comfortably) With Mental health conditions music is often a way of calming the nervous system. Loads of benefits.

[soulman101]

It helps on lots of fronts. You use both halves of the brain, the creative and the analytical (especially with composing) maths is involved with timing, English with Lyrics (having to adapt and change words different options to fit lines comfortably) With Mental health conditions music is often a way of calming the nervous system. Loads of benefits.

Hi Boingy, there's a video on you-tube showing a research on the brain using an MRI scanner, a composer and artist had his brain scanned whilst listening to his music.
The acitivity in his brain was lighting up all over his brain , but when they asked him to try and compose a new piece. his brain activety was off the scale.
A lot of hospitals in the USA use music therapy to aid recovery from brain injury's .
When I used to visit Mom in the care home , at lot of residents with dementia who normally would just sit there spaced out or very agitated.
You should see ther faces lght up when a singer came in in and most of them wood join in.

[Omegstrat6]

Learning an instrument can be a bit frustrating at times (getting that first Barre F chord on a guitar with a high action or trying to co-ordinate left and right hands when learning keyboard ! &#128513 but, ultimately, is rewarding, enjoyable and, yes, therapeutic. Lots of research around it being good for your brain and my understanding is that, although he eventually succumbed to the illness, playing guitar and singing helped Glen Campbell keep his Alzheimer's disease at bay for a while. How much of this was a kind of "muscle memory" I don't know but playing music did seem to offer some benefit.

[boingy]

Learning an instrument can be a bit frustrating at times (getting that first Barre F chord on a guitar with a high action or trying to co-ordinate left and right hands when learning keyboard ! &#128513 but, ultimately, is rewarding, enjoyable and, yes, therapeutic. Lots of research around it being good for your brain and my understanding is that, although he eventually succumbed to the illness, playing guitar and singing helped Glen Campbell keep his Alzheimer's disease at bay for a while. How much of this was a kind of "muscle memory" I don't know but playing music did seem to offer some benefit.

The best thing anyone can do first is get the guitar “set up” before you even think of playing. It can be the difference between success and failure. A really comfortable action cuts the frustration down considerably. I know it takes a few things to manage mental health, but music or art and dance are all good somatic helps for contributing to getting through the day. If I spend 10 hours on a music project it helps fill in a lot of time and puts me in a safe place but I can still feel flat (no pun intended) after that. It does really help though.

[kettering_baggie]

My first attempts at playing guitar were back in schooldays, I was given a cheap acoustic guitar and it was difficult to play. I didn’t know anything about it back then but it had a very high action and a wide (classical) guitar neck. I learned a number of Shadows numbers and a couple of Elvis songs but didn’t stick with it. Years later my son wanted to learn and was recommended to start on an electric guitar with a narrow neck and low action (an Aria Stratocaster); I also learned to play ‘properly’ on that instrument. If only I had known back in those schooldays what I know now…….!

I really like guitars, not just as musical instruments but also as lovely looking objects! I find it difficult to resist buying more. The last one I bought was in an auction for £70, a Crafter Cruiser, and it is lovely to play and has a great tone. I recently saw an Aria Pro-II Fullerton in Stamford music shop, very nice, very tempted! What I really lust after at the moment, though, is a Fender Acoustasonic………!

[boingy]

My first attempts at playing guitar were back in schooldays, I was given a cheap acoustic guitar and it was difficult to play. I didn’t know anything about it back then but it had a very high action and a wide (classical) guitar neck. I learned a number of Shadows numbers and a couple of Elvis songs but didn’t stick with it. Years later my son wanted to learn and was recommended to start on an electric guitar with a narrow neck and low action (an Aria Stratocaster); I also learned to play ‘properly’ on that instrument. If only I had known back in those schooldays what I know now…….!

I really like guitars, not just as musical instruments but also as lovely looking objects! I find it difficult to resist buying more. The last one I bought was in an auction for £70, a Crafter Cruiser, and it is lovely to play and has a great tone. I recently saw an Aria Pro-II Fullerton in Stamford music shop, very nice, very tempted! What I really lust after at the moment, though, is a Fender Acoustasonic………!

Guitars are great. I had 14 up until 5 years ago? Down to 7 now but my wife won’t let me sell any more. I use maybe 4? In the studio. (I’ve also got a tenor Sax which will be sold when I get round to it)
Learning on an electric is a good idea for the reasons you said. I mainly write with my Faith jumbo acoustic, low action and a deep resinous tone. I have a hofner bass copy and the other two I use are a Gibson 330 semi acoustic, and a Crafter hybrid. All of them play great despite the value disparity.

[kettering_baggie]

Guitars are great. I had 14 up until 5 years ago? Down to 7 now but my wife won’t let me sell any more. I use maybe 4? In the studio. (I’ve also got a tenor Sax which will be sold when I get round to it)
Learning on an electric is a good idea for the reasons you said. I mainly write with my Faith jumbo acoustic, low action and a deep resinous tone. I have a hofner bass copy and the other two I use are a Gibson 330 semi acoustic, and a Crafter hybrid. All of them play great despite the value disparity.

Apart from the aforementioned Aria Strat and Crafter Cruiser, I have an Epiphone Les Paul, a Telecaster, a Mustang Bass, an unbranded 5 string bass, a Crafter electro acoustic and a Gretsch Parlour guitar. I also use a Tanglewood baritone ukulele, a Hawaiian ukulele (£30 at auction) and a ‘guitalele’ bought for £6.50 from a charity shop! That guitalele scrubbed up really well, the specialist strings cost £18! Buying from a shop is too easy, more satisfying looking at the auctions and charity shops. Not sure about the quality of my playing, though!!!

[Omegstrat6]

I agree with Boingy that having your guitar set up properly makes learning to play less frustrating but back when I first started to learn I really don't did know any better. My first guitar was a cheapie acoustic a work colleague of my dad gave me. To be fair, it didn't sound too bad but it did have quite a high action so rather hurt the virgin tips of my left hand fingers until I grew protective pads! Nevertheless, it was my first guitar so loved it.

Like Boingy, I also get rather "lost in music" when playing and even more so now I've got a Focusrite and the free Ableton program that came with it and am learning to both record and arrange songs. The only problem is that I become so engrossed that I get myself in trouble because I've forgotten to do various jobs my better half wanted doing!😀 I think Ableton is really more for those wanting to program and create their own beats and, as I'm far from tech. savvy, most of that is well beyond me so I'm probably only using a fraction of its true potential but, even so, I'm having fun just recording live audio tracks for guitar, bass and keyboard and (very!) slowly learning how to program my old drum machine or add MIDI instruments.

Like both Boingy and Ketts, I've collected a few guitars over the years. Currently I have a Yamaha acoustic, an Ovation Applause, Gear 4 music bass, Fender strat (my main guitar) and a Rickenbacker 360 12 string. I'd love to add to this especially a Tele, Epiphone Casino, a 335 and an SG as well as a really nice acoustic, a uke and a classical guitar. A Gretsch might be nice too! Cost aside though I don't think my wife would let me have any more "cluttering up the house" in any case but I can dream.....

[boingy]

Apart from the aforementioned Aria Strat and Crafter Cruiser, I have an Epiphone Les Paul, a Telecaster, a Mustang Bass, an unbranded 5 string bass, a Crafter electro acoustic and a Gretsch Parlour guitar. I also use a Tanglewood baritone ukulele, a Hawaiian ukulele (£30 at auction) and a ‘guitalele’ bought for £6.50 from a charity shop! That guitalele scrubbed up really well, the specialist strings cost £18! Buying from a shop is too easy, more satisfying looking at the auctions and charity shops. Not sure about the quality of my playing, though!!!

Yes I can see your love of Guitars is terminal.