It's "Love Your Guitar" month! We don't want to take our instrument for granted. Guitars need love too! Here are a few quick tips for giving your guitar some extra love this month.

1) Play it! -- The best thing you can do for your guitar is to play it! You know those ladies that talk to their plants? Well, maybe you need to talk sweet to your instrument. Pick her up and hold her a bit. Remember those promises you made to your guitar around New Year's about playing and practicing more? Well, she remembers. Ok, maybe she doesn't, but it's not too late to catch back up on your guitar playing. If you haven't picked up your guitar in a while then make a point to make some music in the coming days (even if you feel silly talking to it ;-).

2) Check for Dryness and Low Humidity -- Most of us have been through a long, cold winter with the heater in our house going non-stop. This drains the air and our guitar of the precious humidity it needs to sound its best. Believe it or not, guitars need a humidity level of 45-55% to stay in top condition. Some signs that your guitar may be drying out are sharp fret ends, low action, and a slight bow inward from the bridge. If your guitar is showing any kind of low humidity stress then pick up an inexpensive humidifier for your guitar. It's better to be safe than sorry.

3) Check Your Guitar Setup -- Guitars get out of adjustment gradually over time. It doesn't happen overnight so this gradual change is often hard to notice. If you suspect your instrument may be getting out of adjustment then it may be a great time to have your guitar setup at the local music store. A guitar should be set up at least once a year.

4) Clean Your Guitar -- It's amazing how taking a few moments to clean your guitar can get you back in the mood for playing. A little guitar polish, some fretboard conditioner, and a soft cloth are all you need. Caution: Don't use waxy furniture polish because this has a tendency to create a film on your guitar.

5) Get a Guitar Case -- One of the best things you can do to protect your guitar is get a good quality case (either hard or soft). There are a lot of ways to save money with guitars but buying a case is not one of them. Your case protects your guitar. Spring the extra money for the extra foam in the gig bag (soft case) or the wood on a high-quality hard case. Again, it's better to be safe than sorry.

So, there are a few hints for showing your guitar a little extra love during "Love Your Guitar" month. Remember, your guitar is your tool to make music. You need to make sure it is in top shape so that you can make the music that is inside of you.

Keep Learning & Growing!
Steve Krenz

P.S. Voting is still open for the 2011 Acoustic Guitar Magazine Player's Choice Awards. Gibson's Learn & Master Guitar was nominated, and your support in the voting is appreciated. You can vote here. Thank you!

Legacy Days Guitar Gathering 2011--Registration is OPEN!

Our annual "Legacy Days Guitar Gathering" is coming up in June. Register now and make your plans to meet us in Nashville!

This is an event designed for guitarists. Regardless of your age, skill level, or favorite style, you'll be able to sit under the teaching of some of the best guitarists in the world. This year, in addition to Learn & Master's own Steve Krenz and Greg Voros, we have fingerstyle great, Pete Huttlinger and Rick Vito of Fleetwood Mac fame.

This year, we'll continue the tradition of the "Monster Blues Jam" and the ever popular Jazz, Classical, and Bluegrass Student Ensembles. There are group lessons, private workshops, and evening concerts. Come celebrate guitar with us!

Click here to learn more and register for Guitar Gathering 2011!

February Featured Student Profile

MIckey Name: Zendre' (Mickey) Sanders

Screen Name: "MickeyOnAcoustic"

Gender: Female

My city: Atlanta, Georgia

**See Mickey's blog feature by clicking here!

My instruments/gear:
* Yamaha FG700S acoustic guitar
* Wechter 1720E acoustic-electric guitar (a travel guitar)

Favorite Artists/Bands: I am a singer, and my favorite vocalist is an artist named Rachelle Ferrell. She uses her voice as an instrument like no one I've seen. In general, I love 50s, 60s, and 80s music. Regarding particular artists and bands, it's hard to narrow it down! I am a fan of the music of Justin Nozuka, India.Arie, Mercy Me, Phil Collins, Sting, Breathe, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Ryan Leslie, Toni Braxton, and Lauryn Hill, among many others!

Favorite style(s) to play: Acoustic soul, which is how Justin Nozuka and India.Arie have referred to their style of music. The songs "My Heart Is Yours" (Nozuka) and "Purify Me" (India.Arie) exemplify this style. I'm totally enamored by this style of music. It just touches my heart and soul in the best way.

What made me want to play music?: From the time I was an infant, my parents took me to church where I grew up hearing and singing the most beautifully blended a cappella singing you could imagine. That gave me a deep love of harmony, tone, and music. I knew I would play an instrument as soon as I got old enough (at my elementary school that meant sixth grade!).

My inspiration for playing the guitar was a very specific experience of attending an open mic event: Performer after performer got up on stage and sang their hearts. From teens to folks in their sixties and seventies, from Christian pop to finger style to rock, the performances were just AMAZING. I remember being an audience member and thinking, "Wow. I really MISS having music in my life the way music is in their lives. I wish that were ME able to get up on stage and share a song like that."

The final performer was a high schooler on an electric guitar, obviously a halting beginner but nevertheless so proud to have the support we were giving him. At the end of his performance, I made my decision: "I am going to give myself the chance to have that joy. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to learn to play the guitar!" Thanks to GLMG, I now am!

Previous music experience: I took up the clarinet in elementary school at the age of eleven and played for the next six years. Later in college, I sang and travelled with the Harvard Kuumba Singers and a female a cappella subset of Kuumba called Sisters.

If your house was on fire, which one piece of gear would you grab and why?: Though my Yamaha's been good to me and started me out on my journey, I'd have to grab the Wechter. The Wechter is a travel guitar and the PERFECT size for me. It's just so comfortable to play. And the Wechter was harder to come by! Yamahas are very popular and more readily available. (I feel like I'm apologizing! Sorry, Yamaha! I still love you!)

My favorite place to be when I'm playing music: My living room in the morning with the sun streaming in through the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling window. It's divine.

My highest musical moment: My highest, most delightful musical moment so far is of singing the South African National Anthem (no small feat!) with the Harvard Kuumba Singers for Nelson Mandela.

We were nervous, but our rendition was to Mandela's praise. (He said we nailed it and sang things correctly that he rarely heard sung correctly!) Afterward, Mandela took the time to shake every single Kuumba members hand (all 100+ of us!). They say he doesn't ever want anyone in his presence to feel invisible the way people tried to make him feel invisible all those years of his unjust imprisonment.

Hobbies: Reading, trying new recipes, hosting and fellowshipping, and, of course, playing and learning about the guitar. I've also started collecting movies, especially of love stories, standup comedy, and classics. (If you haven't already, you've got to see What Dreams May Come, Meet Joe Black, and The Shawshank Redemption! Excellent!)

Current Job:Assistant director at a mathematics learning center (formerly a humble mathematics teacher)