Guitars & Alcohol

[BobbyMocha]

The Washington Post ran a very entertaining article about the long-standing connection between Country Music and the Alcohol Industry. (10-min read)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...=.cfe5c8817204

I have a particular favorite beer (M43) that I like to have sometimes when I practice, especially in the warmer months. When we get together with friends to play and jam, my wife and and I and our friends always have Gin and Tonics with a very specific brand. Its just a tradition when we play.

Just wondering what people's thoughts are on this. Any traditions being followed.

[hat]

My J45 plays much better after it's had a drink or 2. It prefers Long islands, but my small bodied 00 likes Rum & coke much better!

[gfspencer]

I drink Scotch when I play my bagpipes.

[Ed66]

My guitars seem to prefer Bourbon (either on the rocks or with a Coke). However they do complain after more than 3. It seems they get a little sloppy in their execution. Maybe its a setup issue

[rmyAddison]

My Martins prefer single malt Scotch, so do my playing buddies, especially because it's my single malt Scotch..........

[rampix]

I'll have a glass of Malbec or Tempranillo with my rosewood Martin, but a Riesling seems to compliment my maple Guild better.

[ripdotcom]

I used to make it part of practice but quit some years ago, I think it was making me fat.

[Jambi]

I have a tendency to get nervous when recording or playing in front of people. Alcohol (in moderation) is the great equalizer.

[darfaz]

It's funny, I can't even have one drink and play guitar. I get all sloppy and I have trouble fingering open chords.

[89bruin]

My playing sounds better after several drinks .... that is, after my listeners have had several drinks

[Steel and wood]

Yep, I like a beer or two (no more) before I play in front of others just to take the edge off (I get very nervous) and I love to practice and play at home next to a Coopers Sparkling Ale or a glass of Shiraz or Malbec.

[RoseAdi]

I like a really nice Islay scotch when I play my Irish guitars... Oh wait, I only have Irish guitars! Ha, the more I play the higher the bar tab goes.

Looks like the Scots get it for the drink and the Irish for the guitars. Works for me!

[Mooh]

I had a drinking problem inasmuch as I could gather my nerve to play in public easier if I'd had a couple of beers but it negatively affected the quality of my playing. Dry now for 17 years or so (except for a single sip of communion wine on Sundays) I adapted until hypertension made playing out a real challenge. If it's not one thing, it's another.

Without reviewing the history of my drinking problem, suffice it to say that for years I loved small brewery IPAs and lagers, and darks, while playing and gigging.

Nowadays there are a couple of non-alcoholic beers I like, Krombacher especially, and I recently tried the new Heineken 0.0 which is okay. They taste more like actual beer than some of the "light" beers.

So, a non-alcoholic beer, a guitar, my comfy chair, and straw hat on the front yard of the family cottage...those things go together.

[Goat Mick]

The more you drink, the better I sound!! LOL

Usually I'll have one beer while I'm getting up my gear for a gig and then I'll slowly sip during the show. Maybe a total of 3 or 4 over a 5 hour period. That first one is good for quietening the pre-gig nerves after that it's all show to sell more alcohol for the venue and to make me look like I'm partying with the audience.

[Pinetreebob]

According to Tom Waits, his piano imbibes:
And the bar stools are on fire
And the newspapers were fooling
And the ashtrays have retired
And the piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking
The piano has been drinking
Not me, not me, not me, not me, not me