Is a string winder necessary to change guitar strings, or can you just use your hands?
Time saver for sure. But I think there may be some value to winding your strings by hand, at least until you know you know how to do it. There is a certain – elegance – to the ritual, for me anyway. Paying intimate attention to the equipment. Stretching the strings to their proper tension and focusing on the tiny changes that make the tuning correct. I miss that when I use the winder but of course, the job gets done quickly.
I most enjoy the interaction between myself and my students. There is something profoundly cool about helping a guitarist or a uke player on their own path. I find working with beginners- especially adult beginners- is both humbling and fulfilling. I like to think I offer an excellent product! And I truly enjoy working with people who are either looking to take up this wonderful instrument or improve their playing. My remote students get a combination of real-time coaching and personal customized video lessons and in-person students get the advantage of one-to-one focused attention, of course. We start out with a goal -usually a song you want to learn- decide when we’ll meet, and figure out how long it’s going to take to get it the way you want.