When Can You Practice? When Can’t You?
We’ve all been in these situations before. You’re sitting shotgun in a car, driving to some disconcerting destination, or you’re on an airplane reverberating echoes of rustling peanut bags and the sounds of the in-flight movie selection of Gigli screeching from your neighbor’s earbuds (seriously… what would make whoever chose that movie think anyone wanted to watch that?) Or maybe you’re at a funeral and you need a quick pick me up by finally getting those sweeps down. In all of these scenarios there is no guitar present. How are you supposed to practice in a case like that where space and resources are so limited? I implore someone to solve this scourge against humanity!
Enter the PocketStrings
With a punch to the face like the Adam West Batman – onomatopoeias and all – the PocketStrings comes in full force to solve all of your practicing concerns on the fly. Whether you’re a total beginner or a grizzled veteran of guitardom you’ve got to practice; at least you’re supposed to. With no batteries required, no need to plug into anything, and small enough to fit in your pocket the PocketStrings is the one-size-fits-all solution to practicing any time and any place… except it comes in two sizes.
Features
The PocketStrings comes in two versions. A 4-fret model and a 6-fret model. While we’re not talking about vintage Les Pauls or anything like that, the feel and design does have to have at least a feeling of familiarity to it. The 4-fret model is harkened as a specialty tool for practicing chords while the 6-fret is bolstered as being more fitting for scales.
Both are are made of a plastic case with a customized wood neck that slips in and out of the case. With real guitar strings and frets you accurately simulate the feeling of fretting while the case has what the masterminds behind this utensil call a “strum pad”. It’s a raised section of the body with 6 ridges in it to simulate the feeling of plucking and strumming strings. This gives you a way to practice feeling rhythm in your picking hand.
Since you never actually strum the strings you’re not at much reduced risk of breaking them, plus being in tune isn’t as much a concern either. Of course that does raise another thought. What about lefties? Fortunately the strings are replaceable and you can manually tighten them, and there’s nothing stopping you from stringing it up the other way around. Even left-handed guitarists may rejoice.
The PocketStrings also includes strings to start with and the tools to tighten them up.
Pricing and Availability
Both models are right in the comfort zone of affordability. The 4-string model runs $24.95 while the 6-string model costs $29.95. They are available for purchase from PocketStrings.com.
