guitar tip 212 practicing your guitar facing the wall

I accidentally found this out. The older home we lived in had a rather small den (man cave) in the basement where I used to practice my guitar. I always practice the acoustic guitar with no plugging in or amplification of any kind. For some reason it seemed like the best place to set up was putting my music stand with its back againt the wall. It was really the only available space I guess. I then put my bar stool in front of it, sat down, & played. The end result was I was facing the wall when I played. It sounded incredibly good. It helps if you have a highly reflective surface like wood paneling. It sounds like when you are performing and you have monitor speakers.

When I moved to the new house, the new man cave had no place by the wall and the room was much larger so I just practiced in the middle of the room. A noticeable difference. The guitar sounded deader. I also realized that the reflecting wall helps monitor yourself if you are singing. You may think that this would be awful boring facing the wall. Maybe you can find an inspirational picture to hang there.

New guitar designs are trying to overcome this by adding an extra sound hole on the side of the guitar. My way is easier and cheaper.