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I've been trying to stock up on hobbies to prep for the upcoming Minnesota Winter, COVID-style. Minnesotans are generally stoic about winter, but one of our out

I've been trying to stock up on hobbies to prep for the upcoming Minnesota Winter, COVID-style. Minnesotans are generally stoic about winter, but one of our outlet valves is having indoor gatherings, holidays, and parties and it will be brutal to have those cut out. Never having held one before, I bought a guitar just a week ago. My fingers already hurt. My wife and I are also looking into winter hiking opportunities; Minnesota has a lot of great state parks that are well maintained even in winter.

navbaker 6y ago
Don’t give up! The pain in your fingers will go away with consistent practice in a week or two. I’ve been playing for a long time, but I still really benefit from structured instruction. It keeps me motivated to move forward when I feel stuck. Check out courses like Paul David’s Learn, Practice, Play or other Coursera-type online packages!
CoreFailure 6y ago
Fellow Minnesotan here, also dreading the lack of social release valves. I can confirm that there are hiking opportunities in the winter though, and I'm sure the trails of county and state parks will be especially well kept and trafficked this year. Another hobby I'm looking to pick up to offset the loss of a gym is winter biking. I purchased an electric bike last year and have thoroughly enjoyed riding it long distances in the warmer months on the local trails. I hear that many of the trails are plowed in the winter, so I'm hoping to find safe places to use it that can avoid the ever-present ice.
Wonnk13 6y ago
This is how I feel in Chicago. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other winter holidays will be totally different this year to say nothing of the slog that is Jan - March.
germinalphrase 6y ago
If you jog, consider taking up Nordic skiing. Take a lesson or two on “classic” technique and get out there. When the snow is bad, it’s nicer than jogging. When the snow is good, it’s neigh on magical to just float around silently through the woods.
- sgt 6y ago
  Sounds like the same as cross-country skiing to me.
  - mattkrause 6y ago
    Yup--they're synonyms. People tend to use either "Nordic" vs "Alpine" or "Cross-country" vs. "downhill" skiing.
  - joncrane 6y ago
    Difference is in so-called "Nordic" skiing, only the front of the boot is attached to the ski and part of the technique is flexing the ankle and raising the heel during parts of the stroke.
    - oriolid 6y ago
      Telemark skiing is still a different thing.
shoemakersteve 6y ago
It'll probably take a couple of weeks for your fingers to callus, after that it's fine. Just keep it up! The trick to improving is just consistent deliberate practice. Practice every day, even if it's just 15 minutes. Take note of what you need to improve on, and practice those things. And don't be afraid to play things at very slow tempos at first, you want your muscle memory to remember how to play things properly. Start slow and build speed over time. A metronome can help a lot with this, and helps train your internal metronome at the same time, so I recommend that too. My #1 piece of advice though would be to not give up. I find the most frustrating and unrewarding part of learning an instrument is at the very start. You have to build your foundations from essentially nothing, you have 0 muscle memory built up, and progress can seem non-existent sometimes. But once you get through that initial phase, the sky's the limit! In my experience, it only takes a year or two to get good enough that people will enjoy your playing (provided you practice at a relatively consistent rate over that time). Have fun!
- scns 6y ago
  Your #1 piece of advice will work better if you rephrase it like "keep at it" or "stay persistent". People, drunks and kids (so humans basically) understand you better if you leave out the negation, which the brain would have to translate first. Critical with children IMWO, "Don't run on the street" vs "Stop" / "Stand still", or less critical "Don't let it fall" vs "Hold it tightly". Focus on what you want.
DeafSquid 6y ago
I'm in Fargo. My plan for the winter is jam on my drum machine and synths and get some cross country skis. Maybe take an online class too
- coldpie 6y ago
  Hell yeah. I've got a Deluge and a Peak. I picked up the guitar to add a guitar track to my stuff :)
ssully 6y ago
I am in Chicago and am taking a similar approach. Currently have an exercise bike on back order that's suppose to become available in a few weeks. Have no interest in going back to a gym, and I need something to keep me active this winter. Bigger problem is gatherings. I already have family talking about Christmas and they just dont understand that things aren't going to be the same this year.
- tzs 6y ago
  Maybe the way to do family gatherings for Christmas this year is for everyone coming to take two weeks off for them, and spend the entire two weeks just at the gathering with family. Buy all the food and presents before the gathering starts, and if you need any more things during that two weeks have them delivered. Essentially the whole gathering self-quarantines for two weeks, so that if someone attending has COVID but is not yet showing symptoms, there is plenty of time for them, or those they give it to at the gathering, to start showing. If nobody is showing symptoms at the end of two weeks, people can go home. If cheap, reasonably speedy testing is available in your area, to be even safer the whole gathering could get tested near the end.
munificent 6y ago
Some things I wish someone had told me when I got my first guitar: * A better guitar will be easier to play than a cheaper one. There are obviously rapidly dimishing returns as you go up the cost scale, but the difference between a low-end and medium-end guitar really can make the difference between "easy to play and nice-sounding enough to keep going" and "so frustrating that you give up". * If at all possible, get your guitar set up. ("Set up" means adjusting the action and intonation.) You can try to do it yourself, but taking it to a pro is well worth it. A cheap guitar with a good set up is easier to play and sounds better than a high-end guitar with a shitty set up. * Electrics are much easier on your fingers than acoustics. All of the sound energy in an acoustic guitar must come from the strings itself. They therefore need to vibrate farther which means they have to be higher up away from the fretboard. That higher action means it takes more force to push them down, which is what hurts your fingers. Electrics rely on amplification so the strings can be really close to the fretboard and only require a gentle touch. I hope you have a great time playing! Guitars are engineering marvels.

navbaker 6y ago

Don’t give up! The pain in your fingers will go away with consistent practice in a week or two. I’ve been playing for a long time, but I still really benefit from structured instruction. It keeps me motivated to move forward when I feel stuck. Check out courses like Paul David’s Learn, Practice, Play or other Coursera-type online packages!

CoreFailure 6y ago

Fellow Minnesotan here, also dreading the lack of social release valves. I can confirm that there are hiking opportunities in the winter though, and I'm sure the trails of county and state parks will be especially well kept and trafficked this year. Another hobby I'm looking to pick up to offset the loss of a gym is winter biking. I purchased an electric bike last year and have thoroughly enjoyed riding it long distances in the warmer months on the local trails. I hear that many of the trails are plowed in the winter, so I'm hoping to find safe places to use it that can avoid the ever-present ice.

Wonnk13 6y ago

This is how I feel in Chicago. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and other winter holidays will be totally different this year to say nothing of the slog that is Jan - March.

germinalphrase 6y ago

If you jog, consider taking up Nordic skiing. Take a lesson or two on “classic” technique and get out there. When the snow is bad, it’s nicer than jogging. When the snow is good, it’s neigh on magical to just float around silently through the woods.

sgt 6y ago
Sounds like the same as cross-country skiing to me.
- mattkrause 6y ago
  Yup--they're synonyms. People tend to use either "Nordic" vs "Alpine" or "Cross-country" vs. "downhill" skiing.
- joncrane 6y ago
  Difference is in so-called "Nordic" skiing, only the front of the boot is attached to the ski and part of the technique is flexing the ankle and raising the heel during parts of the stroke.
  - oriolid 6y ago
    Telemark skiing is still a different thing.

shoemakersteve 6y ago

It'll probably take a couple of weeks for your fingers to callus, after that it's fine. Just keep it up! The trick to improving is just consistent deliberate practice. Practice every day, even if it's just 15 minutes. Take note of what you need to improve on, and practice those things. And don't be afraid to play things at very slow tempos at first, you want your muscle memory to remember how to play things properly. Start slow and build speed over time. A metronome can help a lot with this, and helps train your internal metronome at the same time, so I recommend that too. My #1 piece of advice though would be to not give up. I find the most frustrating and unrewarding part of learning an instrument is at the very start. You have to build your foundations from essentially nothing, you have 0 muscle memory built up, and progress can seem non-existent sometimes. But once you get through that initial phase, the sky's the limit! In my experience, it only takes a year or two to get good enough that people will enjoy your playing (provided you practice at a relatively consistent rate over that time). Have fun!

scns 6y ago
Your #1 piece of advice will work better if you rephrase it like "keep at it" or "stay persistent". People, drunks and kids (so humans basically) understand you better if you leave out the negation, which the brain would have to translate first. Critical with children IMWO, "Don't run on the street" vs "Stop" / "Stand still", or less critical "Don't let it fall" vs "Hold it tightly". Focus on what you want.

DeafSquid 6y ago

I'm in Fargo. My plan for the winter is jam on my drum machine and synths and get some cross country skis. Maybe take an online class too

coldpie 6y ago
Hell yeah. I've got a Deluge and a Peak. I picked up the guitar to add a guitar track to my stuff :)

ssully 6y ago

I am in Chicago and am taking a similar approach. Currently have an exercise bike on back order that's suppose to become available in a few weeks. Have no interest in going back to a gym, and I need something to keep me active this winter. Bigger problem is gatherings. I already have family talking about Christmas and they just dont understand that things aren't going to be the same this year.

tzs 6y ago
Maybe the way to do family gatherings for Christmas this year is for everyone coming to take two weeks off for them, and spend the entire two weeks just at the gathering with family. Buy all the food and presents before the gathering starts, and if you need any more things during that two weeks have them delivered. Essentially the whole gathering self-quarantines for two weeks, so that if someone attending has COVID but is not yet showing symptoms, there is plenty of time for them, or those they give it to at the gathering, to start showing. If nobody is showing symptoms at the end of two weeks, people can go home. If cheap, reasonably speedy testing is available in your area, to be even safer the whole gathering could get tested near the end.

munificent 6y ago

Some things I wish someone had told me when I got my first guitar: * A better guitar will be easier to play than a cheaper one. There are obviously rapidly dimishing returns as you go up the cost scale, but the difference between a low-end and medium-end guitar really can make the difference between "easy to play and nice-sounding enough to keep going" and "so frustrating that you give up". * If at all possible, get your guitar set up. ("Set up" means adjusting the action and intonation.) You can try to do it yourself, but taking it to a pro is well worth it. A cheap guitar with a good set up is easier to play and sounds better than a high-end guitar with a shitty set up. * Electrics are much easier on your fingers than acoustics. All of the sound energy in an acoustic guitar must come from the strings itself. They therefore need to vibrate farther which means they have to be higher up away from the fretboard. That higher action means it takes more force to push them down, which is what hurts your fingers. Electrics rely on amplification so the strings can be really close to the fretboard and only require a gentle touch. I hope you have a great time playing! Guitars are engineering marvels.