Welcome to another excerpt from to my brand new course, The Creative Guitarist: "How to Write More Expressive, Emotional, and Melodic Lead Guitar Solos."

In yesterday's blog post, I shared "A Sneak Peek Inside The Creative Guitarist Masterclass." I hope it whet your appetite for seeing more of the course itself.

In today's post, we'll take a look at some guitar maintenance tips on how to prepare your guitar when you sit down to work on writing your own creative guitar solos.

Proper Guitar Maintenance: Fingerease

The guitar I'm using for the course is my main axe: an Ibanez AZ242BC. It's Deep Espresso Burst. The "BC" stands for the top wood, which is Bocote. The body is basswood.

What I typically do first is take my favorite special guitar string lubricant spray called Finger-ease. I do this because, after so many practice sessions, the strings feel sticky. That's when I know it's time to spray it down again.

I always keep my favorite guitar maintenance wipe rag as well and use it to wipe the guitar down. In my case, it's a old Dr. Scholl's sock. That's it's the only function I use it for; nothing else.

Proper Guitar Prep: Applying Finger-Ease

Protect Your Guitar's Electronics!

I like to first take the rag and lay it over the guitar pickups so that I don't have to worry about the spray getting in my electronics, don't want to have that happen. The last thing you want is for your electronics to be gunked up with anything.

From there, aim the spray's nozzle at the neck and spray the strings with a rapid sweeping motion up one half of the fretboard and down the other. One more spray back up won't hurt either. That's all it takes. That's how quick and easy it is. 

Wipe Down and Let Dry

Now, all you need to do is let the spray dry. I tend to wipe off any spray that may have gotten on the finish. Finger-ease contains some different oils, so it helps with the glossy finish of the guitar. It has a nice citrusy smell. I like to wipe the pickups off a little bit in-between the strings.

Once again this is the prep work, getting everything set up. This stage is important because then you don't have to think about when you sit down to write—or record—your solo. It won't cause unnecessary distractions. You can stay in your creative flow and just enjoy the process.

Now, not only is Finger-ease a string lubricant, it acts as a string cleaner as well. It even works for steel, nylon, and gut strings, so it's very versatile for using it on various guitars.

Earlier, I said to let the spray dry, but I typically first take my hand and spread the spray over the area of the strings that was previously covered with the rag, near the pickups and bridge and try to get all those nice and lubricated.

Typical Concerns for Guitar Maintenance with Finger-ease

Don't worry, Finger-ease hurt your fretboard. My Ibanez AZ242BC in particular has a roasted maple neck. I have other guitars that have rosewood fretboard, and it doesn't hurt the fretboard at all for any of them.

However, Finger-ease is highly flammable, so take care to read all the directions before using. And, for goodness' sake, DON'T SMOKE while using!

After you've run your fingers down the fretboard and let the spray dry for a minute or two. Take your rag and press the strings on the fretboard and move your hand slowly along the neck so that barely any leftover spray remains on the fretboard. Once you're done, you should have a nice, hazey gloss on your fretboard.

General Guitar Maintenance Guidelines

Usually, when performing regular guitar maintenance, you'll want to keep your fretboard oiled with something like lemon oil to prevent the wood from cracking. Although, that's usually only for rosewood and darker wood-grain fretboards.

Typically, you don't have to worry about a maple fretboard  at all. That's why I don't like to have a excess amount of oil on the fretboard for this particular guitar, it being a roasted maple fretboard. Finger-ease is a great substitute for lemon oil in this case.

If you still see too much spray on your fretboard, wipe it down a bit more. As you play your guitar, your hands will naturally wipe off some of the excess anyway, so don't worry about getting it all off.

Once you're done with this minor guitar maintenance step, your guitar is basically as good as new, and it feels so much smoother.

Benefits of Finger-Ease for General Guitar Maintenance

Here are a few of the main benefits for using Finger-ease for regularly maintaining your guitar.

For a free preview of my new masterclass The Creative Guitarist, check out the modules below.

The Creative Guitarist Extras

You'll also get access to an over 30,000–word course book curriculum that details everything in the course—and which is essential to the course itself.

I'll also even give you access to my private Facebook Community just for The Creative Guitarist customers. (Don't worry about the number of members, more people will join as the course grows.)

So if you're interested in learning more great tips and insights about how become more creative in general and write creative guitar solos like your favorite guitar heroes, check out the official course page. The first several lessons are available for free preview.

Then, once you're ready to sign up, the checkout process is super easy. Or simply scroll down a little further to the "Buy Now" button below to purchase the course directly.

I'm very proud of this product, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Now, get ready to create some of the most emotional, expressive, and melodic lead guitar solos you've ever written.

I'll see you on the inside.

To see the final post in this series on my new course The Creative Guitarist, "The Best Method for Increasing Picking Speed Using a Metronome," click here.