With Christmas only about a month away, now’s the time to start thinking about what kind of lovely gifts you can get that special someone. If that someone happens to be musically inclined, or if they have even the slightest bit of appreciation for music, then these should be some great gift ideas to help make this holiday season awesome.

• Band merch/clothing – This should be an obvious choice. While these items are typically expensive, it is something that your gift recipient will surely love. All you need to do is find their favorite bands/artists and look up their websites and merch stores. T-Shirts are always a good choice, and so are wristbands, posters, underwear, etc. Make sure they don’t already have what you’re getting, and you can make it a unique and thoughtful gift. If a particular band has something out of the ordinary available, it may be worth it to go for the item as a particularly unique gift, as long as the person your considering is open to crazy things.
• A Musical Instrument – now these are generally very expensive and out of the price range of a typical holiday shopper. But there are some instruments that are very reasonably priced that are also relatively high quality. You can get a decent acoustic guitar for as low as $40, and the best deal is probably around the $80-100 price range in terms of quality. Maybe the person your thinking of has no musical abilities per say, but a musical instrument is always a great way to peak their interest and give them something new to try. You could get a bongo drum or electronic drum set (these are typically much cheaper than a full drum set, and even provide a greater variety of percussive sounds),  a keyboard, xylophone, etc. Maybe they already have or play an instrument, in which case you can get accessories or replacement parts. Guitarist and bassists always need strings and picks, and drummers always need sticks or new drum heads. You could get sheet music or tablature for their favorite bands, a tuner, or maybe even a few music lessons in whatever instrument they’re interested in.
• A CD – Now I know CD’s aren’t as popular anymore what with the whole internet and everything, but I still find them enjoyable. I believe they’re a great gift because they are a physical item that can remind the person of you. It also provides a different musical experience than that of purchasing songs one at a time and listening to them in some random order. Finding a good CD for someone takes some work, but if done right should be a great gift. I know that listening to CD’s from my favorite bands gives me a sort of connected feel that really makes me feel like a part of the music.

Other ideas include: books about the lives of certain musicians, musical games (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DJ Hero, dancing games, karaoke games, maybe even music trivia), tickets to a concert, musical gadgets/technology(possibly an Ipod or Zune, although most people have some form of these and they can be expensive, an Ipod dock, CD player, etc.), or movies (like band documentaries or general movies about music or bands). Hopefully these ideas sparked some of your own ideas. Don’t forget that it’s always a good idea to make the gift personal as well, i.e. things with their name on it or some reference to an inside joke. There’s no reason not to be creative about musical gifts! Good luck with your shopping, and let me know if there’s anything I missed, I would love to hear new ideas.

Tags: alex tironati, altrocklive, CD, Christmas, Drums, gifts for musicians, Guitar, Instruments, music, music gift items, musical gifts