| I remember the first time I had seen an acoustic | | | | mana. These Spanish guitars of the 16th century |
| guitar, at the tender age of five. My teacher had | | | | were a change from the conventional renaissance |
| invited a guest to come in and bring in his guitar, | | | | lute and were customized to produce more |
| to show us how he played his guitar and to | | | | creative and dynamic tunes. |
| sing-a-long to some nursery rhymes. I remember | | | | Other influences to modern acoustic guitars were |
| feeling that this made a nice change from singing | | | | believed to have come from Italy, whereby the |
| along to my teachers broken and badly tuned | | | | first mandolin was created in Naples. The Vinaccia |
| piano! It was at this moment I had decided that | | | | family may have been one of the first to build a |
| music was going to become an important element | | | | six-string guitar during the 1700s, creating a new |
| to my development. | | | | technique of playing using a fan strutting motion |
| Unfortunately, I did not receive my first guitar | | | | as opposed to the conventional table bracing. |
| until I was seventeen; however, I did practise on | | | | Modern Day Guitar |
| other acoustic guitars in between that period | | | | The first electric guitar was not created until the |
| along with a few piano lessons to keep my | | | | early twentieth century, which was patented by |
| creative musical juices flowing. Taking guitar | | | | George Beauchamp (co founder of electric guitar |
| lessons proved more difficult when I had no time | | | | makers Rickenbacher). Leo fender would follow |
| to practise in my spare time. I found that playing | | | | during the 1950's with his own style and shape of |
| the guitar for the first time proved painful to my | | | | the guitar. The electric guitar is the main |
| fingers, this was expected considering my hands | | | | instrument for many modern music of various |
| were not used to the impact of plucking the hard | | | | genres such as, rock, pop, indie and dance. This is |
| strings. | | | | also a trend for many young people to begin |
| Acoustic guitars along with the drums, piano and | | | | playing the guitar. |
| violin are just a few the most popular musical | | | | However, some young guitarists begin by learning |
| instruments that have been around for many | | | | to read tablatures, as opposed to musical notes. |
| years. They have shaped the movement of | | | | Often the best way to learn is to pick up tabs |
| modern music, creating extraordinary tune and | | | | from your favourite music band and practise by |
| sounds evoking different emotions from its many | | | | playing their tune. Learning different techniques |
| dynamics. Ultimately, the point of playing music is | | | | and strumming methods will help with understand |
| to entertain and create a mood of creative ease | | | | how each technique will create various melodic |
| and expressing ones emotions through sound. | | | | sounds. |
| History | | | | The key thing to guitar playing is practise, like with |
| The guitar is just one of the many instruments | | | | learning to play any other instrument you will find |
| that have stood out the test of time. The guitar | | | | yourself going over the same tune over and again |
| as we know it was very different from the | | | | until you have mastered and perfected it. This in |
| earlier designs pre-twentieth century. In fact, the | | | | turn will inspire you to play around with creating |
| guitar has been around since 2000 BC, with the | | | | your own tunes on the guitar. Once you have |
| earlier forms of a guitar found in Susa, Elam, now | | | | grasped with reading tabs, and playing guitar |
| known as Iran. Evidence shows that the guitar | | | | chords, you will find the rest will fall into place. |
| was derived from earlier instruments from | | | | One thing is for certain, if you are an impatient |
| Central Asia and India, known as the Sitara. | | | | person like me, you will learn to relax to practising |
| These instruments were similar in that they were | | | | on your strumming techniques. More musicians are |
| made from wood with strings that are plucked to | | | | introduced each year, with new techniques of |
| create the musical sound. Acoustic guitars have | | | | playing the guitar and continually making |
| kept to the traditional strings and wood, which | | | | modifications to their guitars. Even though the |
| have further developed into seeing six, eight, ten | | | | guitar has been around for over four centuries, it |
| and twelve string guitars. The modern guitar as | | | | is still thriving within the modern music world, with |
| we know it is an inspired influence of the earlier | | | | classical guitarist still holding a high place in the |
| Spanish guitars, which was known as the viola de | | | | world. |