Posts Tagged ‘guitars’

The Sublime Beauty Of A Guitar

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

The beauty of the guitar in all its varieties comes through readily enough, even to many non-guitar players. For sure, a guitar holds a place in rock ‘n roll that is part and parcel of the rock experience. This is especially so when one considers how many famous rock and even jazz musicians are associated with a particular guitar. Some of the most famous guitarists have actually given a name to their personal guitars, in fact.

For instance, take many of the best known folk singers in their own guitars, or the classic singer-songwriter and his or her guitar. They usually have several or more in their collection, including a classic dreadnought acoustic guitar that may have cost several thousand dollars, or might have been found in the local pawn shop for a couple of hundred and they just don’t want to part with it.

Besides, the sheer beauty of a guitar because of its shape and the way it’s handled helps it stand out from many other instruments. They are also attractive because they can be relatively easy to learn, at least on a basic level. And acoustic guitars are doubly attractive to people because they don’t require the use of amplification and can be slung over a back and taken anywhere.

Before deciding to pick up a guitar — especially something relatively expensive like an Alvarez acoustic guitar — check out the kinds of music that are suitable for the kind of guitar being owned. For a fact, very famous rock guitarists report never having touched an acoustic guitar and more than a few of the most famous folk musicians say that they’ve never even looked at an electric guitar. This is probably more a matter of preference, however.

Generally speaking, there are couple of different music styles that are more appropriate for electric guitar playing, such as blues, rock and jazz while acoustic guitars seem to be appropriate for folk music and the like. There’s nothing wrong with this separation, and it’s also true that there have been more than a few rock ballads and the like in which an acoustic guitar has played a large part and vice versa. For sure, though, a guitar can improve almost any piece of music.

For those considering picking up the guitar, appreciating the beauty of it is a prerequisite but also understanding that one doesn’t have to spend an arm and a leg to find a guitar is also important. For a fact, one should also understand that buying a cheap instrument can help to make the learning experience difficult because the guitar will not be very playable. That’s why it might be a good idea to spend a little bit on a guitar — such as a Takamine acoustic guitar, for example — right out of the gate.

The beauty of any guitar comes across right away, and people who aspire to playing some kind of instrument invariably consider learning the guitar before deciding to pick up any other instrument, generally speaking. Ever since rock ‘n roll, electric guitars have certainly taken on no small amount of dominance, but acoustic guitars are right in there, slugging it out for their own place. Given that they’re also very portable, it’s easy to see why almost any guitar is so appreciated.

The Irresistible Attraction of Guitars

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

How to select a Resonator Guitar and Bottleneck Slide for Blues

The guitar is probably the worlds best known musical instrument. Maybe a drum is really the most well known instrument. There can’t be many people who have never seen a guitar and don’t know what a guitar is.

One thing that makes guitars so appealing is their accessibility. Unlike a Piano, or a drum kit, a guitar is portable and almost anyone can pick one up. But creating a tune on a guitar can be a struggle.

I’ve met some exceptionally talented people who, within weeks of picking up a guitar, were good enough to start a band and begin to gig. Then there are other people, myself included, who have been playing for many years and still learning.

But this is one of the reasons why guitars are so compelling. There is always a new tune to learn, a new guitar to buy or a new guitar gizmo to try out. If you are planning to learn to play guitar, be warned because its a hobby that can take over all of your spare time.

Not only do I love to play the guitar but I also love to collect them. I am a great lover of vintage resonator guitars. These are a form of acoustic guitar that uses a resonator cone made of spun allumnium to give the guitar extra volume. The design originates from the early part of the 20th century before electronic amplification became commonplace. The sound of the resonator guitar is very much the sound of the blues, the music that I love.

If you’re a guitar player or if you are lucky enough to know any guitarists you will already understand how obsessive they can become. Playing guitar, collecting guitars, listening to guitar music and going to gigs to see guitarists play can often take over their lives. And if you are lucky enough to have a guitarist as a partner you can sometimes find yourself feeling that you are in second place to their guitar obsession, which is probably true.