GUITAR HALL - The Guitar Academy,Chembur.

Preparing to Play:

 

Before you begin to learn to

 play the guitar, you might

 be curious to learn a little

bit about the instrument and

 where did it actually

originated from. The Guitar

 has a noble and ancient

history. A plucked string

instrument with

 the in-curving sides of the

 guitar is to be found on

the tomb sculpture of the

King of Thebes of the thirty-seventh century

B.C. and a relief sculpture from the Cappadocia of

1000 B.C. even shows an Egyptian guitar-like

instrument with signs of frets. There also exist several

evidences of plucked instruments of extreme antiquity

in Persia and Arabia.

 

       In Spain the guitar had been used since the

earliest times as a strummed accompaniment for

dancing and it had a long and respected history

as an accompaniment for the voice. In the

nineteenth century, the style known

as flamenco evolved as accompaniment

for the songs and dances of Andalusia.

Inspired by the gypies and deriving from their

songs and dances as they blended

with the traditional folk music, the style

developed into a complex and vigorous art form.

The Guitar is the principal instrument of

accompaniment and the continuing search for

variety combined with a spirit of competition

among the players resulted in an

elevation of guitar techniques to its highest levels.

 

       The acoustic guitars came to America in

the 1850s, thanks mainly to immigrants from

eastern Europe. In the Nineteenth century,

Music-making was a favorite amateur activity.

Young women in America were especially

encouraged to learn music

as an important social skill. Soon began the

search for much louder guitars to perform

in front of large audiences. Several attempts

were made by various guitar companies

but it was the experiments of player Les Paul

that led to the biggest innovation of them

The ELECTIC GUITAR!

Instrument maker Leo Fender

was quick to pick up on the Les Paul’s lead

and introduced three solid body electric

guitar models viz.. the Broadcaster,the

Telecaster and the Stratocaster. The latter

two instruments are even manufactured

today and remain favorite among

rock players everywhere.

 

       In the academic world of today,

the Guitar has achieved a level of

recognition and respect that was

certainly lacking 50 years ago. Today

many universities and music

conservatories offer a music degree

with the guitar accepted as the major

instrument.Among all the musical

instruments, Guitar is definitely one

of the favorite instruments among youth.

 

 

Six Tips For Practising:

 

 

Ø Fix a suitable time for practicing. Do your

    practicing at that time of the day or night which

    is individually just the right time for you. For

    some, mornings are better whereas for others late

    nights are preferred for practicing. Whats

    important is to find a healthy balance of

   discipline and the desire to play.

 

Ø Try to break up what you are learning into

 small pieces. It is easier to connect many little

bits later on into a bigger piece than  it is to

swallow that big piece all at once.

 

Ø Always remember “Music is Fun”…Even if

you’ve got great ambitions as a guitarist or see

the guitar as your life’s focal point, have

fun with it and try to experience the music as

something beautiful without weighing it down

with unnecessary seriousness.

 

Ø Proceed to the newer lessons only after

mastering the previous lessons. A strong foundation

 is a must for becoming a great guitarist.

 

Ø Guitar is the easiest instrument to learn but

the most difficult to master.!i.e. it is easy to

play a couple of chords and tunes but very

 difficult to become a real good player!

Set your priorities right !

 

Ø Every long journey begins with the first step.

 Always set realistic goals,no matter how modest

they may be, formulating them in words perhaps

even writing them down and try to attain them

instead of just practicing  aimlessly.