In playing at the event, the legendary singer, songwriter and pianist was adding one more element to his performing CV before retirement, having declared his performing days in the UK are coming to an end. For many it was a sad moment, but also a chance to reflect on a golden career.
For any young pianist thinking of investing in a baby grand piano, it may also be a moment to reflect on just how much potential for success such an instrument offers.
In an age when many performers rely only on their voice - look at the leading performers in this year’s Eurovision as an example - Sir Elton has been a continual reminder that combining singing with tinkling on the ivory (except, of course, it isn’t ivory these days) is a route to superstardom that still works and can ensure an enduring career.
As Sir Elton puts his feet up at the age of 76, he can look back on a career that has lasted over 50 years, featuring 32 studio albums, ten number ones, and over 300 million record sales.
Proof of his longevity can also be found in the fact that his first number one was as long ago as 1976 when he performed Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with Kiki Dee, yet his last one came in 2021 when he performed Merry Christmas (2nd time) with Ed Sheeran.
It all goes to show that a great pianist will always have a following and their appeal will span generations. That can be taken as a sign that if you can perform with a baby grand piano and then move onto a larger one, you too could find your music never goes out of fashion.
]]>This is the same for all instruments, including guitars. The guitar is one of the most popular instruments out there as it is relatively easy to learn and is extremely versatile.
Most genres of music can be played on a guitar, from heavy rock to classical, therefore making it a great first instrument.
Maintenance is relatively simple once you get the hang of it and as time passes, it will become second nature to you as a musician.
Learning the basic steps of guitar maintenance and practising them from day one will help you form healthy habits and keep your instruments in great condition.
First is learning the proper way to store your guitar. If you do nothing besides storing your guitar correctly, it will thank you. Guitars can easily build up dust, become damaged and can be affected by heat, sunlight and water.
Storing your instrument correctly will help to protect it against any potential damage and keep it safe and in great condition for many years.
A hard case is the best choice for storing a guitar as it provides a protective shell as well as keeps water and heat away from the instrument.
These are also perfect to travel with as they protect your guitar from accidental drops or bumps, however, they can be heavy and bulky therefore a simple carry bag is suitable most of the time.
When cleaning your guitar, you will find that regular cleaning is the best way to stay on top of the job. Wiping your guitar with a soft cloth after each use will help to prevent the build-up of dust and oils from your hands.
Preventing this build-up regularly will ensure your guitar stays in great condition, however, if you find that your instrument has started to look a little bit grimy, using a soft toothbrush or small cleaning brush is a great option too.
This will help to lift any build-up from the instrument without causing any damage and will get you back on track to having a sparkly clean guitar in no time.
The hardware on your guitar also needs to be maintained. These are the meal components of the instrument, such as the tuners, bridge and pickups.
Over time these may tarnish or even rust and screws can become loose or undone. Cleaning them regularly and checking the screws are tight enough without over tightening them is good practice.
Your guitar strings also require a little bit of love and attention in order to maintain great sound quality. Cleaning them after every use helps to prevent dust and dirt from clinging to the strings and replacing them as often as necessary will ensure your instrument stays sounding great.
Looking for musical instrument shops in the UK? Visit Gough and Davy today!
]]>Between June 21st and 25th 2023, the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Lewis Capaldi, Blondie, Fatboy Slim, Manic Street Preachers, and even Elton John performed to many of the 200,000 people who attended the festival.
While there were many highlights of the five-day event, those interested in musical talent of the highest degree will no doubt have loved watching certain acts perform.
For instance, watching Slash rocking out some of Guns N’ Roses’ greatest hits will stay in people’s minds for a long time.
The group even brought out Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl to join them for their performance of Paradise City, saying: “You can never have too many guitars.”
Foo Fighters themselves gave a great show at Worthy Form, belting out firm favourites, including All My Life and The Pretender.
Louder Sound said their set was received so well, “seeing the band return to Glastonbury to a field full of elated people singing out into the sun, arm in arm, felt very much like they were returning to where they truly belong”.
The weekend also saw Elton John perform his first set at Glastonbury, with the 76-year-old revealing it could be his last show in England.
More than 7.3 million people watched Elton’s two-hour performance live on BBC One, taking in not only his legendary singing voice but also his phenomenal piano skills.
]]>One of these is the double-cutaway design, most famously used in the Fender Stratocaster and amongst the most influential designs in the history of stringed instruments, one that has been copied more than any other.
The other design, which is arguably even more famous outside of the music community is the legendary Gibson Les Paul, named after the legendary blues guitarist who designed its early prototype and is to music what “Converse” Chuck Taylor is to sports shoes.
With the Gibson Les Paul, as well as a lineup of designs that includes the SG, Explorer and Flying V, it is impossible to think of the music world from the 1950s onwards that did not include Gibson.
However, on at least two occasions, Gibson has come close to hitting the wall, which could have led to the most famous guitar company in the world ceasing to exist entirely.
In 1969, Gibson’s parent company was bought out by brewing conglomerate ECL, and due to corporate mismanagement and an overwhelming desire to cut costs, the quality of Gibson guitars from 1970 until the mid-1980s drastically reduced.
By far the worst hit of these was the Les Paul itself, which whilst famously made from a single slab of mahogany, a mahogany neck and a rosewood fretboard, was changed to slices of mahogany stuck together with a maple neck.
This made the already quite famously heavy Les Paul even heavier, and whilst already upsetting to purists, this was combined with poor quality control and worse electronics, meaning that people associated the new models with a lower quality sound.
By 1986 the company had three months left before a consortium led by Henry Juszkiewicz, and the company turned completely around, going from annual sales of less than £10m to over £60m in 1993.
It seemed like these resurging good times would last forever.
In the 2010s, problems began again, and whilst the often-mocked Firebird X is somewhat unfairly blamed directly for Gibson’s financial problems throughout the decade, it serves as an appropriate metaphor for all of their woes.
The Firebird X along with the Les Paul Robot brought with it a lot of features that were innovative but not entirely popular, with the most infamous being the very loud robot tuner.
This also caused prices to hurtle upwards during a financial recession, with a slip in quality control relative to not only its competitors such as PRS and Fender but even its own economy brand Epiphone making people wonder exactly what they were paying for.
As well as that, despite its look towards new technology, Gibson failed to shift their image the way it had in the 1980s compared to a Fender that was beloved by the indie rock crowd at the time.
The Play Authentic campaign which was meant to highlight the brand’s importance to the guitar world was criticised as a tone-deaf attack on guitar makers building guitars with similar designs to the Les Paul
Eventually, Gibson filed for bankruptcy in 2018, streamlining, selling off their acquired companies and firing their CEO before making it out at the end of the year, streamlining and redesigning their line of guitars.
]]>A good example of this is when Gibson created a lighter alternative to its popular but bulky Les Paul model, designing what would become known as the Gibson SG.
Sometimes a guitar model is as successful as expected like the SG, and in other cases, the guitar misses what the audience wants such as the infamous Firebird X, an attempt to create a futuristic flagship that went so well Gibson declared bankruptcy seven years later.
However, sometimes the opposite is true. In at least one case in guitar history, a design was seen by its own creator as destined for failure and yet not only defied all expectations but changed the guitar world as we know it.
Born Bernardo Chavez Rico, the man who would become known as B.C. Rich would work with his luthier father on various string instruments before he would move onto electric guitars in the 1970s, inspired by the elaborate paint jobs he painted onto his motorcycles.
The first design he made was the 1972 B.C. Rich Seagull, a design similar to the Gibson SG except with an added cutaway point perfectly designed to dig into your leg if you played sitting down.
Ironically, given the somewhat infamously outlandish model that would make B.C. Rich a success, he also designed the Mockingbird, a guitar that has a cult following akin to Gibson’s Melody Maker due to its incredibly pretty yet stylish design.
However, whilst B.C. Rich’s designs became increasingly outlandish, nothing compared to the introduction of the Warlock in 1981.
Interestingly, it was one of the first electric guitar bodies that Mr Rico ever designed, joking that it was the only guitar he actually designed at a drafting table due to its mix of straight, sharp edges and curves going into straight lines.
He considered it the ugliest guitar he had ever designed and had no plans to ever put it into production. Indeed, it would have never been made were it not for a guitarist working at his shop by the name of Spencer Sercombe.
Mr Sercombe, later of the Glam Metal band Shark Island, eventually convinced Mr Rico to put it into production in 1981, and the B.C. Rich Warlock quickly took off amongst the burgeoning heavy metal community.
Its outlandish, outrageous and ostentatious design was not a weakness or a blight but instead was its selling point, and musicians such as Lita Ford, C.C. DeVille, Mick Mars, and later Kerry King all played B.C. Rich Warlocks at some point in their careers.
Before Slash would become known for his gold-top Gibson Les Paul, he would commonly play a B.C. Rich Warlock as well as later playing a Mockingbird.
Unlike most aspects of Glam Metal, the Warlock managed to endure and many guitarists in the 2000s such as Mick Thomson of Slipknot continue to play it to this day.
]]>However, recent research has shown that music players and composers need not worry about AI just yet, as its music is deemed inferior to human-composed pieces.
The University of York asked listeners to rate pieces for their stylistic success, aesthetic pleasure, repetition or self-reference, melody, harmony and rhythm.
Without knowing whether they were listening to computer-generated music or not, they gave the pieces composed by humans much better scores.
Dr Tom Collins from the School of Arts and Creative Technologies at the university said: “On analysis, the ratings for human-composed excerpts are significantly higher and stylistically more successful than those for any of the systems responsible for computer-generated excerpts.”
There are also other problems with AI music, including the fact the algorithms may copy music in the input data by another artist, which would, therefore, infringe on copyright.
This shows computer-generated music cannot be produced commercially at the moment, as the production of these algorithms are not currently policed.
Therefore, we still need - and enjoy - the brilliance of human thought, feeling and skill when it comes to producing the highest standard of music.
The same is true for playing music, so don’t let the talk about AI put you off learning an instrument.
There are many instruments to try, but a banjo guitar is a good investment when you are first learning to play music.
]]>This is what the festival season does to many of us, as we see our favourite performers do what they do best in front of eager crowds.
Of course, it is easy to forget the endless hours of practice they undertook, the failed auditions or releases, and the commitment they must have had to get to where they are.
Glastonbury Festival, being held between June 21st and 25th, is the biggest in the UK, with tickets selling out in record times and some of the world’s greatest artists being lined up to perform.
This year’s offerings include Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Lizzo, the Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rel, Blondie, Fatboy Slim, Hot Chip, Lewis Capaldi, Manic Street Preachers, Texas, and Cat Stevens.
These artists, among the many others that will perform over the five days, have, undisputedly, worked hard to get to where they are.
However, this doesn’t stop many of us picking up our old guitar and believing we would have been just as capable of doing the same once upon a time.
Apart from Glastonbury, there are many other music events taking place between May and September this year, catering to an array of ages and music types.
For instance, Download Festival between June 8th and 11th is the UK’s biggest rock and metal festival. Parkway Drive, Slipknot, and Placebo are scheduled to perform at the event’s 20th anniversary special this year.
Manchester’s Parklife Festival, which is also in June, is set to feature some of the biggest names in popular music, including The 1975, The Prodigy, Rudimental, and Groove Armada.
There’s also the Just So festival, which is aimed at families, encouraging young children to take an interest in performing. Musicians attending include DJ Helen Thompson, Bhangra Tots, and The Rin Tins.
Another family-friendly event worth considering for the summer is the Shrewsbury Folk Festival from August 25th to 28th. There will be ceilidh bands, morris dancing, and other types of dance to get involved in.
The festival will also see the likes of Billy Bragg, Breabach, Jiggy, Mishra, and The Salts take to the stage to encourage kids to start twinkling the keys on an acoustic upright piano and get involved in music.
The notorious Reading and Leeds festivals will be held between August 25th and 27th, allowing people from both the north and south to enjoy their bank holiday weekend in style.
As the Big Issue says: “Although the line-ups have diversified from the original focus on rock and metal, you still know you’re going for cider and mud, not yoga and yurts.”
This year’s line-up includes The Killers, Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish, and Wet Leg.
]]>For those seeking to learn about new styles and genres, Bluegrass is a fascinating form of American roots music that emerged in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1940s. Its name comes from a specific band, The Blue Grass Boys, led by Bill Monroe.
While this style of country music is partly influenced by the English, Irish and Scottish ancestries of those living in the region at the time, key elements also came from African-Americans, including the banjo. Its role helps mark out bluegrass from other styles, especially on a deep cultural level, and makes it a great instrument to learn if you are interested in this genre.
Earl Scruggs was the first person to develop a new style of banjo playing for bluegrass, with this instrument taking its place alongside other stringed instruments such as mandolins, guitars and fiddles. As Dummies.com notes: “Bluegrass banjo playing uses the thumb, index finger, and middle fingers of the right hand and (for this reason) is sometimes called three-finger picking.”
The use of banjos in bluegrass also includes the banjo roll. Learning to play these is crucial, for these are what enable the banjo to help convey a sense of direction in tunes. The three basics are the forward roll, backward roll and the alternating roll. These can be used in all sorts of combinations to create different tunes.
American country music will always be a pretty niche area of interest in the UK, but if you enjoy this style and want to give it a go, a banjo can provide a wonderful way to play a full part in creating memorable tunes.
]]>Thanks to Sam Ryder, that meant the UK, after years of mediocre songs and nil points, was staging the event for the first time since 1998.
As the Evening Standard reports, the fact that Liverpool won the race to host the event has sparked hopes that I could do more than just bring a week of attention for the city, which became a UNESCO City of Music in 2015.
Head of UNESCO City of Music at Culture Liverpool Kevin McManus said: “The Beatles were about Liverpool, they couldn’t have come from anywhere but Liverpool, but actually it’s a mistake to just focus on The Beatles because we’ve got such a rich music tradition.”
That’s not to say that a budding Ringo Starr should not be looking for drum accessories, but the notion that the city’s whole musical culture is wrapped up in just one band, however iconic, is commonly believed, while also being quite inaccurate.
As Mr McManus noted, every decade has seen new talent emerging from the city, observing: “We’re in the Guinness Book of Records as the pop music capital of the world - we’ve had more number ones than any other city.”
All that might suggest that Liverpool does not actually need any musical boost as a result of Eurovision coming to town. But Mr McManus said the event will be a “godsend” for organisations like the British Music Experience charitable trust.
Moreover, he predicted, the benefits will not be confined to the attention the city gets in mid-May, commenting: “I think the impact over the next two or three years in hospitality and music in the city, and tourism, will be absolutely immense.”
Similarly, general manager of The Beatles Story museum on Albert Dock Mary Chadwick said: “I think for artists in the city it’s really important.”
The UNESCO Word Music City status clearly matters to Liverpool, not least because the same organisation axed the World Heritage status of the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City in 2021, 17 years after it was awarded, due to objections over the way the northern docklands were being redeveloped, not least the construction of Everton’s new football stadium.
It was a decision that inevitably sparked much anger in a city where football and the economic renewal of deprived areas are big issues, but the contribution music and the arts makes to Liverpool and its economy - and what it may make in the future - are the focus right now.
However, while Liverpool might gain as a city, it is also individuals inspired by Eurovision to pick up an instrument and learn to play it who may be the greatest beneficiaries of all. Indeed, they may be the ones responsible for bringing the event back to Britain one day in the future.
]]>Whilst the legendary California guitar manufacturer has made a wide range of guitar models over the years with some like the Precision Bass and the Telecaster becoming similarly well known, the double cutaway design of the Stratocaster is the default design for electric guitars.
Alongside the Gibson Les Paul, the Stratocaster is the first design that comes to mind when people think of guitars, and the vast majority of accessories for guitar such as cases, capos and tuners are designed with Fender’s long-running instrument in mind.
This makes it incredibly interesting, therefore, that Fender, the manufacturer of one of the world’s most popular guitars, would also manufacture quite possibly the rarest guitar model from a major manufacturer that was not explicitly a limited edition.
Naturally, given that it was not intended to be made in such rare numbers that people dispute how many models exist in the world, the story is complex and starts with a modified Fender Jaguar and a man named Porky.
Quilla “Porky” Freeman is, much like Les Paul and other early electric guitarists, an important pioneer and inventor in the world of electric guitars, and he helped to contribute to many inventions and discoveries in the world of electric guitars.
His role in this story was to modify a 1963 Fender Marauder to both add an extra pickup and try to find a way to reduce the chance of the pickup design getting in the way of sustained and expressive play.
The theoretical solution Porky had was to use four large pickups hidden under the pickguard, which would in theory allow for extended play without the plectrum hitting against the pickups.
Fender was interested in adding this highly novel-looking guitar to the lineup complete with its four knobs and seven switches for a total of 48 tonal characteristics, making the guitar easy to pick up and still very versatile.
Porky also developed a hidden vibrato arm rather than using the standard Stratocaster vibrato, making the new guitar remarkably technically advanced for 1964. According to historian Rob Lawrence, the guitar’s tone was remarkably percussive, in no small part due to the deep pickup recesses.
The name Marauder was chosen as it was a synonym for bandit due to the hidden nature of the pickups and it looked fascinatingly unique for the time, with a clean line between the bridge and the fretboard and a body shape inspired by but not quite the same as the Jaguar.
This guitar, known as the Type I, had only six prototype models produced, with accounts varying as to why this was the case, with three prevailing theories.
The first and most simple was that when Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) bought Fender in 1965, it was one of the many models lost as a result of CBS’ cost-cutting measures.
Another related theory was that the elaborate electronics and specially designed pickups needed for the invisible design would be too expensive to make or the technology behind it would have been too expensive to acquire the license of.
Finally, there was a later dispute between Fender and Mr Freeman over a patent filed over the Marauder’s design, and once Fender abandoned the design in 1966, Porky took the idea to rival Rickenbacker, who also did not make a hidden pickup guitar.
]]>The last of these might be a big festival like Glastonbury, Reading / Leeds or Download. But this year there is another event that could inspire groups of young and musically talented people to seek band instruments for sale.
Eurovision may have only come to the UK because 2022 winners Ukraine cannot host it (though some would argue solidarity with their plight after the Russian invasion was why they won), but the fact the contest is taking place in Britain is sure to drum up extra home interest, as will the optimism that after Sam Ryder’s Spaceman came second last year, Molly Mae might go one better.
However, for all but the lucky few who managed to snap up the tickets for the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, it seemed until now this would be another vent to watch with friends on the TV. However, a series of big screenings have been announced for venues across the UK.
The nine locations that will host the screenings are Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield, with more locations potentially being added to the list over the next few weeks.
BBC managing director for the Eurovision Song Contest Martin Green said: "So many people here are huge Eurovision fans and for those new to the contest they will get to experience the joy of watching the grand final surrounded by thousands of others.”
Each of the locations will have their own programme of events for the occasion, making them memorable occasions that could inspire the musicians of tomorrow to start the work of converting their talent into something tangible that could change their lives and entertain many.
]]>Some people may find it much easier to pick up an instrument and learn to play, whereas others may take a little while longer. No matter if it takes you a few weeks to master a new instrument or even a few years, it can still be a fun and exciting new challenge.
Ensuring you set yourself up for success can be a great help and can ensure you have everything you need to practise. Get hold of any books, videos or other content which can help to teach you how to play and ensure you have all the equipment you need.
While it doesn’t always take specialised equipment to play an instrument, it can help to have access to everything you could possibly need.
For example, if you are learning to play the guitar you may want to invest in a strap, some plectrums and even a music stand to hold books or devices to help make it easier for you to learn.
Next, make sure you have a good space to learn in. A quiet, bright room that is a nice temperature is perfect as it will help you to feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible so you can focus on your instrument without distractions.
If you don’t have a separate area to learn in, you can try to adjust the space you do have to be more comfortable. Removing clutter, any other distractions and asking your family or those you live with for some privacy and quiet may help you to focus better.
Another great way to speed up the learning process is to practise as often as possible. If you spend a lot of time between playing, you may find you have to go over the basics multiple times to remember them.
Frequent practice helps you to memorise and master the basics much quicker so you can move on to more challenging and interesting techniques. Practice makes perfect, especially when learning a new instrument!
It is important to remember not to give up, even if you feel like you aren’t making any progress. Often when learning a new instrument, you may feel like you are going over parts time and time again and getting nowhere.
However, this is helping you to become more and more confident when playing, and although it may feel as though you aren’t getting anywhere, you definitely are!
Finally, you may wish to consider hiring an instructor or teacher. While teaching yourself to play is perfectly achievable, having someone who can show you what to do may help to speed the process along. This also forces you to find the time to practise, which is also very helpful.
Looking for musical instrument accessories? Visit Gough & Davy today!
]]>These are songs which are relatively easy to learn and aren’t too complicated, so you can get comfortable with the keys and get to grips with the pedals before tackling something more difficult.
By starting with more straightforward songs, you can work on developing the right skills to play the piano.
Whether you have a gorgeous grand piano or an acoustic upright piano, the instrument is a great one to learn as it is so versatile and almost any song can be played on the piano if you know what you're doing.
This also gives you a chance to get comfortable with reading sheet music. The easier you start, the quicker you will get used to it, meaning you can move on to some tougher and more complicated songs once you have some experience.
‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles is an excellent choice for beginners. This is due to the fact the song is quite repetitive and this gives you a chance to practise finding the right keys and keeping in time with the song.
Working on repetitive melodies is a really good way to practise new instruments without overcomplicating it for yourself. This also allows you the chance to work on correct hand placement over and over while still being able to play a song all the way through.
Another good song for beginners is ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen. This song gives you practice using both hands simultaneously but is still simple enough to be beginner friendly.
This song uses simple chords and progressions making it quick and easy to pick up and practice. It also is a slow and steady song, which allows you the time to get comfortable with using both hands.
Choosing slower songs to start off with gives you a chance to properly practise playing and working on hand movements and posture without the added stress of having to change chords or keys very quickly.
Bach’s ‘Fur Elise’ is a classic and well-known piano song that should be on every beginner's list. This is perfect to move on to when you have started becoming comfortable playing two-handed and can be somewhat challenging but is still easy enough that you can learn it comfortably.
This is slightly faster paced and uses a mix of notes which again gives you more skills to practice. This song is great for when you want to work on changing hand position and quickening the speed at which you play.
There are plenty of other beginner-friendly songs that you can try but starting with these three gives you a good, basic idea of the skills you need to develop. Once you get enough practice, you’ll be able to move on to some more exciting and complex tunes in no time!
]]>For that reason, the event may inspire and while all eyes will be on the British choice (when it is named), observers will also take note of the acts coming from elsewhere.
Those learning to play the guitar may be keen to see how bands relying on this instrument get on against those using pianos, synthesisers or even the ‘keytar’ being deployed by Australia’s synth-metal entry Voyager. While the latter still play a metal style, few bands have represented that genre better than Italian 2021 winners Maneskin, who have enjoyed huge popularity since then.
Maneskin were the first rock band to win Eurovision since the memorable performance of Finnish monster rockers Lordi in 2006, but this year it is another country with a great past in Eurovision that may revive its fortunes with a guitar band - Ireland.
Once regular winners back in the 1980s and 90s, the Irish have lost their way somewhat in the 21st century, even plumbing the depths of allowing Jedward to represent them twice. In recent years, they have regularly failed to even make the final.
This year has seen a concerted effort at restoring past glories. While former Sex Pistols singer Joe Lydon made headlines for his attempt to win the nomination, it is a guitar band in the shape of Wild Youth, a four-man band including two guitarists, who will lead the quest. They are an established group in Ireland and have already supported the likes of Westlife, Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi.
Jed from Jedward was among the judges helping pick a winner and said of the song We Are One: "For the times we are in, I feel like that song would pack a punch. It had strong U2 and Coldplay vibes."
Notwithstanding that U2 had a song with a similar title (One), the guitar vibes certainly do have a familiar ring about them. While nobody could imagine Bono and Co stepping forth onto the Eurovision stage, the potential for this emerging band to out the rocket boosters on their flourishing career in much the way Maneskin and the already-successful Sam Ryder have done may be huge.
Of course, nobody knows how Eurovision will go this year. Not all the entrants have been chosen yet. The national juries can have their verdicts overwhelmed by the public vote (as happened last year), and it is always possible Ukraine may get another sympathetic response.
Whatever the outcome, however, it has been seen that guitar bands can win Eurovision and if Wild Youth can at least make the final and perform well, they could do as much for the reputation of guitar bands and their country alike; confirming that guitarists have every reason to dream big, be it of Eurovision glory or simply a successful career.
If you are looking for Crafter guitars for sale in the UK, contact us today
]]>First, you'll have to make the decision between an electric or an acoustic guitar. While you may already have an idea of the instrument you want to play, it is important to consider that as a beginner an acoustic guitar may be easier to practise with while you learn the basics.
A nylon-stringed classical guitar is probably the best option for an absolute beginner as the strings can be less harsh on the fingers and learning to play can be much easier. This gives you the ability to practise well before investing in something more challenging.
However, if electric is what your heart desires there is no reason, other than ease, that you shouldn't take the plunge and purchase an electric guitar as your first.
Guitars come in many sizes and shapes so it's important you look at a variety when purchasing your first guitar. This allows you to figure out what size and shape you are most comfortable handling and what your stylistic preference is.
The great thing about instruments is that they come in an abundance of colours and designs so there will almost always be something that suits your style meaning you can express yourself visually while you express yourself musically.
There is a huge range of affordable, beginner-friendly options out there so finding a guitar within your budget shouldn’t be difficult. Make sure you take the opportunity to shop around and see what different guitars are on offer before settling on one as you may find that you discover something more suitable along the way.
]]>
Pianos used to be the standard instrument most children start with, whereas keyboards were the electronic alternative that often came once they were skilled piano players.
The main difference between the two is that pianos have weighted keys. This is good for helping to build up strength in the fingers. If you think you’ll want to play the piano in the future, it is wise to either start with one or find a digital piano with weighted keys, so you get used to the feel of them.
While learning the piano will develop skills in playing with weighted keys, a keyboard will teach you how to be very precise. If you happen to touch a wrong note, this cannot be as easily disguised as it would when playing a piano. Therefore, you learn how to hit the right notes faster than you would with a piano.
Keyboard sizes can vary, but all standard pianos are the same. They come with 88 keys, giving players a full range of notes. However, some keyboards have fewer keys than this, which means they won’t be able to play as many pieces that use very high or low notes.
It is best to get a keyboard with at least 72 keys to play a wide variety of music.
It might also come down to the sound of the instrument. Pianos have strings that vibrate in harmony, which results in the unique, beautiful sound of the piano.
As it an acoustic instrument, each note is amplified and reverberates. This makes it a better choice for classical, jazz and blues music.
However, some people prefer the modern sound of keyboards, which are featured more in contemporary tunes. At the same time, you can play the keyboard with backing tracks or change the sound of the instrument, keeping learning interesting.
What’s more, their volume can be turned lower or higher as well as plugged into earphones, so could be a better choice for busy households that can’t cope with too much extra noise.
Pianos need regular tuning in order to remain in good condition. Temperature, humidity, and environmental changes can cause pianos to become out of tune over time, so owners need to have them professionally tuned every so often.
In contrast, maintenance for keyboards is much simpler, as these do not need to be tuned.
If you buy a piano, you’ll need the space to put it. Not only are they bulky, but they are heavy, so once it is in its place, it is likely to remain there indefinitely. This means you or your child will have to practice in the same room every time, which could cause a problem if other people need to use the space.
Keyboards, on the other hand, are lightweight and portable, so practices and performances can take place anywhere. This could be a better option for homes with lots of people, as it is easy to pick up the instrument and move if need be.
It also means players can use their own instruments for shows, instead of having to rely on pianos already in the venues.
If you settle on playing classical piano and find you love the lessons, you may want to start looking for an acoustic piano for sale so you can enjoy your hobby at home whenever you want.
]]>The iconic solid-body design, humbuckers and elegant sunburst finishes make the Les Paul a popular guitar for practically any genre from traditional blues to down-tuned death metal, and many accessories for guitar are designed with the Les Paul in mind.
They also have made a lot of other models, some of which were huge successes like the Gibson SG, others eventually became iconic such as the Explorer and the Flying V, and a lot more simply fell into obscurity and infamy.
Here are some of the most forgotten Gibson guitar model ranges, or the ones that have only been remembered for all the wrong reasons.
A name that can only be described as painfully ironic, the 1981 Gibson Victory was meant to be Gibson’s attempt to enter the so-called “super-strat” market that Eddie Van Halen had “tapped” into.
The result was a truly bizarre hybrid, with a traditional Gibson bridge, three pickups (two exposed humbuckers and a single coil), a glue-on neck and a strangely warped SG shape with a long upper prong very reminiscent of the Fender Stratocaster and its many imitators.
The problem was there was no obvious market; Gibson fans stuck to the models they knew and loved, and people looking for a genuine superstrat wanted something more versatile.
It must be reiterated that the Gibson Flying V was not an overnight success, which given that it was initially released in 1958 may not come as entirely a surprise. The genre that would define the Flying V (heavy metal) was over a decade away, after all.
In 1978, Tim Shaw redesigned the Flying V in a similar way to how the Gibson Explorer E2 was designed, with the general shape remaining but more radical styling and design to keep up with even more intense competition.
However, the Flying V-II was a monumental failure again, in no small part due to how expensive its signature “boomerang” pickup was to make, but even a switch to the exposed humbuckers used on the Explorer E2 did not help, and by 1982 the Flying V2 was discontinued.
One of the strangest guitar shapes Gibson ever made, this axe-shaped oddity was meant to resemble a crow in flight, but was often described as the “can opener” by fans and detractors alike.
It was meant to be another radical guitar intended to catch people’s attention during possibly the best time for wild and unique guitar shapes, but none of the Corvus models caught on, nor did the set-neck Futura sell any units either.
The most recent and infamous failure on this list, Gibson’s Firebird was a guitar that people either loved or hated, but it has always sold enough to remain in the company’s catalogues, but also became the home of one of the most bizarre experimental models in electric guitar history.
The Firebird X was meant to be the future of guitars, with robot tuning, built-in effects, the ability to connect to effects pedals via Bluetooth and an exceptionally striking appearance.
However, an initial price tag of well over £3000 made it a guitar only purists could afford, and given that they hated it on principle, most of the range ended up crushed.
]]>Some of the music you enjoy listening to may be difficult to master as a beginner, as long as you keep practising you’ll be able to play them in no time. However, for the time being some of the old trusty classics may be more beginner-friendly.
The easiest song for beginners to play are ones that have simple, repetitive chord progressions. This allows you to get a feel for the speed and rhythm while getting to grips with changing chords.
Van Morrison is a household name and almost everyone has heard the song ‘Brown Eyed Girl.’ This is a really great song for beginners to play and has only four chords: G, C, D and Em.
These are all really easy chords to master and the song is such a classic you can even work on singing along to the rhythm as you play!
If you want something a little more fast-paced and fun, ‘Bad Moon Rising’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival is another well-known tune that uses only three chords this time: D, A and G. This is a fun, upbeat song that can help you work on playing at a faster pace.
If you're looking for something a little more modern to serenade with, ‘All Of Me’ by John Legend is a simple, easy pop song to start with. This song is performed on the piano, but the chords are easily translated over to guitar and you'll only need three of them: Em, C and G!
You will find that a lot of songs have relatively easy chord progressions, learning different strumming patterns can help you to really grasp the individual sound of a song and even make it your own. Trying different guitars, such as classical guitars and electric guitars, can help you develop different skills too!]]>
The easiest way to choose an instrument is by first asking your child which one they’re interested in playing. You may discover your youngster has kept dreams of rocking out on a guitar close to their chest, or they would love to tinker on the piano, bang on a drum or be soulful on a saxophone.
If they have something in mind, this makes it considerably more likely they will stick with it and enjoy learning how to play music.
There’s a reason why most children learn the recorder at school and not the bassoon, and this is partly down to their age and size. Smaller children cannot handle the weight and length of certain instruments, such as a French horn or cello.
What’s more, very young kids may not have the co-ordination for some instruments, such as the guitar, as this requires them to hold down chords and pluck or strum at the same time.
There’s no point choosing an instrument that doesn’t fit with your child’s personality, as the chances are, they’ll give up. If your little one is outgoing, flutes, saxophones and trumpets are good choices, as they are loud and tend to be near the front of the band.
Energetic kids might love drums, as long as they have the co-ordination to match.
Of course, parents may prefer to get their child a digital drum to encourage them to practice regularly without disturbing the neighbours.
]]>These range from multi-effects processors and pedal boards to more esoteric systems such as the EBow. However, some musicians want to take this experimentation further and combine the capabilities of a synthesiser with the expressiveness of a guitar.
This is where many musicians gravitate towards the keytar, a shoulder-slung keyboard with a neck containing a range of instrument controls such as sustain, vibrato and pitch-bending.
The keytar’s story begins, rather surprisingly, in 1795, predating the electrical telegraph by two decades.
The orphica was a strange shoulder-slung small piano, played similarly to a modern keytar and complete with a long neck.
This was followed in the mid-19th century by the piano accordion, a variation of the bellows-based musical instrument which replaces the traditional button-based accordion in 1852.
However, it would take until the 1960s and 1970s and the rise of the synthesiser in rock music to accelerate the development of the keytar.
By this point, the rise of lead guitarists such as Jimmy Page had led to other parts of the band wanting to feel freer and less tied down during performances.
One of the earliest major examples of this was Edgar Winter, who would frequently play with a keyboard or electric piano around his neck, a system famously seen in early 1970s performances of songs such as Frankenstein.
Ultimately, Mr Winter would team up with Hillwood to produce the Rockeyboard RB-1, a lightweight remote keyboard that lacked a neck but was considered to be the first “true” keytars, although Weltmeister’s Basset and Jon Mustad AB’s Tubon both predated the RB-1.
This would lead in 1980 to the production of the Moog Liberation, the first mass-produced keytar, alongside the Roland SH-101 and the Yamaha SHS-10.
]]>This is often seen within the context of accessories for guitar. The EBow, for example, was first notably used in 1974, 22 years before it returned to prominence thanks to R.E.M’s E-Bow the Letter and Radiohead’s My Iron Lung.
However, this cycle of technique can often lead to false histories, particularly when it comes to the origins of popular guitar techniques. Here are some examples of guitar styles that are far older than you may think.
The concept of sweep picking, where an arpeggio is played whilst the hand is moving, creating a fluid sound and the ability to play said arpeggios faster, is often credited to the guitarist who popularised and relied heavily on the technique in his composition the most, Yngwie Malmsteen.
Whilst Mr Malmsteen, a man who scalloped his fretboards to help with his signature technique, certainly helped popularise its use in guitar shredding, he was not the first to play it in any respect.
It was, like many metal guitar techniques, first used in Jazz guitar, with Chet Atkins and Les Paul developing the technique in the 1950s.
Arguably its first use in its rock-friendly form came in the 1973 Genesis song Dancing With the Moonlit Knight, with guitarist Steve Hackett using it as part of the song’s solo, alongside another similarly popular shred technique from that era.
The other major guitar technique from the same era as sweep picking was one-handed tapping, where the strumming hand is used to fret and pull off a note in a single motion, whilst the other hand frets normally.
Whilst commonly credited to Eddie Van Halen, the highly influential shred guitarist, Steve Hackett claimed to have invented the technique, and both are heard alongside each other on the same Genesis track.
In practice, neither invented the technique, with similar techniques used in violin playing since the days of Niccolo Paganini and on guitar by pioneers such as Roy Smeck.
]]>Some guitarists such as the legendary Tony Levin invent entirely new accessories for guitar such as the Funk Fingers, most famously used on the Peter Gabriel song Big Time.
For most, however, the biggest dream is to receive a signature guitar, which in theory is a version of a guitar they already play specially designed to help them get the best out of their instrument through the use of specific parts and alterations to the design.
Unquestionably the most famous electric guitar design in existence was in itself a signature guitar; Les Paul was a blues guitarist for eight decades, and he was crucial to the development and popularity of one of the world’s most iconic guitars.
Other subjects for a signature guitar are somewhat less conventional. Some of them are not even guitarists at all, and some are not even real.
The immediate question that comes to mind when hearing that Gibson Guitars have created a custom model for guitarist Yuto Goryo is to ask who he is, which is actually a surprisingly tricky question given that he is not real.
Yuto Goryo is a fictional guitarist for the fictional band Argonavis, which is part of the Japanese BanG Dream musical franchise by Bushiroad.
As amazing as it is that Gibson would make a signature model based on a musician that does not exist, they are simply following the trend; ESP launched a model based on the virtual pop star Hatsune Miku, and the Fender Custom Shop made something called the Asuka Telecaster.
The latter character has nothing to do whatsoever with music so heaven knows what the justification is there.
Nigel Tuffnel, guitarist of England’s loudest band Spinal Tap, famously wants a guitar that can give you that little extra push over the edge and the pursuit of 11 has led to a truly strange custom edition in 1992.
Ernie Ball Music Man designed a guitar all around the fictional guitarist that became known as Mr Horsepower. Only 25 were made, but how many other guitars have seven pickups and a tachometer?
At least you are allowed to point at this one.
Babymetal is a truly unique trailblazing musical outfit, but whilst their crunching low-end guitar is a distinct part of their sound alongside the duo's J-Pop vocals, they are not exactly the first subject that comes to mind when it comes to bands that need a signature guitar.
However, ESP, fresh off of releasing a Hatsune Miku guitar, put an alarming amount of effort into the E-II MF-9; it has nine strings, a single high-output pickup and custom Metal Galaxy-themed artwork.
It is very good for the exceptional levels of distortion typically seen in a Babymetal record, which is surprising in and of itself, but it is limited to exactly one setup window. It’s perfect for playing Karate or Gimme Chocolate, however.
]]>Because of this combination, you see a wide variety of different luthiers and manufacturers create instruments that whilst ostensibly very similar in their base elements, are often wildly different in how they look, how they sound and how they can be played.
It also means that there is the scope, unlike an electronic keyboard or a brass instrument, for people to personalise or even construct their own guitars, and here are some of the most unique ways guitars have ever been made.
Brian May’s Red Special is one of the most legendary and unique guitars in the history of rock music, with its driving feedback and famous high-end vibrato sound making it as much of an iconic part of Queen’s sound as the legendary voice of the late Freddie Mercury.
Its story is similarly one that borders on mythology, as it was built by Brian and his father, Harold May when they realised that Brian was not going to be able to afford an electric guitar of his own otherwise.
The wood comes from the mantelpiece of a fireplace that was otherwise set to be thrown away, which led to wormholes in the guitar’s neck and some difficulty getting the wood shaped into the form they wanted, with the body made from bits of blockboard veneered to look like a solid-body guitar.
The bridge is handmade, as is the tremolo system and the setup of the pickups, with the result being one of the most unique guitar sounds in all of rock, which took decades for pedals and replicas to truly emulate.
The guitar most associated with neoclassical metal guitarist and sweep-picking aficionado Yngwie Malmsteen is not as custom as Brian May, being a largely stock 1972 Fender Stratocaster that he bought in Sweden in 1978.
Whilst working as an apprentice in a guitar shop, he noticed one of the customers being in a lute from the 17th century, and its scalloped fretboard inspired him to do the same, eventually becoming a signature of his guitars.
The duck name came from stickers he applied to the guitar, and the blonde Stratocaster has become a major part of Mr Malmsteen’s iconography, even appearing on the cover of the album Rising Force and in most of his music videos.
It is difficult to know where to begin with the late Eddie Van Halen’s legendary Frankenstrat guitar, one of the first ever so-called “superstrats”, with so many of the stories behind it almost legendary in nature, both when initially made and after Van Halen erupted in popularity.
It was originally made from a $50 body with a knot in the wood, an $80 neck and a variety of parts from different guitars, including a pick up from a Gibson semi-automatic, the bridge from a Fender Stratocaster and a strange wiring setup.
What was even stranger was that when Van Halen got big, Eddie would add a lot of extra bits to try and outfox companies trying to make copies, including by adding switches that did not do anything, similar to what hot rod and street racers would do.
]]>While it is important to have a rest from school and enjoy time together as a family, it is also a good idea for them to keep practising their musical instrument, so they don’t fall behind in the new year.
One way to encourage them to pick up their banjo guitar, piano or flute is to find Christmas music they could learn to play that is within their skillset. They might be too old for Away in a Manger or too cool for Silent Night, so why not try some pop tunes like Last Christmas or I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day?
They will think these are more fun to learn and could get everyone in the Christmassy mood when playing to the family during the holidays.
Most of us get bored of repeating the same thing over and over again, so try to make practicing an instrument as much fun as possible, so they don’t see it as a chore.
For instance, you could find some games or activities online that they could do with their instrument, building up speed, motor skills and their ability to think on their feet.
There are many opportunities to enjoy music over Christmas, whether you go to carol concerts, ballets, theatre productions, orchestral productions, band performances or even just friends’ parties. From classical carols to fun pop songs, there are many ways to appreciate music over the holidays – so drive this message home, making them understand that in order to perform like professionals, they have to practice like them.
]]>The strangest guitars of all tend to be exceptionally limited editions or one-off models, such as the infamous Michael Angelo Batio Quad Guitar or the Rick Nielsen quint-neck.
However, there have also been some very uniquely bizarre production guitars available for wider release, albeit often not much wider.
There has been some debate about whether this counts instead as a limited edition, but the existence of a nine-string guitar in collaboration with the most metal J-Pop band alive certainly makes it worthy of note.
The kawaii metal duo and their exceptionally talented musical entourage are a unique experience to listen to, particularly given how intensely reliant on distortion their music.
With that said, nine strings are just one away from a Chapman Stick or a Warr Guitar, so it is a very strange and exceptionally heavy addition to a musician's collection.
Today, Ibanez is known almost exclusively for shred-friendly guitars, working closely with lightning-fingered performers such as Paul Gilbert. However, in the 1980s Ibanez would almost always surprise you with their ambitious, often surreal designs.
Take for example the IMG2010 made by FujiGen that became a cult classic in the world of guitar synthesisers, being both a high quality, oddly designed solid-body guitar and an effective MIDI controller.
Unfortunately, it only lasted a year, so between 500 and 2000 were ever made.
Much has been written about Gibson’s late 2000s attempt to revolutionise the guitar world and its own image, mostly because it became the legendary manufacturer’s most notable misfire.
Featuring a wealth of gizmos and gadgets from the Robot Guitar self-tuning pegs that made their way onto the higher-end Les Paul models to the ability to apply different sound patches to the guitar akin to a built-in effects processor.
Unfortunately, its atrocious launch and high price meant that the guitar did not become the wave of the future but a bizarre novelty from a road not travelled.
A far less prominent oddity for Gibson was the inversion of its ambitious and extroverted Flying V guitar design, which very much takes the V-shaped design inward, which in practice makes it look more like a double-cutaway guitar with an exceptionally tiny back that tapered to a point.
It was initially meant to be a limited edition as part of Gibson’s 2007 Guitar of the Week promotion, but the initial run of 400 sold so quickly that another 900 were produced a few months later in 2008.
Whilst it has not had the same cultural impact as the traditional Flying V, which has been the guitar of choice for a wide variety of shredders, the Reverse V has certainly proven to be a most curious and strange instrument indeed.
]]>There are many unique and strange guitars out there from the one-of-a-kind Red Special played by Brian May to a myriad of guitar organs and synthesisers to guitars made from every type of material possible.
However, one of the strangest guitars ever made appeared in the most over-the-top music video during a peak period for over-the-top music videos and was used in just two live performances before disappearing for nearly 20 years.
Here is the story of the guitar with four necks, as well as the story of the extraordinary guitarist who invented it.
The Quad Guitar, a guitar with four necks that could be rotated around on its strap, was the invention of Michael Angelo Batio, the man who also invented the double guitar and developed an ambidextrous playing style to go alongside it.
An accomplished guitar prodigy at the age of 13, Mr Batio was highly inspired by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, a jazz saxophone player known for playing multiple instruments at once, and wanted to duplicate that style first by having a guitar fixed in place to play alongside his main guitar, and later with the double guitar.
He was an accomplished session musician not long after graduating from college and whilst initially joining a band in Chicago set up by Tommy Holland formerly of Steppenwolf, he would quickly move to California and start a project with the banshee-voiced Jim Gillette.
This project became Nitro and by 1989, the band had released O.F.R., short for “Out-F’ing-Rageous” and featuring the peak of music excess only found prior to the release of The Decline of Western Civilisation Part II.
There was no hair metal with bigger hair, there were no vocals as high nor as shrill as the glass-breaking heights of Jim Gillette, and no guitar playing as audacious as Michael Angelo Batio’s quad guitar solo.
The top two guitars of the Gibson-built Quad Guitar had seven strings, whilst the lower two have five, which is why Mr Batio plays them in different ways in the video.
He also, when playing live, uses a string-dampening system that stops the two guitars from creating feedback loops when played together, which is necessary given that playing both guitars necessitates a tapping style with no strumming.
Unfortunately, the original run of the Quad Guitar lasted only a few weeks. On the band’s second date of their tour for O.F.R., it was stolen in El Paso Texas, and only half of it would ultimately be found and returned in 2004.
Nitro took off right at the end of the hair metal boom, with their second album releasing as late as 1992 after much of the excesses of the musical landscape had been wiped out by the rise of grunge and much of the fanbase had been disgusted by the documentary The Decline Of Western Civilisation Part II.
Mr Batio himself became an accomplished neoclassical guitarist, producing several albums and instructional videos as well as performing for bands such as Manowar. However, he will always be most linked to the guitar he perhaps played the least in his career.
]]>However, if you are looking to buy a ukulele in the UK, it is likely there is only one man whose name will be on your lips: George Formby.
This is the man of whom loads of old footage exists, strumming away on a ukulele or banjo, singing a range of tunes that were often rather risqué for his time, with his performing career lasting from 1921 to 1961.
Among the famous tunes that he played while strumming his ukulele were classics like the smutty ‘When I’m Cleaning Windows’, or his euphemistic ‘With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock’, which actually got him banned by the BBC.
Born George Hoy Booth in Wigan in 1904, Formby was one of seven children of the comedian George Formby Senior, who had not wanted any of them to follow him into showbiz. Thus George Junior was to start out as an apprentice jockey, but gave that up in 1921 as he was too heavy and his father had died. With nobody left to object, George set out to build a career on stage.
He had modest success as an actor in his early years, until he bought a ukulele from a fellow actor and played it for a bet during a show in Barnsley. The performance won rave reviews and a star was born.
Switching his stage name from Hoy to Formby, his career went from strength to strength, secured him an OBE in 1946 and carried on until he died after a second heart attack in 1961 at the age of 56.
More than 60 years have passed since he was last on stage, but even today George Formby is the go-to man for ukulele inspiration.
]]>In some cases, such as the Ultra Guitar designed by Aaron Brown for the Steve Vai album Ultra Zone, the design is unusual but the guitar at its core has many of the same components that Steve Vai’s Ibanez custom guitars did.
In others, however, the design is not only exceedingly unique but it enables and sometimes requires a completely different playing style.
Whilst arguably the most famous multi-necked guitar is Michael Angelo Batio’s infamous spinning Quad Guitar, there is one guitar that technically has it beat in terms of pure numbers.
Rick Neilsen, the guitarist for Cheap Trick would often play multiple guitars during solos, and this concept eventually evolved into a guitar that had five necks that he would rapidly move between during solos.
Eventually, the functionality of these guitars changed, with one featuring a twelve-string bridge, and one having a Vibrola vibrato.
In the early 1970s, Emmett Chapman created a ten-stringed instrument designed to be played purely through two-handed tapping. The Chapman Stick, most famously played by experimental bassist Tony Levin, allowed for a guitar to be played with the range and versatility of a piano.
The Warr Guitar was an extension of this, converting the Chapman Stick concept into a guitar with as many as 14 strings, although the number is typically limited to 10 (six guitar, four bass).
The Pikasso was designed with a simple brief: make a guitar with as many strings as possible.
The result looks like what would happen if an entire shipment of guitars had a horrible accident, but it is designed to ensure that all 42 strings are actually playable by a single guitarist.
It consists of two fretless twelve-string necks, as well as a long six-string, with the topmost neck overlapping the other two, allowing for some truly surreal acoustic soundscapes. Interestingly enough, it resembles a guitar sculpture made by its artistic namesake.
]]>However, it goes without saying that it takes many years and lessons to get that proficient at guitar playing, and much of your time might be spent plucking notes, instead of jamming out those famous chords.
Which you start learning first will depend on your music teacher, and in part, your interest, as the more you are keen to practice, the longer you will stick with an instrument.
Sound Adventurer recognises that it is easier to play whole songs once you have learnt chords.
It noted: “During tough drills or learning a new solo, sometimes it’s critical, and I mean critical to be able to retreat into something familiar and play something fun once in a while.”
This will prevent burnout and encourage the player to carry on learning for longer.
However, players were advised to carry on learning scales, as chords are “only one small part of the guitar’s capabilities”.
Being able to play notes means you can learn classical and blues guitar, as well as rock and pop music.
Guitar And Bass agrees, advising new players to learn both at the same time, as they are important skills to develop.
It referenced Beethoven when the composer said the guitar was like a whole band, stating: “When playing chords, the guitar is the rhythm section of the band … while the scales provide the melody as would the singer of a band.”
If you’re learning to play, take a look at our classical guitars for sale in the UK here.
]]>According to Entrepeneur.com, one of the reasons for this is because it gives determined businessmen and women an outlet away from their working life.
To grow the business as much as possible, they have to pour their blood, sweat and tears into it. However, the publication recognises the importance for individuals to “make time for hobbies and relaxation”.
It added: “Especially ones that spark your mind and get your creative juices flowing.”
Indeed, without having a hobby to distract your mind from work, a means to relieve stress or a way to express yourself, many people might burn out and not achieve the success they had hoped to.
Lots of parents encourage their children to learn an instrument for similar reasons, such as to teach them to focus, develop the mathematical side of their brain, encourage discipline and commitment, and withstand criticism.
However, learning an instrument does not just benefit kids, and adults can develop many social, emotional, and practical skills by having a go at piano, guitar, or the flute.
As well as helping to stimulate language and reasoning skills, maths understanding, memory, attention, concentration, and co-ordination, it also reminds hard-workers how to have fun.
The Australian government reiterated that listening to and playing music is a sociable activity, can lift spirits and encourage people to be creative, so it is worth giving it a go if you want to be inspired, relax or simply take a break from work.
Take a look at our classical guitars for sale if you’re keen to learn a new instrument.
]]>