Take it Anywhere, Play it Anywhere

Writing on a highly regarded guitar forum Vic Lewis writes:

‘when you take into account the huge variety of music you can play on it, from classical to thrash metal and all the hundreds of sub-genres, the guitar for me is the most incredibly versatile instrument there is’.

Music consists of 3 powerful ingredients; Harmony, Melody, and Rhythm. When someone sings (melody) plays chords (harmony) and strums a guitar (rhythm) they are employing all three, and that’s why it’s such a mesmerizing experience to watch. We’ve just returned from a two and half thousand mile European road trip through 7 countries driving our 25 year old VW camper van to Venice and back. Quite an experience, and quite a long way to go for a Cornetto. The buskers we met along the way (particularly in Verona and Luxembourg City) brought a real vibe to the street and beyond. The power of music was evident and shows a little of what can grow from a tiny seed. There was a time when these musicians would have first picked up their instrument as absolute complete beginners. They had no knowledge of where this would take them, and that in a few years would help support them travelling around the world living a dream!

But let’s not fantasise too much; they had to work very hard to master their craft. At the start of a guitarists journey a total beginner is most definitely the slave to this 6-stringed monster – but as time goes on, and exercises and songs are worked on, then skills and techniques are mastered and slowly but surely the tables are turned and the player begins to become the master more and more.

There are many reasons why someone wants to play the guitar. Some just want to play in the comfort of their own bedroom while others have dreams of the stage and all sorts in-between. Being in a band is a massive incentive because you have to reach a certain level of playing ability and then after that have the guts and confidence to walk on to a stage for a performance in front of people. The fear of failure and humiliation has its upsides; it makes you work feverishly hard in the secret place where no-one is watching so that when the time comes, you have rehearsed a part/song/set so much you can walk on with a certain amount of confidence mixed with that normal adrenalin surge before a performance.

And the beauty of all this rehearsal and work to reach a respectable level of guitar playing (although you are always improving/we are all beginners compared to Tommy Emmanuel) is that we can then take this skill, this instrument wherever we want. It is after all the most versatile instrument in the world and it can pay for your dreams and adventures; it’s a skill worth investing in!