There are some things that simply can’t be replaced, bought or even imitated, and music performed and played by musicians who have put in unseen hours, blood sweat and tears to truly master their instruments is a unique and timeless phenomenon! Even with all the music programs and technological advancement in this modern age we live in, it is still not possible to replace a true musician with his or her unique feel and voice on an instrument. It’s strange and amazing how music can take you back in time with a memory or emotion and how sounds speak in ways where words cannot. How just hearing a song or band that you used to listen to back in school can take you to that time and even bring forth the emotions you experienced.

To really appreciate how music has developed, it’s important to read up on some history of the world and how music developed through time. It gives a good perspective to look at what musicians have done to create new and innovative sounds with their instruments. Such as in the days of Beethoven and Mozart, when concert halls and theatres had to be constructed in a certain way so that the sound could travel and be projected or amplified to a larger audience.

Another example is the way musicians performed and recorded before the digital age, the challenges they faced and how they overcame their struggles at that time. Unlike today with everything recorded individually and mixed together, recording music was rare, incredibly expensive and had to be done with the artist or band playing live! The difference between playing acoustic and electric guitar is also a notable aspect when considering style.

We all know that it is more challenging to play certain techniques on an acoustic guitar compared to an electric. So many musicians from the early 40’s and 50’s had to play and work much harder to attain certain sounds that many today take for granted due the user-friendly nature of pedals and amps that change sound. The rise of rock n roll came from the invention of the electric guitar and became the music of the 70s and 80s, providing a platform to show the potential of the guitar.

Thus as guitarists and musicians, we could actually say it’s very beneficial to take into account the history of music and the instrument’s development. The use of modern equipment such as pedals and amps should be something used just as helpful tools to amplify our sound rather than as a crutch to support bad playing or lack of imagination.

Regardless of the genre of music and artists you listen to or find inspiration from, studying the history of music will give better insight into where the artist or band got their sound regarding style and sound.

Just looking at some South African Artists who have gained success today, many are blues rock artists who have looked to artists from the 60s and 70s! Many who sell out venues and gain rather large audiences. Artists such as Dan Patlansky, Albert Frost and even some Afrikaans artists such as Dozi perform blues music and covers from the 80s.

So to sum it all up I would suggest reading up on music history to see how it has progressed over the last few decades. Doing so can give you insight into how record companies and the music industry in general function, and how different music genres have come and gone. It’ll also provide a timeline and a good idea of what people listen to today and where their influences lay. It is also often useful and informative to use music of the past as a yardstick to measure current music against. Whether it has gotten better or worse is the question I’ll leave for you to answer!

Subscribe to our newsletter here – https://www.guitarexcellence.co.za/ne…

© Guitar Excellence 2016 All Rights Reserved