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Guitar Instrument
One of the oldest instruments known to man is the guitar. In one form or another, it is mentioned as being popular in ancient times of Persia, in many Middle Eastern countries and Rome. Credit for the real progress and development of this instrument lies entirely on the concerts, recital halls and with ordinary people who adopted it as a convenient and lively accompaniment to their folk music (Noad, p. 2). Most of the greatest players were either Spanish or Italian. Their performances were often received with great passion in other countries, where they often inspired or revived a tremendous local interest. A good example is afforded by the life of Fernando Sor, one of the greatest performers of the past. The guitar has been adapted structurally for specific uses. The Spanish six-string guitar, for example, is the most expressive and adaptable of all types. It is also the most advanced in terms of construction and technique.
Different guitar manufacturers produce different models of the instrument that often sound quite different. One of the best guitar models manufactured to date is the acoustic guitar. Acoustic guitars have a long life span, and designs have changed only slightly over the decades. Popular guitar manufacturers in the United States, according to Noonan (p. 20), comprise the Gibson Company and the CF Martin Company. The two companies specialise in the manufacture of flat-top guitars designed specifically for steel strings.
Brasch stated that Music is a form of art common among all cultures. Music helps people communicate ideas or emotions (35). There are many kinds of music played using different models of the guitar that suit different occasions at the same time appeal to a wide range of audience. Throughout the ‘world music’ peripheries, songwriters are generally performers working through a mixture of oral and studio techniques, either relatively alone, as a singer or in bands and more or less complex collaborations (Shepherd, p. 208).
Some of the most famous and professional guitarists include the renowned great legend of reggae music Bob Marley, acoustic sensation Indiana Arie and Australian finger wiz Tommy Emmanuel whose songs are visited repeatedly for insight, understanding, daily reflection and inspiration.
According to Scott, one final and important development in the evolution of the guitar is the increasing attention given by composers to write. Guitar composers often wrote increasingly complex and extended compositions. The twentieth century has been a flood of original guitar music in every compositional style and genre, as well as transcriptions of compositions by both minor and major composers from all periods (194). Some of the famous and successful guitar composers of the twenty first century include Eric Clapton famous for rock and roll songs and Carlos Santana known for jazz fusion, guitarprotege.com.
Famous pieces that have been composed, written and performed using guitars include Andrea Lauren Brown. She has a number of triumphant recordings to her credit, naxos.com. Another famous piece written and performed using the guitar is ‘Ordinary People’ by Johnny Legend available at johnlegend.com.
Orchestras have always been used to entertain guests. In many places, especially provincial theatres, small and incomplete orchestras are to be found. Famous in this category includes Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’ available at fororchestra.com. Another famous orchestra is Duke Ellington known for his metropolitan opera house available in itunes.apple.com
Work cited
Brasch, Nicholas. Folk, Country and Reggae. Black Rabbit Books, 2004.
Noad, Fredrick. Playing the Guitar: A Self-Instruction Guide to Technique and Theory. Music Sales Group, 2000.
Noonan, Jeffrey. The guitar in America. 2008
Shepherd, John. Continuun encyclopedia of popular music of the world: Performance and production. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003.
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