Archive for December, 2009
Anyone Can Make Guitars
During my senior year of high school, I was required to complete a culminating Senior Project. The goal of the assignment was to develop a skill or passion of your choice, and then present a piece of original work to a group of your peers. I decided to combine two of my favorite activities-music and woodworking-and create my own guitar.
Like most kids in high school, I was a chronic procrastinator. A week before the project was due I still had nothing but a huge block of wood lying on my workstation. After spending several consecutive sleepless nights finishing the instrument, I finally put the last coat of finish on the morning it was due. After attaching the guitar strings, I rushed to school and arrived just minutes before my presentation was scheduled.
Despite the fact that both of my parents are right-handed, I somehow acquired the rare gene that creates southpaws. It seems that left-handed people are becoming an endangered species and, personally, I think that it is a direct result of the setup of virtually all consumer products in today’s world. Nearly everything is designed to cater to the needs of right-handed people.
As a southpaw, growing up in today’s society can be difficult. The world is ever-increasing its dependence on computers, which are obviously designed for right-handed people. Another example of this trend is in musical instruments. Although Jimi Hendrix broke the mold by playing his guitar left-handed, he is the exception to the rule. Luckily I was able to find a store online that left handed acoustic guitars when I started playing.
When kids pick up a guitar for the first time, the learning curve can be rather steep. Once children learn a basic song or two on the instrument, they are generally well on their way to a lifelong love of playing. Early on, though, before they can grasp such techniques as stringing chords together in sequence, playing the guitar can feel like work. This perception is only magnified by the development of calluses.
Before the fingers grow accustomed to pressing guitar strings tight to the fretboard, they are susceptible to some minor pain. It’s important for parents to emphasize the value of developing calluses as they will make playing a classical guitar much simpler and more enjoyable. In time, a young guitarist’s fingers will begin to look and feel like that of a manual laborer. That’s how you know you’re on the right track.