“Music creates order out of chaos: for rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous”
– Yehudi Menuhin
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent”
– Victor Hugo
The study of music, when approached from a position of honesty and respect, teaches us, among other things, form, structure, logic, discipline and an appreciation of order and beauty. It gives us an awareness of things outside of ourselves and an understanding of things deep within us.
But most important, it teaches us humility. If you don’t believe this, undertake the study of the classical guitar. If it does not humble you, you will probably never be able to unlock the profound beauty and magic of this noble instrument.
I feel that it is very important, especially for our young people, to pursue a study of serious music and to learn to perform on an instrument, in particular the classical or nylon stringed guitar. The benefits and rewards will astound you.
Why the Classical Guitar?
The classical, or nylon-stringed guitar, has a rich history going back over 400 years. During that time a well-defined technical system has been developed to guide the student toward mastery of the instrument and a rich library of music has been written.
Musical masters through the ages have written, arranged or had their music transcribed for the guitar including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Hayden, Mendelssohn and Scarlatti, just to name a few.
Not only is there a rich library of music for classical guitar but the methods by Sor, Carcassi, Aguado, Guiliani and others are unchallenged for their rich music and splendid exercises for developing technical control.
The study of music and the guitar is a rewarding and worthy endeavor and can provide a lifetime of pleasure.