Participation in Occupation 2: Third Posting - Aesthetics with the guitar

The Penguin Concise Thesaurus (Dictionary) has the meaning of the word 'aesthetic' given as "tasteful, classic, artistic, beautiful, cultured, refined" (Ferguson, Manser, & Pickering, 2000, p. 17).


There are various styles of guitar playing, some rough and not having much in the form of aesthetics, and some quite melodious and soothing and what I might consider as having "aesthetics."
Compare and contrast the two guitar playing styles below; A & B. I believe the first one is rough and hard and wouldn't fit in the meaning of aesthetic (tasteful, classic, beautiful, cultured, refined). The second one is a mellow and jazzy tune which, according to me, fits the bill in terms of aesthetics. Aesthetics though is subjective and this moreso in playing a musical instrument like a guitar where one person's classic hit is another's most boring tune. Sample these out

A - Hard and rough

http://youtu.be/6jAphZMWAFA


B - Smooth and mellow

http://youtu.be/zb1U6SDffOM


In guitar playing, it is not only the style of play that determines the end product sound, but also, the make or model of the guitar plays a crucial part.
"Any good instrument is far more than the sum of its individual parts, but the design and materials used for each component - and the way they all come together - determine the sound and playability of your guitar" (Hunter ,Bacon, Benedetto, Burrluck, Carter, Chandler & Day, 2002, p. 9).

When I was looking for a guitar to buy, I really concentrated on certain world renowned models because I believe that the kind of music I like playing needs the best designs around in terms of sound production. "Well-made acoustic guitars are like fine wines: they need time to mature, and if taken care of and played regularly, they will develop subtleties in sound and tone that will bring enjoyment to both player and listener for many years to come" (Willis, 2006, p. 9).