AC/DC guitarist Angus Young (Photo : REUTERS/John Gress)
New research has also proven that playing an instrument changes the shape and power of the brain and it can be used to improve cognitive skills.
In 2012, a study was conducted in Berlin and researchers studied and scanned the brains of 12 pairs of guitarists, they were asked to play the same piece of music. The research showed that the guitarist's neural network is able to synchronize, not only while playing the piece, but even before playing.
According to the study done by Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, when a guitarist is shredding or playing a solo the brain temporarily deactivates, signalling a shift from conscious to unconscious state of thought. Guitarists are able to switch to a creative and less-practical mode of thinking more easily when playing music.
According to policymic.com, research proves it clearly that guitarists are spiritual, intuitive people. This intuitive thinking is visible in manner in which guitarists learn. Unlike musicians who learn by reading sheet music, guitarists, pickup songs by watching other play rather than reading music sheets.
A live example of this intuition for playing music is, Pat Martino, a jazz guitarist from Philadelphia, he had 70 percent of his left temporal lobe removed due to nearly fatal brain aneurysm, leading to amnesia. After surgery, he could not play guitar.
Martino relearned playing the Jazz guitar again within a span of two with the help of his friends, computer and old recordings.
Martino also stated that "although the analysis of some of my recorded solos have been referred to as modal, personally I've never operated in that way. I've always depended upon my own melodic instinct, instead of scale like formulas."
Playing guitar is not only a skill it's a way of life, an individual identity and style that stands out in the crowd.
