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Professor spends a year strumming a guitar
Posted on 2 Feb 2012 16:13 to category : Instruments News
Gary Marcus, a cognitive psychologist from New York, US, took a sabbatical from academic life to allow him the opportunity to really dedicate his life to learning how to strum guitar strings and learn chords, reported the Star Tribune.
However, it was no easy task as he recognised from a scientific point of view that adults, unlike children, take longer to learn new skills.
While spending time educating himself on the ins and outs of being a decent guitarist, Prof Marcus found himself brooding on music in general.
"You could ask from an evolutionary perspective why anyone plays music in the first place," he told the online news provider.
"I don't think music is innately wired in the brain. It's a difficult skill. So why do we do it?"
The 41-year-old added that as his fingers got used to holding awkward chords and his mind began understanding the theory behind arrangements, everything began to fall into place.
He is now in a position where he likes to improvise on tunes instead of learning by heart how to play certain songs.
Famous self-taught guitarists include BB King, Eric Clapton, Prince and Eddie Van Halen.
Posted by LB
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