Guitar, plucked stringed musical instrument that probably originated in Spain early in the 16th century, deriving from the guitarra latina, a late-medieval instrument with a waisted body and four strings.
The early guitar was narrower and deeper than the modern guitar, with a less pronounced waist. It was closely related to the vihuela, the guitar-shaped instrument played in Spain in place of the lute.
Guitar is considered by many to be one of the most difficult instruments to learn because of its polyphonic capabilities, its abstract representation of the notes, the physical dexterity required to play, and the potential pain and discomfort associated with finger pain and hand cramps.
However, there has been a lot of research done into discovering the intellectual benefits of learning to play a musical instrument. The fact is that the more you learn and practice something, the better you become. No matter what the rate of improvement is, you still make progress.
When learning to play an instrument, you may consciously be thinking about enjoying the music and being able to play your favourite songs. However, during this process, your brain is also being trained to operate a certain way, which has lots of beneficial effects on the functioning of your brain, as studies have shown.
1. Improves Your Memory
A government-commissioned study has found that learning to play the guitar at school improves children's behavior, memory and intelligence. Researchers have found that it enlarges the left side of the brain, which helps students to remember a fifth more information when compared with non-musical pupils (article).
In this article, Lutz Jäncke, a psychologist at the University of Zurich, found that the parts of the brain that control hearing, memory, and the part that controls the hands, all become more active. This leads to growth and a positive change in the architecture of the brain. These changes were also apparent in people over the age of 65.
2. Enhances Your Creativity
Creating your own music through improvisation or songwriting makes great use of your creativity. It's so much fun and incredibly rewarding to create your own melodies. The students often surprise themselves with what they've just played!
3. Teaches You Discipline
Regular practice can take discipline, especially with areas that students find challenging. With persistence comes success and the development of discipline, which can then also be applied to other areas of your life.
4. Develops Social Skills & Teamwork
With a developed sense of hearing, musicians are able to pinpoint what others are feeling, just by the tone of their voice. Also, working and playing with other musicians teaches people to appreciate the value of teamwork.
5. Improves Your Math Performance...!
There is a definite relationship between music and math. Research suggests that musicians process music in the same cortical regions that adolescents process algebra.
6. Enhances Your Coordination
Playing an instrument requires a certain level of hand-eye coordination, which is of course developed with practice. Reading guitar tablature and/or music involves your brain converting that information into specific motor patterns.
7. Increases Your Confidence & Self Esteem
It's easy to set small goals in music, for example finishing a piece or just playing through to the end of a line of music, which when accomplished will give you a great sense of achievement.
Once you reach the stage of performing music in front of an audience, which takes a certain level of confidence to do so anyway, you reap rewards that can affect many other areas of your life.
8. Sharpens Your Concentration
Playing the guitar requires you to focus on a lot of aspects simultaneously, ie. pitch, timing, rhythm, fingering, etc. The more you practice your mental muscle of concentration, the easier it becomes.
