ETUDE
February 1941
volume LIX
number 2
page 135-136

The Orchestra Guitarist

By George C. Krick

SOME SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS AGO dance orchestra leaders “discovered” the guitar and were happy to add to their existing ensembles, this new musical voice; the sonorous, enchanting tone of its strings blended beautifully with that of the other string and wind instruments and provided a background impossible to obtain from any other source. In recent months this situation has changed somewhat, and here and there we find some orchestra leader of national fame skeptical about the value of the guitar in dance ensembles. Now what is the reason for this turn about? Let us not put the blame on the instrument itself. The American manufacturers of this instrument have made wonderful strides in developing an orchestra guitar which has no superior anywhere as far as workmanship, tonal volume, or tone quality is concerned; and electric amplification has given it enough power to hold its own against trumpet and saxophone.

During a recent conversation with the writer, a well known band leader discussed the merits of the guitar and did not hesitate to put the blame right on the players themselves. “I am fond of the guitar,” he said, “but to find a guitarist, who is musician enough to measure up to the other members of my band, is like hunting for a needle in a haystack.” Here is your answer, guitarists. What do you intend to do about it? Are you going to let the guitar, an instrument capable of great artistic possibilities, go the way of the tenor banjo into gradual oblivion, or are you serious enough to study it as earnestly and thoroughly as the professional pianist or violinist studies the instrument of his choice?

Among some recent letters addressed to this department we found one in which our correspondent asks: “To be able to play the guitar with a good orchestra is it necessary for me to read music, or is it sufficient to play the chords from symbols? I have studied the guitar about a year and can play any chord possible, but have used symbols only.” This reminded us of a remark made by a foreign music educator, who spent some time in this country teaching and was asked what impressed him most about the American student of music. “Too many of them like to take short cuts,” he answered.

Now we have learned from many years’ experience in playing and teaching the fretted instruments that there are no short cuts in the study of instrumental music, not if one wants to amount to something. True there are some students who can omit certain exercises, which may be necessary to others – special exercises that are intended to strengthen a finger that is weak on some hands or for some other reason – but these fingers are usually taken care of by a competent and conscientious teacher, who is in a position to select just the right studies for each individual pupil.

Once you have decided upon the orchestra or plectrum guitar, place yourself in the hands of a reputable teacher, have him guide you in the selection of a good instrument and then follow his instruction to the letter. If no teacher is available in your vicinity, get all the instruction books possible and study them carefully and slowly, skipping nothing. To those studying without a teacher we suggest spending the one or two weeks of their summer vacation in some city where they may gain the benefit of expert instruction and advice, taking a daily lesson during this vacation period, which would prove time and money well spent.

The beginner should by all means start his studies with learning to read music, just as a child should learn his A, B, C’s in order to read and write; there is nothing secret or difficult about it. Persistent daily practice will soon bring about results.

After the rudiments of music are thoroughly mastered, scale practice is in order; beginning with one octave and later extending to two and three octaves. The production of a good tone should be carefully studied. An energetic movement with the plectrum across the string downwards, directed towards the next higher string, will produce a fuller and rounder tone than picking the string with the hand moving upwards away from the string. It is well to use down strokes on all notes for some time; and when scales can be played in this way evenly and smoothly, then the alternating down-up stroke may be used. The right hand always should be held in a relaxed position; and a flexible wrist helps materially to simplify execution.

A good tone also depends on the action of the left hand fingers. These must be trained to drop onto the string with a quick movement, holding the string firmly for the duration of the note. Once the single string technic is fairly well established, the study of chord formation is the next step. Begin with the three principal chords in all the major and minor keys, study them so you will know every note that is used to make up each chord, then proceed to their inversions and all other chords that may be found in all positions on the guitar fingerboard. In the playing of chords the left hand again plays an important role, especially when the Barrè is required to hold down firmly two or more strings with the first finger. To train the first finger for this purpose it is advisable to begin with the simple four-string chord on first, second, third and fourth strings and later include the notes on the fifth and sixth strings. Having acquired a thorough knowledge of chord construction it is now necessary to practice quick changes from one chord to another which requires lots of patience, persistence and hard work.

Practical Requirements

The suggestions made so far should provide a solid foundation upon which good guitar technic may be built, and the serious student will now want to go ahead and study the compositions written for guitar solo. Begin with the easy ones and gradually develop the ability to master those of greater difficulty. A guitarist, to become an asset to a dance band or radio orchestra, must be able to play occasional solo parts, be able to transpose from one key to another and be a good sight reader in addition to his other accomplishments. In order to play from piano copies it is necessary to be able to read notes in the bass clef and to transpose the chords written for piano into the treble clef and in many instances play them an octave higher. Last, but not least, a course in harmony is strongly advised for every student. All of these things mentioned combine to make up the technical equipment of an orchestra guitarist expecting to succeed and hoping to hold his own as a competent musician with the other members of an orchestra.