How do you keep the attention of the crowd? Distract them with something new every time you feel like they’re losing interest. But, it’s not so easy to do that because new is not enough. To hold their attention, there has to be something that’s not only different but also better than before. This is something that electric guitars have achieved time and again over the years through innovation and improvisation. It is also why electric guitars are so popular in the musical world.  

Since the invention of the first electric guitar in the 1930s, artists and innovators have been constantly drawn to the instrument. Their fascination with the electric guitar led to several discoveries and inventions. Every new invention kept adding something new and increasing the topography of the instrument’s sound qualities, which kept the future generations interested in exploring the untapped potential of these unknown areas, leading to more new discoveries and inventions. 

What else drove the popularity of electric guitars so popular in the musical world? Here are five factors that made electric guitars matter in the world of music: 

1. Electric Guitars are More Accessible 

Electric guitars made it easier for people to form bands and play music. Bands before the invention of the electric guitar had nearly 20 members who also needed a much larger space to perform, which narrowed down their options for live music.1 With the invention of the electric guitar, venues could be smaller as a performance would need just four members. This increased the reach of the electric guitar as its music was more accessible to people. 

2. Electric Guitars are Great for Songwriting and Composition 

Writing and composing songs is easier with electric guitars as they are extremely versatile. Since an electric guitar can be used to play multiple notes simultaneously, it helps in developing a chord progression that is important for creating a good song structure..  Electric guitars allow artists to sing their tunes or melodies and play chords at the same time, which is a well-respected skill that most music icons have in the industry. This makes electric guitars extremely popular with music artists.2 

3. Electric Guitars Gave Us More Variety

Electric guitars are responsible for a large number of popular genres we enjoy today. Electric guitars made it possible for artists to express themselves in many different styles. Each of their styles became a new genre that resonated with the many sections of the society and with the circumstances of their individual eras. Blues, rock’n’roll, pop, hard rock, heavy metal, funk, alternative music, punk rock, etc., all have the electric guitar at the core of their music.   

4. Electric Guitars are Contemporary  

Electric guitars are a symbol of modern music and people can relate to its music more as it is contemporary, which makes it easier to understand and feel what the artist is trying to express through a recording or during a performance. If a song has a guitar in it, it is from a more recent time. 

Classical music, for example, is from a period that’s too far back in time and more emphasis is laid on the way the composer intended the music to sound as it is an expression of a sentiment of a person from an era we haven’t experienced. As a result, many people have difficulty connecting with this style of music, and classical artists themselves sometimes lack connection with the music they are playing.3 

5. Electric Guitars are Just Easier to Play

Electric guitar playing techniques and the music compositions are not complex.4 It doesn’t require as much rigorous practice as the instrument is meant for modern music styles that have freedom for improvisation and flexibility. This makes the electric guitar one of the most popular instruments to learn, as people are more willing to learn and explore it. Which only means more guitarists and more music styles related to the electric guitar being shared and recorded.   

So, electric guitars are popular in the world of music because they are instruments that represent a more laid-back style of music and engage the listeners far more than other instruments.  

BYJU’S FutureSchool

Learn how to express yourself with an electric guitar with music lessons from top music teachers from BYJU’S FutureSchool. To read more about music, visit BYJU’S FutureSchool Blog. 

References
1. Five Ways in Which the Electric Guitar Changed the World | MetalSucks. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.metalsucks.net/2019/08/22/five-ways-in-which-the-electric-guitar-changed-the-world/
2. 6 Reasons Why Guitars Are So Popular – Sound Adventurer – Exploring the World of Music and Sound. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://soundadventurer.com/reasons-why-guitars-are-so-popular/
3. How the world plugged into the electric guitar | Classical music | The Guardian. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/19/how-the-world-plugged-into-the-electric-guitar
4. The rise and rise of the guitar – The Irish Times. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-guitar-1.134714

Music, World of Music