Four Guitars

Book excerpt: Four Guitars (more or less) is part memoir and part exposition of the modern handmade acoustic guitar. Like so many baby boomers the author took up playing the guitar again after several decades only to discover the instrument all over again but with a deeper and richer appreciation than in his youth. This book chronicles the relearning to play music but really discovering the guitar for the first time. In searching for the variations in guitars caused by different combinations of musical woods the author embarks on a series of guitar tastings among guitar players that reveal more than expected. The lessons learned go beyond the melody and tempo lessons to more subtle appreciation of the relationships between players and their instruments, the beauty and character of hand crafted instruments and the luthiers that build them. In the end the book is an appreciation of the guitar in general and the relationship with four guitars (more or less) in particular.