A single guitar note cuts through the silence, followed by another, building a rhythm that draws listeners in. Every strum and pluck tells a story with no words.

Guitar players have shaped lives through many generations, performing in small rooms and large arenas. Their music expresses emotion, tells stories, and connects people, making the guitar an influential instrument across all styles of music.

There are several types of guitars, but the two most popular are acoustic and electric. Acoustic guitars are known for their soft melodies and calming notes. At the same time, electric guitars are widely known for their loud and proud presence in music. Acoustic and electric guitars are distinct forms of musical expression.

 Freshman Max Webster has been playing guitar for a year. He prefers electric guitars.

“I prefer to play electric guitars compared to acoustic guitars because electric guitars are more diverse. I can play a lot of different types of songs with an electric guitar,” Webster said.

He developed a love for music from his father, who even taught him to play the guitar with precision.

“I started playing guitar in the first place because of my dad, and he taught me how to play. My dad has been playing guitar for nearly 30 years, so music has been around my whole life,” Webster said.

Webster creates music as a form of stress relief. 

“I love to play music because it relieves a lot of stress. It’s a good way to calm my nerves,” Webster said.

Freshman Landon Richardson has been playing guitar for a year and three months. Richardson impressively taught himself, which is notoriously difficult to do.

“I taught myself how to play, and the hardest part of trying to learn guitar was making sure to keep the same pace as the music I am playing,” Richardson said.

Richardson has goals of continuing a future career in the music industry.

“Music has added value to my life overall. Playing guitar takes my mind off of things like not being able to see my mom very much, and I want to make a living out of it one day,” Richardson said.

Junior Warren Ngo has been playing guitar for four years. A large influence on his start into music is due to a music creator, Laufey. Laufey is known for her light and calming songs with the acoustic guitar.

“I started playing guitar because I really liked listening to Laufey, and most of her songs were on guitar, so that pushed me to start playing,” Ngo said. 

Freshman Mariah Grafton has been playing guitar for three years. Music motivates her.

“Music adds value to my life because it gives me motivation to go to school and be more positive. Music gives me a purpose and motivates me to try new things,” Grafton said.