Gutiars Forever?

What’s your inner crystal ball say — will guitars someday go the way of typewriters? In 50 years, when people can make music by squeezing their hands in different ways and having feelings, why would anyone bother to learn barre chords and picking?

Bucky Sheftall: So, the Theremin laughs last?

Tom Beaver: Ha. Yes, but a Theremin with super-tight precision, like a guitar or keyboard. This will be air-guitar that uses the hands in a new, easy-to-master way — you’ll play along with existing songs, moving your hands and feet any way that feels natural, and the instrument will memorize that as your way of producing various notes, chords and nuance. Also, it will read your mouth, tongue and vocal chords to know what melody you’re imagining. And it will use your emotions as an effects pedal. Basically, if you can think a song and you’ve got some physical rhythm, and music turns you on, you can perform music.

When people can do that, why bother with fingering exercises, callouses, fingernails and all that? The poor guitar won’t stand a chance, I’m afraid.

Bucky Sheftall: I want Spock’s electric Vulcan lyre.

Tom Beaver: Forgot about that. I wonder if you have to be Vulcan to play it.

Kem Dinally: You hit on something there Tom. These days kids are asking why do they have to learn to write longhand. Amazing I tell you.

Tom Beaver: Yeah, that seems like something we shouldn’t lose. I guess we have to throw some of our great things overboard, though, to make room for other great things. As much I used to like typing on a smooth and sensitive electric typewriter, I have to admit I don’t miss it enough to buy one and use it.

Tom Beaver: If we made a list of 25 things that are better today than 30 years ago (ATMs, phones, TVs, computers, cars...) I would guess that most of those items will be extinct or unrecognizable in another 30 years. We’ll still have chairs, tables, scissors, faucets, shoelaces and thousands of things like that. The stuff we have today that hasn’t changed much in 200 years won’t go away or change much in another 200 years. But most of our brand new kinds of things are just getting started.

But of course a lot of things that seem almost timeless to us will be tossed overboard for something better — or at least different. Things like guitars, big screens in our living room, books, privately owned vehicles.

Thus spake Nostrathomas.

Tom Beaver: I wonder how much longer it will be common for artists to use pencils, brushes, paint and so forth. The drawing/painting programs on the iPad are pretty awesome now...

Kem Dinally: Funny you should mention that Tom. I find going back to painting with a brush to be much more rewarding and theopathic. It’s one of those human things that we all need.

Tom Beaver: Theopathic! Great word. I think you’re right. It’ll be hard for digital tools to give us everything we get from the old physical processes. From the smell of the paint to the texture of the surfaces to the fact that we don’t have infinite undo and unlimited versions. But just because the old ways are pretty much perfect doesn’t mean we’ll keep them alive 

Tom Beaver: Kem, we know what the future people will be missing, because we’ve done it both ways. Sad that they won’t know the difference and probably wouldn’t believe us if told them.

Kem Dinally: You’re right Tom. Just think in the next perhaps 10 years we’ll be moving around in driverless cars. Guess what no need for taxi drivers anymore. Buy stock in Uber. And that’s just the beginning of thinks to come and it’s coming faster that you think