The delicate melody of “Over the Raindbow” that filled the Goldtown Theater wasn’t coming from Judy Garland.<\/p>\n
Juneau musician Dan Hopson was playing the tune on a nylon-stringed guitar as part of the Joy of Strings event, which brought five different musicians with varied playing styles to the stage.<\/p>\n
Guitarists shredded, picked and strummed their way through a handful of tunes each.<\/p>\n
Every set included different genres, types of guitars and even different tunings, but they were all united by a love of the guitar.<\/p>\n
“There’s something in the guitar for everybody,” said Ward F. Ward, the show’s lone electric guitarist. “Everyone is a little different, and that’s OK.”<\/p>\n
Here are the guitarists who played, what set them apart, and their style in their own words.<\/p>\n
The guitarist: <\/strong>Dan Hopson<\/p>\n The instrument:<\/strong> A takamine classical guitar<\/p>\n Their style: <\/strong>“I play classical style.”<\/p>\n Their influences:<\/strong> Christopher Parkening and Alex de Grassi<\/p>\n What set their set apart:<\/strong> Hopson exclusively played songs from movies. “This is a movie house,” Hopson said.<\/p>\n The guitarist:<\/strong> Ward F. Ward<\/p>\n The instrument: <\/strong>A 1987 gem floral print Ibanez<\/p>\n Their style:<\/strong> “A lot of guitar players have a very diverse kind of background. I tend to focus on learning something from a classical school and applying it in a progressive way.”<\/p>\n Their influences:<\/strong> Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Sabicas, Steve Vai and Jimi Hendrix among others<\/p>\n What set their set apart:<\/strong> Ward was the lone electric guitar player and mostly played songs off “Surfing with the Alien” by Joe Satriani<\/p>\n The guitarist: <\/strong>Laura Zahasky<\/p>\n The instrument: <\/strong>A Santa Cruz guitar, a custom-built guitar, a mandolin and a banjo<\/p>\n Their style:<\/strong> “I started playing bluegrass guitar, and I love that style, but discovered it was a little bit abrasive, so I tried to smooth it out.”<\/p>\n Their influences: <\/strong>Julian Lage and Sean Watkins<\/p>\n What set their set apart: <\/strong>She was joined on stage by her sister, Abigail Zahasky, who provided accompaniment on the banjo.<\/p>\n The guitarist: <\/strong>Mark Herd<\/p>\n The instrument: <\/strong>a Rob Goldberg guitar<\/p>\n Their style:<\/strong> “Finger style I guess is probably the best way to describe it.”<\/p>\n Their influences: <\/strong>Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and James Taylor<\/p>\n What set their set apart: <\/strong>Herd made use of finger picking and alternate tunings specifically to provide a different texture. “I was just looking for a theme,” Herd said.<\/p>\n
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