The Guitar Generation

Unplugged and online, a new crop of young musicians is winning both awards and acclaim.

- Srinath Perur

In late October, 16 guitar players performed at a packed Bengaluru bar named BFlat for the final round of the All-India Fingerstyle Guitar Competition (AIFGC). It was all men (since the parents of the lone woman finalist had reservations about her travelling alone), most in their early- to mid-twenties, and from various parts of the country—the metros, Patiala, Bhopal, Dimapur, Hyderabad and Dehradun. They had been selected from 72 guitarists who had entered the competition by uploading YouTube videos of their playing (some shot in cramped bedrooms). The contest, in its second edition, brought into focus a phenomenon that has emerged over the past decade—the growing popularity of the guitar as a solo instrument, the internet’s enormous influence as musical inspiration, instructor and platform, and the rise of the guitar adept, identified and nurtured through festivals and competitions.