51 essential principles for the contemporary guitarist Some guitarists are obsessed with learning all of the whats and whys of music while others focus mostly on the whats without obsessing too much about the whys. Then there’s those who could care less about either. The first group seeks out a more formal music education, the second group leans more towards private instruction or self-study programs, and the third group enters a shed only to pull out their weed whackers.