Junior Eyal Landau remembers always being involved in music one way or another: from playing the clarinet and the oboe in middle school to doing percussion in high school and now to his latest obsession, playing guitar.
He picked it up the summer before freshman year, when he was in his so-called “3D-printing phase” and decided to 3D print an electric guitar.
Putting the parts together, he had created what he calls a “terrible guitar.” Nevertheless, it spurred him to learn how to play the real instrument.
After learning how to play on that guitar for a few months on his own through guitar apps and just messing around with it, he bought his first real guitar — a Squire Stratocaster, an affordable low-end Fender electric guitar. Now, Landau’s room is home to six different guitars — three electric, one acoustic, one classic and one bass.
While his collection is extensive, each guitar is unique and thoroughly loved. One of his electric guitars and his bass guitar were beautifully painted by his friend, with koi fish and cherry blossom designs, respectively. His 3D-printed guitar has hexagonal holes built into it, while his other guitars each have unique patterns along the front and slightly different shapes.
He primarily plays on his green PRS-SE electric guitar with the koi fish design because of its superior sound quality. Still, he said he enjoys playing each guitar because of their subtle differences in tone and mechanisms.
Landau said his passion for music has always been a part of his identity and has pushed him to try different instruments and new pieces on his own time, especially jazz music.
“Whenever I hear music that I like, I’ll always try to figure out why I like it and listen to it, and then I want to be able to play that kind of stuff,” Landau said.
At school, Landau has consistently been part of the band program and plays in the percussion section. While he isn’t able to play the guitar for marching band, he hopes he will be able to play it for Winter Percussion. He also enjoys being part of the jazz band, although he was not able to participate this year.
Sometimes, he plays for hours on end while trying to master one line of music or a new technique.
Preferring to learn music at his own pace, Landau is mostly self-taught, having only taken lessons for two weeks when he first started.
But, of course, it’s not easy to devote hours of practice on the daily, especially with the rigor of junior year.
Like many musicians, his biggest challenge is finding time in his day to practice, especially while juggling school and band. Sometimes, he finds himself unable to practice for an entire week because of schoolwork and extracurriculars.
Still, playing guitar is a way for Landau to de-stress.
“It’s just very cathartic to be able to express myself [through playing guitar]. I feel like I really enjoy playing the music, and I really care about what I’m playing,” he said.
No matter the struggles, Landau is adamant in staying with his passion for guitar for as long as possible, even considering a minor in music or joining a causal jazz band later in life. During high school, he is also trying to collaborate with other musicians to create “coffee house” music, and he writes his own music using the skills and techniques he learned in AP Music Theory last year.
“My goal is just to keep making music and keep enjoying it, and just to kind of push myself to use it as a way to make relationships and push my life forward,” he said.
