A 97-year-old great-grandmother will join an official London attempt to set a Guinness World Record for completing the longest guitar lesson ever.
Music school The Guitar Social is launching its 24-hour non-stop tutorial in East London this week with more than 200 guitarists of all ages.
They will be adjudicated by Guinness World Records staff and aim to both set a record and raise £24,000 to fund the music school’s work providing the visually impaired, homeless families, and refugees across the capital with guitars and fun lessons.
Music legend Stevie Wonder has publicly endorsed the attempt, calling it “ a great initiative” which “is a small stepping stone on the way to enabling the visually impaired to learn an instrument”.
Participant Mary Barsh, of Pimlico, started taking weekly classes with The Guitar Social at the Royal National Institute of Blind People last summer after receiving a flyer through her door.
The great-grandmother is has severe visual impairment and had never previously played a musical instrument, but now practises daily and has even given her beloved acoustic guitar a name - Gertie.
Mrs Barsh, a former West End Tiller Girl, told the Standard: “It [the leaflet] said ‘all ages’, and I thought ‘oh, well maybe I’m not too old to have a go - if it says all ages, it must mean all ages’. So I went along.
“I’ve kept at it ever since and I like it more and more... I really feel down if the lesson isn’t going to take place for one reason or another. I love it. I just look at Gertie - I named her Gertie, Gertie Guitar, as I just thought it would be nice to make it a bit more personal rather than just a guitar, you know she’s like a friend - and think ‘I must pick Gertie up and have a bit of practise’.”
Mrs Barsh will help kick off the giant lesson with an hour-long stint today, and hopes to get to practise a rendition of her favourite song to strum - Free Falling by Tom Petty, or another favourite, Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds.
Her teacher Thomas Binns, 33, who launched The Guitar School in London five years ago, said: “I’ve taught thousands of people but the interesting thing about Mary is I’ve not come across anyone who’s quite as obsessive and instantly devoted to the instrument, and she’s be-come an amazing advocate for the idea of taking up an instrument later in life.
She’s blind, 97, and now playing Bob Marley songs. I like working with her so much because she flies in the face of a can’t do attitude, it’s always a ‘can do’ with Mary.”
Of the attempt at a 24-hour lesson, he said: “A couple of people have attempted it and failed before… It’s in the bag though, we have got it.”
Londoners can sign up to attend to join in one 12 two-hour overlapping sessions at https://tinyurl.com/yyrsgqup and head to Trinity Art Gallery, Unit 22, Hope Street, London City Island from 6.30pm today.
To donate see www.crowdfunder.co.uk/guitar-social
