My Relationship With the Electric Guitar Started at 16 as a Hobby and Became My Career - Loida Liuzzi (Guitarist)

My fascination with the electric guitar began in 2009 watching a Michael Jackson concert and Jennifer Batten doing the guitar solo of ¨Beat It¨, it was so shocking for me that at that moment I knew what I wanted to be

1.Tell us more about your background and journey.

My relationship with the electric guitar started at 16 as a hobby and became my career. The first guitar I played was a Folkloric guitar, belonging to my father, who learned empirically, listening to music on television and radio, he was the one who taught me the first chords. Then I went to a conservatory and studied with various teachers, which helped me to expand my musical vocabulary.

2. When did you first decide you wanted to pursue music and how did you start?

My fascination with the electric guitar began in 2009 watching a Michael Jackson concert and Jennifer Batten doing the guitar solo of ¨Beat It¨, it was so shocking for me that at that moment I knew what I wanted to be. It was almost time to finish school, time to go to college and get serious, and I did it, I went to the chemistry science faculty, but I had to drop everything, even my guitar lessons. So I quit chemistry, because it wasn't my passion and I needed passion to be excellent.

I entered the conservatory, but in the fourth year I preferred to continue my education outside of it, because I needed a faster pace of learning, so I went directly to take private classes with the professor of the music university, Pedro Martínez, with whom I continue studying until today. 

In the middle of that, I formed an instrumental music trio, VALVe, where we did songs by Joe Satriani, Gary Moore, The Beatles, and more. I participated in the first album by Paraguayan guitarists entitled: ¨Guitar Joparᨠon the theme ¨Arasunú¨ together with one of my first teachers. I was playing in a Big Band, I played with the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Police Jazz Band. I started teaching online classes around the world including: Germany, New York, Philippines, U.K.

I recently collaborated with artists from Switzerland, SYLV and Soê Blue in the song ¨Hey Darling¨, which is already on streaming platforms.

3. Who is your favourite artist and why?

It is difficult to name just one, my musical tastes are very varied: From Jimi Hendrix to Steve Vai. From Agustín Barrios to Paco de Lucía. From Michael Jackson to Alejandro Sanz.

From each one, I take something with me and the common factor among all of them is their great sensitivity to connect with human emotions.
Fanaticism gives me for times .. sometimes I just need a good blues.

4. Can you throw some light on opportunities one gets as a Musician ?

My current experience is very revealing, I live in a small country where there are not many opportunities for instrumental music, but thanks to my presence on social networks lately many doors are opening for me around the world, for example: recording collaborations with artists foreigners, as in Switzerland, Spain and New York.

Also earlier this year, an invitation emerged for a show season in Doha, Qatar, which was postponed by the pandemic.

Today we artists have to think as a global village, the phenomenon of social networks has changed our world forever, and as the saying goes: "no one is a prophet in her own land"

5. Is format training required or can one train themselves purely on the basis of talent?

Although self-taught musicians are generally rare geniuses, it is always better to study as much as possible. You can study in a structured College, or if you are very disciplined you can take a self-taught way.

6. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring artists?  

Prepare, study, practice, master your discipline, today it is more important than ever to take care of your image, it is not enough just to be good, you also have to look good, it is also important to understand how social networks work to use them at your convenience.

The support of your environment is important, but not more than constant self-motivation, whether it is practicing sports, painting, photography, dancing, reading books, that is the way an artist can nourish himself, with art itself.

 Loida Liuzzi - Guitarist

Interview by - N.MURALI KRISHNA