I've seen a few discussions amongst folk that guitars are beginning to make a comeback in pop music (i.e. the charts) with subtle signs here and there of big major acts starting to wield the axe again. The last time we could probably say guitar music was big was around about the time Oasis released their last album - it seemed that was the last hurrah for guitar bands making it big in the charts as I distinctly remember The Verve, Kings of Leo, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, et.al all storming the charts. But you also had singers like Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson singing guitar driven songs in the pop genre.

In the intervening years, it declined and died a death. I'm not sure how viable this is, but disco revival has become more prominent, with Nile Rodgers style influencings going on in many a pop song today. Then you have the likes of Kanye West working with Kevin Parker and it indicates a slow return to more organic, less EDM/electronic driven sounds. Taylor Swift's most recent albums are based around guitars too with Aaron Dessner's influences clear to see.

Of course, it's got a hell of a long way to go. But it potentially indicates something larger is on the horizon. Culture is often cyclical in nature too and it would take a fool to suggest 'guitars are on the way out' like the boss of Decca did to some four-piece act from Liverpool in the 60s.

So we could take it for granted it will inevitably return...

But do you not think that our culture has changed so significantly with the increase of technology making guitars redundant? For a start, we live in a culture of instant gratification and no patience, and what kid will be inspired to pick up the guitar these days and painstakingly learn the craft of it? Too many distractions, and such experiences are more ephemeral and less deep rooted and soulful than previous generations - life lives at such a fast pace these days that it's a struggle to think of anyone who, like Lennon/McCartney or our very own Noel Gallagher, would while away the hours in his bedroom without distraction and become so absorbed in their craft. Today's world sucks you away from such experiences.

And for any youngster with musical talent, the mechanisms to create music are more immediate with apps and tools online that serve such a purpose, so the idea of learning the guitar becomes more of a burden. I'm not knocking that technology if it provides a creative outlet to younger generations, but is there not something lost in the process of music making? All the graft and effort to find that note, chord or that unique sound on the guitar is lost with instant results. The days of Lennon and McCartney travelling across Liverpool to search for a B7 chord that some guy knew doesn't exist anymore, and while I'm not saying we reject technology and become luddites, there has to be something in the exploratory nature of developing a craft that makes you cherish the sounds you discover more readily. And as such, when you find what you were looking for, it resonates much more deeply - I can only imagine that hearing that simple yet elusive B7 chord fired the imagination of young Lennon and McCartney much more than just doing a Google search of it. And just like a kid mastering a particular riff or chord pattern on his guitar, the sense of achievement and new possibilities that come with mastering it opens so much more avenues of possibilities and wonder. Making that sound directly on our mobile phones at the click of a few buttons isn't nearly as fulfilling, and the possibilities and wonder aren't nearly there when that something is so easily obtainable. The allure is lost, and the drive for creating something special isn't there. It's very much like instant coffee - it's easily accessible, essentially the same product, but something is lost along the way and it's not nearly the same.

So, not to get too distracted, while guitar music may make a comeback, what kind of comeback would it be? Will it be front and centre of music or will it simply make its presence known as mere window dressing for songs? But with regards to the above, I do wonder about any further kind of ingenuity coming from that instrument that is the bread and butter of our music tastes.