Indian Guitarist Music Marathon set Guinness World Record

Sebastian Joseph, a Thrissur-based guitarist, started a music marathon on Thursday in a bid to set a Guinness world record.

Mr. Joseph plans to play the guitar for 60 hours at a stretch to break the existing record of 48 hours created by an American.

The rules of the Guinness allow a 15-minute break every 8 hours. Mayor R. Bindu flagged off the guitar ‘yagnam’ at the Regional Theatre. The session was started with the popular Malayalam song ‘Keranirakaladum….’. Students of Nandanam Dance and Music Centre performed to the tunes of Sebastian.

Melodious old Malayalam songs flowed non-stop from Sebastian’s guitar accompanied by orchestra.

The audience applauded gently whenever he stopped to start the next song. During the next two days, he will play on his guitar 700 songs.

Mr. Sebastian, an All India Radio grade guitarist, is one of the leading musicians in Kerala. He has worked with famous singers such as K.J. Yesudas, M.G. Sreekumar and P. Jayachandran. He has been running Grand Music Academy for the last 13 years and has done many solo guitar performances on national and international stages.

The programme sponsored by Worldwide Corporation, Thrissur, will include a ‘music-dance dialogue’.

Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattom and Theyyam performers will dance to music played by the guitaristThe ‘yagnam’ will be concluded on Saturday evening with a flute recital by Doordharsan director Raghavan.

45 Hours Guitar Playing World Record set by Indian Boy

Fourteen-year-old Akash Gupta on Tuesday set a new world record by playing his guitar for 45 hours here, Guinness World Records judge Ralph Hana said.

Akash began playing the instrument at the 162-year-old St. Peter's College Sunday and broke American Brian Engelhart's 2005 record of 44 hours at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

However, the teenager continued playing, with the aim of breaking his own record of 52 hours and 48 minutes that earned him a place in the Limca Book of Records last year. Guiness does not recognise the Limca record.

A large crowd cheered Akash as he strummed his guitar.

Hanna said an increasing number of Indians were queuing up to set records, which earlier attracted mostly Europeans and Americans.

"Such activities get the people of the town together as they encourage and cheer their hero to scale new heights. As you can see in Agra, people are very involved," he said.

Two other residents of the city of Taj hold world records. Parthasarthy Sharma, a homeopath, holds the record for examining the highest number of patients in a year and Shandilya for playing the longest flute -- six feet.

"The spirit of adventure is crucial for human progress. Ever higher, better than before - these thoughts fuelled man's urge to compete and set new records," Hanna said.

'Smoke on the Water' 1683 guitar players attempt a world record

More than 1,683 guitar players attempt a world record by playing the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water" in Kansas City, Kansas, on Sunday. Kansas - City radio station hosts effort to break a Guinness world record - "Smoke on the Water" was first song many participants ever learned - Previous record had been 1,323 guitarists in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994

More than 1,680 guitar players turned out, tuned up and took part in what organizers say was a world record rendition of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" -- a song that was the first many of them ever learned.

Some came from as far away as California and Germany on Sunday to take part in a Kansas City radio station's effort to break a Guinness world record for the most people playing the same song simultaneously. The record had been 1,323 people playing the same song in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994.

"It was cool to see little kids playing, people who had been playing for their whole lives, like older people, and then I'm sure there were people like me who just picked up the song a couple days before," said Autumn McPherson, of Winfield, a senior at the University of Kansas.

Preliminary numbers show 1,683 people played the popular early '70s guitar riff on Sunday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

"I thought it was going to be kind of cheesy," said Hannah Koch, of Prairie Village, who came clad in an elf costume. "But after I got here, I got caught up in the excitement of it."

Tanna Guthrie, a morning show host for KYYS (99.7 FM), came up with the idea for the record attempt. She said her station will send participant sign-up lists, photos, videos and copies of media coverage to Guinness seeking official recognition of a record.

Guthrie said she chose "Smoke on the Water," a track off Deep Purple's "Machine Head" album, because it's one of the first songs many guitarists learn.

"You never know if you can pull something like this off," she said.

One of the participants, John Cardona of Hanford, California, said he brought felt-tip pens so he could get others to sign his guitar.

"It was the guitar I learned on," the 41-year-old said. "It was very dispensable on the way here, but very valuable to me now."

Thanks from AP and CNN