| She brought the guitar into vogue. She created the first | | | | simply did not possess the skills to do so. She had the |
| "fake" books designed for regular folks who didn't | | | | solution, which came in the form of several publications. |
| want to or were unable to invest the time and effort | | | | Her most popular and successful manual, Learning the |
| to master the guitar. Who was she?Catherina | | | | Guitar Simplified, included easy exercises, each of |
| Josepha Pelzer was born in 1821 in Mulheim, on the | | | | which was followed by a simple song, along with |
| Rhine. She was the daughter of Ferdinand Pelzer, a | | | | diagrams of the fingerboard to show where the notes |
| leading German guitarist during the early part of the | | | | were found. She created another publication that |
| 19th Century. Ferdinand began tutoring his daughter | | | | color-coded each note in the diatonic scale. This was |
| when she was quite young - a task made easier by | | | | known, logically enough, as Colored Diagrams of the |
| the fact that young Catherina was quite the musical | | | | Notes of the Fingerboard of the Guitar. And for those |
| prodigy. She made her London concert debut at the | | | | who had very little time to practice, she put together |
| age of seven. Soon after, her family moved from | | | | Instructions for the Guitar Tuned in E Major. One tuning. |
| Germany to England where she received much critical | | | | No muss, no fuss.Mme. Pratten died in 1895, leaving |
| acclaim and gained fame as a performer. Her | | | | behind a wonderful legacy. She had brought the guitar |
| concerts and recitals inspired people all over to pick up | | | | into popularity by showing the world how beautifully it |
| the guitar. Catherina later became much sought after | | | | could be played and by making it easier for the |
| as a guitar teacher, instructing the likes of the | | | | average person to play it well - or at least close |
| Princesses Louise and Beatrice, among others. In 1854 | | | | enough for rock and roll.Alyce Chiles is the manager |
| Catherina Pelzer married a renowned flautist and | | | | and official "appraisal typer-upper" of - a site for the |
| composer, and took the name by which she is more | | | | vintage guitar enthusiast specializing in online guitar |
| commonly remembered - Madame Sidney | | | | appraisals and vintage guitars in general. On the side |
| Pratten.After some time as an instructor, she realized | | | | she also writes freelance articles on everything from |
| that many people were not inclined to invest the | | | | Prozac to Parenting. |
| necessary effort to master the guitar. Many others | | | | |