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