“There are always exceptions, but if you compose super-complex instrumental music, you’re limiting your audience,” advises, well, super-complex guitarist Sarah Longfield. “Instrumental guitar music typically appeals to other guitarists, but while you can do whatever you want when you’re not catering to vocal-driven songwriting, the flip side is that your guitar parts still need to be catchy. People need to be able to follow them. When I write my own songs, I try to focus on making them fun to play and easy to listen to. Finding a balance between technique and accessibility is a common struggle for a lot of guitar players, but as I love pop music, my end goal is writing super catchy, yet technically satisfying jams.”

Sarah Longfield consistently produces YouTube videos that garner hundreds of thousands of views amongst her fans, and she is recognized as one of the most talented 8-string players on the planet. Her guitar of choice is a custom-painted Strandberg Boden 8.