Last week Burford played his guitar for 125 hours to take the title for Longest Guitar Playing Marathon, his way of raising money and awareness for the charity Musicians Making a Difference (MMAD).

“It was hard, very challenging,” he told the Mercury. “I found 4am very difficult most mornings. By the very end, Friday morning about 3:30am I really hit a wall. Some of the support crew thought I wasn’t going t make it.”

Throughout the five days it’s estimated Burford had less than four hours sleep, restrained to a tight break schedule and only taking naps for five to 20 minutes at a time.

There were several times he thought he wasn’t going to make it, the first time just 30 hours into the epic task.

“I thought ‘gosh I’m stupid’,” he said. “I pushed that aside pretty quickly.”

“I need to find a way” was the mantra for the seasoned musician who planned as much as he could, though found many obstacles in the way.

Wednesday was another major hurdle – mentally and physically –when Burford’s fingers split and the pain was hindering his ability to play. It was nothing a bit of superglue and gaffer tape couldn’t fix but the pain continued until the end on Friday night.

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Thursday night was another bump in the road where the musician’s peripheral vision was becoming blurred, shapes started to shift and reflections were not what they seemed.

What kept him going was the community support around him, the phone calls from radio hosts and television programs, the random people who would show up in the evening for a jam to liven his spirits.

“The community that was built up around it through the week, so many people were coming in,” Burford said. “It was almost like we were having a house concert.”

Although Burford admits some visitors didn’t comprehend the task at hand and couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t pose for photos –if he stopped playing, there would be no world record.

It’s mixed emotions now that it’s over, and he has no idea how his charitable antics will top this feat but said it was an amazing experience and amazing to connect with so many people.

“Being able to see the power music can have for change and for good, seeing so many people smile and laugh and dance, people who were complete strangers connecting,” Burford said.

Burford is still collecting cash for the cause with the aim to make it over $12,000 for MMAD to fund guitars, lessons and mentoring classes for disadvantaged youth. Donations can be made via www.everydayhero.com/au/ 

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