Andres Segovia said, “A guitar is like a woman; She is what she is”.
Living with a guitar is a relationship— together we change with age, and open up to the possibilities between us.
Some guitars are dirt simple, like the Delta’s diddly bow, a one-string cigar box guitar that has a voice like nothing else. Others are complex, like the harp guitar, or the double-necked or metal-bodied resonator guitars. But in the end we always return to the simplicity that is the hourglass shape and that beautiful cathedral of tonewood.
The guitar is a people’s instrument.
Everywhere it goes it is played differently, and reflects the character of the people who embrace it. In Paris it became a complex singer of nuance, in Spain the passionate voice of flamenco, and in Hawaii the liquid reflection of the sea. In the Mississippi Delta, the percussive voice of the metal-bodied guitar became the voice of the oppressed. In South Africa the guitar became a sparkling voice of hope. And in the Caribbean, a complex blending of musical cultures and ideologies.
I have played guitar for nearly 50 years. When I learned of alternate tunings and the music that was made with them it was as if I had arrived on another planet. Today I play in 25 different tunings.
To me, the combination of materials, shapes, tunings, strings, and technique make for an endlessly fascinating instrument. As I play, it is my goal to create a holistic experience, where the guitar rings at its fullest, with all parts working in harmony. This is a whole-body experience and can be felt as well as heard. With alternate tunings, the guitar can be brought into a focus where it is most resonant and alive. This is difficult to capture with microphones, but can be felt in the presence of the guitar as it is ‘lit’ and drawn into its light.
For me, this aspect is the experience of healing and the real work.
It is a process of discovery, where I cannot imagine repeating what I am playing, or would want to. It is merely enough to be, like a river in flow, as Love emanates and Light radiates, again and again, through a unique voice.
Con Brio!
“Box of Strings”, my collection of guitar music, can be purchased on the Atelier Annex site listed below:
http://www.atelierannex.com/collections/music/products/box-of-strings
