Music is all about communicating: Guitarist Guthrie Govan

English guitarist Guthrie Govan has worked with a variety of bands and is known for his ease and effortlessness. For him, playing the guitar is certainly not just about knowledge and technicalities.

When performing in a concert, in his mind is the commitment to communicate.

"For me, the most important thing is communication. I like to feel some kind of connection, both with my bandmates and with the audience, as I feel that the whole point of live music is to facilitate an exchange of energy -- to create and share a unique moment," the musician told IANS in an e-mail interview.

Speaking for the amateurs, he said "the most important thing is to enjoy what you're doing, and to remember that your progress as a musician is a journey rather than a destination: you never actually "get there", and that's half of the fun."

Govan, along with Gino Banks, took everyone for a roller coaster ride in Pune and Mumbai at Hard Rock Cafe and wouldn't be forgotten soon.

The two cities witnessed sheer brilliance on with the power trio commanding a modest crowd of five hundred or so.

Govan charmed everyone with his humble charismatic stage presence. The legend belted out few of his classics and made it a point to not succumb to requests.

The international savant is all set to present himself to the capital on February 22 at Hard Rock Cafe in Saket, as part of his tri-city tour. This is not his first tour in the country. Govan has performed here several times before.

He recently toured with The Aristocrats, an instrumental rock-fusion trio which also features Bryan Beller on bass and Marco Minnemann on drums.

The guitarist touched on his exposure to the country and its musical audiences, saying : "I've always had a great time here - everything feels somehow very "vivid" and "alive" in India... It's chaotic, but endearingly so."

"I first came to India in 2010, to do some guitar clinics for Rotosound strings."

"I've always found Indian audiences to exhibit a healthy blend of enthusiasm and musical intelligence...I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever," he said.

What new does he have to offer to the Indian audiences in the capital?

"We'll be playing a selection of songs from my Erotic Cakes album, adapted and extended for a live format... along with perhaps a couple of surprises," he said.

Govan's debut solo album Erotic Cakes was released in 2006. This eclectic collection of guitar instrumentals was widely acclaimed - inspiring Joe Satriani to deliver the verdict "freakin' awesome!".

The English musician and guitar teacher, renowned for his exquisite guitar compositions and his work with Asia, GPS, The Young Punx, Dizzee Rascal, Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer, describes himself as "self-taught".

"I used to work in certain guitar schools a long time ago, teaching specific parts of the appropriate syllabus. I don't really know what constitutes a typical guitar lesson, as I've never actually had one myself. I am entirely self-taught," he said

"I am very happy to have worked in a fairly wide variety of musical contexts, from Dizzee Rascal to Hans Zimmer, from Steven Wilson to a local country band, which I recently joined," he added.

"But mostly I am just grateful that I seem to be getting away with doing this for a living, given that it's what I would be doing with my life anyway, whether anyone was paying me to do it or not," he explained.

(Mudita Girotra can be contacted at mudita.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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