The Poised Guitarist

Often guitarists who suffer from limitation express hesitance about moving as they play.  The great virtuoso, Scott Tennant, responds to the question: Do you move for a living?

Jerald:

As a musician and guitarist do you think of yourself as a mover as dancers and athletes always do?  Do you move for a living?

Scott Tennant:

Yes I do, like when I come to a loud passage and I want to avoid the tendency for my spine to compress I think of space between my vertebra. That’s a movement.  Now the audience isn’t going to see that but for me it’s really important.  For me I’m moving all the time.

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I was so pleased when Scott began to talk this way.  So many guitarists never think of their spines and here is Scott speaking about his spine with such specificity.  He describes a direct relationship with the music’s dynamic expression and how he embodies it.  As he approaches a loud  passage  he experiences it consciously as both musical and spinal event.  In fact the lengthening and gathering spine is a function of the human spine (all vertebrates really – race horses are a great model) that will occur naturally as long as we are not tensing against it.

*Video excerpts from the Virtuoso’s Map interviews are currently being prepared for posting.  Please check back soon.