Guthrie Govan made his first visit to Guitar Getaways on Tuesday 11th August, when he gave a superb master-class to a select group of both course students and guitarists based in Cornwall.

Early days - what you play when you're three

Guthrie talked about his early playing days - how his early influences stemmed from his parents' record collection, which encompassed Elvis Presley, Cream and Jimi Hendrix.

Listen to your tone

He went on to discuss (and demonstrate) the importance of listening - whether to authentic recordings of guitar styles, or to the tone coming from your guitar/amplifier. Using his current set up of Suhr Guitar and Cornford Roadhouse amp, he demonstrated how picking hand position, and the use of the guitar's volume control are possibly under-rated tools for effective tone creation.

Guthrie's Blues

The class then looked at Blues playing - with Guthrie demonstrating how micro-tonal bends can be regarded as a key source of the emotional impact of blues lines. Again, the importance of listening was re-stated - feeling the lines, and hearing them before playing the notes was emphasised.

Student Jam

Running with the blues theme, Guthrie invited guitarists to get up and jam. Tim Greenhalgh (bass) and Mike Hollywood (drums) both gifted students from the Truro College Jazz Degree, provided the rhythm section. Truro guitarist Ross Pike thrilled the audience with smooth blues soloing, and seamless chops. He was singled out for praise from Guthrie who said of the 16 year old "He's good - he was actually listening to the band whilst he was playing".

Next time around?

Look out for more Guitar Getaways events with Guthrie over the coming year!