Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Scott Tennant Plays Hill Signature

I've known Scott Tennant since 1995. I met him at the GFA festival in Northridge, when he came up to my display table, picked up my guitar, and blew my mind.

Scott can really play. His right hand has a strength, suppleness and confidence like no one else. His left hand moves with perfectly natural speed and accuracy, and his musical ear and taste are exquisite. As a founding member of LA Guitar Quartet, as a virtuoso soloist, and as a teacher Scott's playing has touched not just me, but tens upon tens of thousands - or millions of people around the world. He's smart, and funny, and he has exposed me to all sorts of music that has added to my repertoire and changed my several times over.

So, last year when he contacted me wanting a guitar, I was thrilled. Over the years I have shown him instruments, absorbed his comments, and now with the Signature model it seems I've made some instruments that grabbed his attention. I took him 2 or 3 guitars to try out, he bonded with one, and the next morning he took off with it on tour of Russia, China and Japan, both with the quartet and as a soloist.

For some time now Scott has been real wrapped up with his Daniel Friedrich guitars, and no wonder. Friedrich has been making stellar, world class guitars for decades. They are some of the most prized instruments of any living builder. Now that he has chosen to include a Hill Signature guitar as a working axe I'm proud, and excited to hear him playing on it as much as possible. I absolutely love these guitars, but then I'm kind of biased. When an artist of Scott Tennant's stature chooses a Hill Guitar and plays it so beautifully, I am very, very happy. We must be doing something right.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Scott Tennant is a great player.