Guthrie Govan – A Genius of Our Time

Guthrie Govan stands out as a top-tier guitarist, renowned for his versatility and signature playing style. His exceptional technique, unparalleled musicality, and superb improvisation skills truly set him apart.

Solo Career, Bands, Collaborations, Studio Work

Guthrie started playing guitar at 3 and became accomplished by high school. Even early on, it was clear he’d become a virtuoso. Though he attended Oxford University, he realized he had to choose between his education and music. Thankfully, he chose to pursue his music career.

Key Takeaways about Guthrie Govan

• Exceptional Versatility: Guthrie Govan is known for his incredible versatility, mastering various music genres including rock, jazz, fusion, and country.
• Technical Mastery: His playing style emphasizes fluid techniques like legato and two-hand tapping over more common methods like sweep or alternate picking.
• Notable Collaborations: Govan has played with high-profile acts such as Asia, The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, and Hans Zimmer, showcasing his adaptability and prowess.
• Signature Gear: He primarily uses Charvel guitars with personalized specifications and prefers Victory amps, but his gear setup is highly diverse.
• Education and Influence: Besides performing, Govan is a dedicated guitar teacher, author, and often conducts masterclasses and clinics worldwide.

Govan’s career was progressing smoothly. At 20, he sent demo recordings to the renowned Mike Varney of Sharpnel Records. Impressed by Govan’s playing, Varney offered him a contract. However, Guthrie declined, as he was more interested in testing his skills than signing a deal.

In 1993, he won Guitarist of the Year with the song “Wonderful Slippery Thing,” which later became a hallmark of his career. During the intervening years, Govan contributed to Guitar Techniques magazine and worked as a session musician on various projects.

He gained widespread recognition in the early 2000s by joining the popular rock band Asia. Although initially the band’s third choice after Brian May and Steve Lukather, he became a regular member after a successful tour. He played on the 2004 album “Silent Nation.”

In 2006, the band reunited with its original members. Guthrie and a few others became surplus, leading them to start a new band, GPS. They soon released the album “Window to the Soul,” featuring songs initially meant for the next Asia album.

Meanwhile, I worked on several intriguing side projects, such as session work on The Young Punx’s debut album.

Erotic Cakes

Something far more important was happening. During his years in Asia, Govan worked on his debut solo album, “Erotic Cakes,” released in 2006. This album includes older songs like “Wonderful Slippery Thing” and “Waves”, and features guitar solos by Richie Kotzen on a few tracks.

Though the album didn’t achieve commercial success, it quickly became a cult favorite among guitar enthusiasts. Govan also cemented his status as a prominent name among guitar virtuosos.

At the same time, he formed a band called The Fellowship, with Seth Govan on bass, Pete Riley on drums, and Zak Barrett on saxophone. For several years, the band played every Thursday at the Bassment club in Chelmsford, Essex.

The Aristocrats

The 2010s have been the best years in Govan’s career so far. He joined the band, The Aristocrats, formed in 2011 with Brian Beller on bass and Marco Minnemann on drums. With these three huge names in rock and jazz fusion, I think it’s fair to call The Aristocrats one of the best supergroups ever. Their first show was after just one rehearsal, and the chemistry was instantly amazing. The band is more active than ever, recently releasing their fourth studio album, “You Know What…?”. Their discography also includes three live albums.

He became the lead guitarist for Steven Wilson’s band, playing on three albums and joining several tours until 2015, when scheduling conflicts with his primary band, The Aristocrats, ended their collaboration.

Another significant project is the Hans Zimmer Live tour. He joined the ensemble of the renowned film composer, playing in concerts and contributing to new soundtracks for movies like “The Lion King” and “X-Men”.

Guthrie is a dedicated guitar teacher. He has released books and dozens of instructional videos. He is often invited to give seminars, masterclasses, and clinics worldwide.

Playing Style

The most amazing thing about Govan’s playing is that he remains one of the most distinctive guitarists ever, while being incredibly versatile. You’ll first notice his vast knowledge of popular music genres. There’s no genre where he doesn’t feel comfortable playing and improvising, especially in rock, progressive rock, fusion, jazz, and country.

Govan has learned from many guitar players across styles. However, he’s created a unique style that stands out today. His impressive technique is paired with a strong sense of musicality and spectacular improvisation skills, setting him apart from other technical players.

Govan’s playing style is quite unique. He rarely uses sweep or alternate picking. Instead, he focuses on a super-fluid sound, mainly using legato and two-hand tapping techniques.

Another ingredient of Govan’s unique sound is his choice of notes. Unlike most guitar players, he doesn’t stick to common scales and modes. Instead, he plays outside and chromatic notes frequently. Add to this a diverse chord vocabulary and interesting variations to common progressions for Guthrie’s unparalleled voicing.

Gear

Like many modern players, Govan uses a variety of guitar types and brands. Throughout his career, he experimented with different guitar brands, wood types, and pickup configurations. His first guitar was a Gibson SG. Early on, he preferred mahogany guitars with HH pickups. In the 2000s, he transitioned to Suhr guitars and later, in 2012, to Charvel guitars.

His signature Charvel guitar boasts some fascinating design features. The body uses caramelized basswood with options for an ash or maple top. The neck and fingerboard are made of caramelized maple. It has an HSH pickup configuration with a unique switching design.

Vigier Excalibur Surfreter Supra stands out among his guitars because of its unique fretless design.

He’s currently using Victory amps: V50 The Earl 50w (EL34 tubes) or V30 Countess 30w (6L6 tubes). Previously, he used Cornford amplifiers. Additionally, he occasionally uses the Fractal AX-8 multi-effect processor and the Kemper profiler for Hans Zimmer tours.

I use a lot of pedals, including common effects like overdrive, wah, booster, analog chorus, reverb, and delay.

For accessories, he uses signature picks and fret wraps. He plays on D’Addario .010-.046 nickel-plated strings.

Featured image by ArtBrom [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons