Guthrie Govan with The Yiorgos Fakanas Group, Verviers

Guthrie Govan biography

Guthrie Govan (born 27 December 1971 in Chelmsford, Essex, England) is an English guitarist and winner of Guitarist Magazine’s “Guitarist of the Year” award in 1993. Govan read English at the University of Oxford, though he left after a year to pursue a career in music. He is a noted guitar teacher through his work with the UK magazine Guitar Techniques, Guildford’s Academy of Contemporary Music and currently the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Govan is known for his virtuoso command of the electric guitar, due to both his technical ability and proficiency in various styles. Govan’s MySpace profile lists quotes from various guitarists to this effect; elsewhere, fellow virtuosos Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert have praised Govan's playing. Satriani said "What sets Guthrie apart, is that no matter what he’s doing—picking, tapping, slapping, playing legato, whatever—he mixes everything up gracefully and absolutely nails each approach. And all the while the music sounds natural." Gilbert said "Guthrie Govan gives shred a good name. It’s absolutely heartwarming to hear someone play super fast and have musical depth to match. What a breath of fresh air."

When

Where