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Interview

Girl With A Guitar

Next month: Harmonies and the 'Earth Beat.'

Can you tell us a little about the history of your guitar playing?

I never really planned on learning the guitar. I had always had a love of singing and I definitly loved the piano, but I never thought to myself......'I can't wait to get my hands on a Fender Strat.'

Instead it was a case of someone else suggesting it when I was 13 years old and after a couple of lessons I was on my way to knowing the whole repertoire of John Denver and Simon and Garfunkle.

Here I am at the Frankston Cultural Center performing during the Frankston Guitar Festival

I know you played bass as a teenager too. When did that begin?

There was a middle aged sax player who lived in a huge old house in central Victoria. He was landed gentry and he lived for music. He used to get together with young people around the district and form bands. I ended up playing bass because there was no one else to play it. He had a bass guitar that had a full scale neck. I remember having to pull the bass towards me while it was strapped on, so that I could reach the tuning keys.

So what did you make of it all?

I loved playing bass. I really didn't know what I was doing, but my ear was pretty good, so I would go all over the fretboard. I remember we finally did a gig at the Maldon Folk Festival and this woman came up to me after the show and said that she was sitting with some guys who couldn't believe the stuff I was playing. I never thought about it before. I guess teenagers can be really open to doing things that adults might not attempt. I know if I tried to play what I did back then today, I'd probably not take such big risks.

Was there a big 'Ah Ha' moment for you at any point during the development of your playing?

(Long Pause) I never really formed the kind of relationship with my guitar that 'guitarists' have. By that I mean that guitarists pick up a guitar and play scales....and they can do it for hours and hours on end. It's like they have an addiction. I can't do that..I can practice scales but it's not automatic..I have to force myself.

I find guitar much more foreign than bass, voice or piano which have always seemed more natural.

Isn't playing bass like playing guitar though.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I've never had the 'rush' from playing guitar that I have from playing bass.

I'm gonna put myself on the line here and say that I believe there are natural bass players and natural guitarist. The nature of each beast is very different. I've seen guitarists pick up a bass and zoom over the fretboard and gloat about how they can automatically play bass. But they can't. Bass is about a 'feel' and a flow which is so precise that it's crucial. Guitar needs precision and feel but in a totally different way. I play my guitar from a bass perspective, there's no doubt about it.