Guthrie Govan is considered one of the best electric guitarists in the contemporary music industry. While celebrated for his success in guitar magazines Lick Library and Guitar Techniques, and with bands including The Aristocrats, Asia, Docker’s Guild, and Erotic Cakes, it was through the various YouTube clips of his guitar playing that Govan became known to the general public. The English guitarist, also widely acclaimed as an outstanding instructor, currently tours around the world, holding guitar clinics and performances.

 

Govan’s general musical style can be described as jazz-fusion. His music is a complex mix of jazz, rock, and blues, highlighting the greatest aspects of each genre. His tracks include sensual jazz scales combined with timely chromatics, and at the same time entail the thrill and roughness of rock music. Unlike jazz and blues, Govan’s music employs few pauses and breaks between playing, and unlike rock, has a much more swinging and diverse rhythm. Straying from the usual pentatonic triplets approach to shredding, Govan meshes a variety of jazz, minor and major scales. He also employs deep, resonating vibratos, smooth, flowing legatos (a technique in which musical notes are played without using the pick), and mind-blowing slapping to bring out the funk and blues in his tracks. He plays fast, but he also plays well.

 

What really makes Govan stand out is his technical excellence combined with his melodic sense. With the emergence of a myriad of oh-look-at-me-I-can-play-fast shred guitarists in the music industry, there has been an earnest longing among guitar enthusiasts for a more sophisticated and emotional guitarist. Govan offers his listeners exactly that. He goes beyond the superficial use of fancy techniques and buzzes to present the audience with true, relatable music. A significant factor in Govan’s music is the tasteful rhythms he incorporates into most of his songs. Instead of merely focusing on his soloing, Govan also emphasizes chord sequences and the accompanying bass melody, parts of the song that are generally not recognized by the casual listener but are essential in making a good song into a classic one.

 

Especially astounding is Govan's guitar tone. While guitar tone is obviously a main asset of any respectable guitarist, Govan's tone truly distinguishes him from the others out there. He incorporates a mild, smooth jazz tone that carries a fluid, bouncy trait that reminds the listeners of a floating bubble. At the same time, he retains a crunchy tone for emphasis on certain licks of his tracks. Combined with his guitar slapping, the crunchy tone is enough to awe any reasonable music enthusiast.

 

"Wonderful Slippery Thing," Govan’s signature guitar instrumental jazz fusion track with which he won the Guitarist magazine "Guitarist of the Year" competition in 1993, is an emblematic piece displaying the English artist’s phenomenal guitar technique and song writing. The song starts off with Govan’s crisp guitar slapping and progresses with three minutes and thirty seconds of sheer brilliance. The fusion song is in a swinging mid-beat, with a funky rhythm guitar and bass backing up Govan’s solo guitar along with a jumpy drum line. The track stands outs for its smoothness with a clean guitar tone and mild backing rhythm transitioning to a more powerful sound with the kicking in of the guitar distortion. The funky melody and ups-and-downs of the song make the listeners shake their heads to the rhythm.

 

Yet Govan is much more than a distinguished musician. Even with a surplus of technically achieved guitarists, the current music industry is in a state in which the popularity and reputation of guitarists have been generally on the decline. While certain artists known for their guitar skills such as John Mayer do remain prominent, there is no doubt that the world of guitars, rock, and jazz are being overshadowed by pop and electronic music. At such a time, Govan represents one of the few who stands out for his stunning melodies and technique. He symbolizes a chance for the guitar industry to once again gain prominence in the listening habits of the public, and this relief from the drones of dance music is exactly what the public needs.