Scott Henderson Discussion

[dizzy]

Hey Scott
It is funny to ask one of my favorite players this but:
Do you have any types of grooves that you like the sound of but you don't feel you sound good on?
For me every time I play on a fast bebop groove
I feel like I just learned to play guitar.
You don't have this problem with fast bebop. But do you avoid any grooves?

Thanks Scott

[Scott Henderson]

Actually I have a very big problem with fast anything. I hate fast tempos - the faster the tempo, the worst my note choices will be. When I play fast, I'm likely to repeat myself enough to make me throw up - I'm a creative player, but the least creative when playing fast. I can't think of one famous jazz guitarist who has less chops than I do. Maybe Bill Frisell - he doesn't seem to care about chops and that's probably why he's such an incredibly creative and musical player.

Triplets are also a weak point for me - if I'm playing a tempo that's too slow for 8th notes and too fast for 16ths, I try to play triplets and usually fail miserably.

I'm practicing more on triplets and fast tempos, so hopefully things will improve.

[guitarplayer]

Scott,
I think that your fast tempo playing on Manic Carpet and Dew Wut is some of the most grooving, compelling fast playing that I have heard on guitar. I really love your time feel on those tracks in particular. You are obviously very humble about your playing, but you have some serious chops. Really serious chops. The fact that you can play great notes with dynamics and tone at fast tempos is an incredible combination.

[dizzy]

Thanks Scott
It is inspiring that you are always working to get even better.