WorkshopLive interview with
David Boye
Started: Age 16 in 1972
Education: BS in Music and English Education, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Instruments: Guitar, Bass, Sax, Piano, Upright Bass
Styles: Classic Rock, Blues, Alternative/Indie Rock
Who are your musical influences? Eric Clapton, Danny Gatton and Richard Thompson, among others.
Why do you teach? I think for me, it's an extension of performing. Part of what you do as a performer is pass on good feelings, trying to express yourself so that other people feel good. I do that as a teacher as well, trying to pass on what makes me feel good about playing music. If I can get through to someone, or several people, on how to express what they have, it's as much fun as playing a good gig. I love teaching; sharing my experience with students is very rewarding to me.
What does music mean to you? Wow. Music to me is really everything. I have spent most of my life doing it professionally, but it's also, and still is, a release for me. Every time I want to get some emotion out, or retreat somewhere, I can play it or perform it or teach it. Playing guitar helps me express my feelings, and the music becomes an entity on its own, so somewhere along the line someone else might enjoy it or relate to the emotion of the music I have created.
There is a universal connection, a universal power about music. What is your feeling about that? Music is a universal language, it's true. I think it's true because there are sounds that connect to all people, all places and times across the spectrum. I can listen to African or Cuban music and relate to the rhythms. I think it's an instinct of the human condition to be able relate to sound and rhythm. When I listen to lyrics, I also feel a connection to what the singer is expressing. Music has a deep effect on many people.
If you were not a musician, what would you be doing? If I wasn't a musician, I'm fairly sure that I would be in some other creative field, like art or photography. I do photography as a hobby, and things like that have always appealed to me. I enjoy creating, and pretty much, to me, teaching is a form of creating.
Do you remember your first stage performance? I do remember my first time on stage. I was a saxophonist through high school, and performed with the school jazz band. The first time I performed on stage as a guitarist was a thrill, the feeling was just indescribable. I knew right then that I wanted to continue making music with my life.
What is different about performing now, compared to when you first started? Now, I look at performing much more as a profession, as my job. Now it's much easier; I know what's expected from me from day to day. It's fairly routine, but as far as the thrill of being on stage goes, it's still thrilling. I can engage the crowd, it's fun; you're in the now, going back and forth with the audience it's still a very spontaneous event, even if you know all the songs by heart.
Did you ever have a moment of revelation in your musical life? Well, they come periodically from time to time. For me, it's always what the next thing is, what's the next level of playing I achieve? My first big revelation was the realization that I could in fact make music for a living, and I haven't looked back yet. These days, my revelations usually come when I get inspired by the people that I am playing with at various gigs.
What is your approach to songwriting? To me, songwriting is almost as important as guitar playing. Whether it's a song I wrote, or I'm playing a song someone else wrote, I feel that the guitar's first role is to serve the song. For me, as a songwriter, I am always thinking in the grand sense, how can I make this riff accentuate the lyrics? In listening to bands over the years, the things I have most enjoyed, it's always first, the song.
What do you look for in a guitar? It has to feel very comfortable, that's just as important as the sound. Some people swear by one brand or another, but I always tell my students that the price or the name or the sound is only a part of buying a good guitar. They have to actually spend some time playing the instrument to make sure it feels natural and comfortable to them before they buy it. There are so many great instrument makers that you have a lot of choices, but it has to feel good in your hands to be a great guitar for you.
If music was a person, what would you say to her? Hey, honey, what's for dinner? (Laughter) No, seriously, to me music almost actually is a person, in the sense that I have a consuming relationship with music that is at an intense level. I would say thank you for being what you are, for helping me to express myself, for helping me to understand the world better. Emotionally, a performer can become very attached to their music. I think of music almost in the same way I think about a significant other, because I become so involved in making it work well that it becomes not only a time consumption, but an emotional bond as well. That doesn't mean there's only room for one, you can have a dog, a significant other and a guitar and still be happy.
