Mark Tucker:
I particularly like the combination of cooking, philosophy and music in your guitar book. Are you a keen chef?

Pierre Bensusan:
Like for many people, I like cooking, does it make me a chef ? I don't know... My wife loves cooking too and when I am home, if she had to wait for me to stop working and start cooking, we would eat very little, always late and possibly more often at the restaurant.

You make the point about always following the melody. Do you see this as a key issue in playing solo guitar?

PB: I follow the melody because I love the melody, because it is the chant which reminds of the voice. It's natural and certainly not an issue. I often encounter my melodies when singing. But not only, melody, rythm, harmony, silence, movement, amplitude, contrasts, oppositions, expression, pulsation, predictability and its contrary, etc. are many elements used in the music to make it "work". I do not think guitar when I play but "music" which has to be put down into a guitar form, and yet should remain always what it is essentially: a musical abstraction. The guitar is only the instrument, the medium, the pretext to get there. It should always desappear behind the music.

How would you describe your technique?

PB: I learn to play and expend my technical vocabulary as it goes by applying on the guitar my ideas and make them work. I don't necessarly know how to play what I write and what I hear but learn how to get there. I am extremely suspicious of any automatic finger paths which would not result into music but just "guitar talk" without the musicality at the end. This being of course pretty subjective. The techniques I use are very close to what is done in the Classical, Electric, Jazz and Flamenco guitar fields, but incorporate other elements of slurs, ornementations, tapping, direct and undirect harmonics, inspiration of sounds and manners of playing derived from other instruments applied on the guitar and so forth. The piano being maybe my main inspiration. I am open to any thing new or unorthodix which could serve my purpose.

Can you describe what key elements make up your finger style technique?

PB: The fact that my thumb is completly independant and can interact with or without any other finger, at any time within the rythmic identity of what is being played is certainly one element. Other elements would be to vary the tone and impact of the fingers when they touch the strings, by the location of where they contact and applying free stroke, rest stroke and nail return techniques, the fact to play with the entire body of the guitar and the neck movements and by doing so, interact on the colour of the sound as a whole at any time in the rendition, the fact to avoid playing too many open strings and replace them by fretted notes, to work on the legato, the continuando of each voicing, the fact to stop strings to ring while others are being played, etc. These are some elements of my techniques.

You've used DADGAD pretty much exclusively throughout your career -what is it that appeals to you about that tuning?

PB: I use DADGAD Tuning since 1973. It was particularly suited for arranging trad. music on the guitar. I was very keen in adapting Irish, Breton, French, Scottish and American trad. music and that tuning was vividly adapted to it. I was also using lots of different other tunings and observed that my playing wasn't as spontaneous as it should have been but rather depending on following my finger's paths. I knew not much about chords and learnt my sections by heart. My fretboard was a mistery. Thus my choice to choose one tuning and deepen it the same way that most guitarists have deepened standart tuning. This is what I have been doing with DADGAD since 1978. Since then, I have observed that the tuning is not the most crucial element, the inspiration, the ideas, the organisation and architecture of the music, the feel, the grove, etc. are the keys. DADGAD helped me to have maybe more fun and understand what I had inside that wanted to come out, but I believe I could have very well achieved different things in standard tuning and be as happy in the process. Maybe I am saying this because I don't even notice any more that I am playing in a different tuning, and as long as I had not step deep into it and study it, I would have ended up playing superficial stuff all sounding alike with no headroom to developp and become spontaneous with it. But every phase is a much enjoyable one, the trick is to not stay too long into a confort zone but always move on to the next, and get to know the fretboard and the harmonic structures by doing so.

I notice the title track from your new album Altiplanos, you play guitar in standard tuning? This is rare for you, is it not? Why?

PB: The last time I played in standart tuning was about 30 years ago and I believe "Altiplanos" is the only piece I have recorded in standart tuning. For that piece, I was going to use DADGAD, play it in D, and put my capo at the second fret. I decide to not bother and tune the guitar to standart instead to avoid using the capo. I enjoyed the challenge and the unknown factors when looking for my ideas in Standart. I feel the result doens't give any indication of what tuning has been used.

Is it correct you learnt to play piano prior to playing guitar?

PB: I studied classical piano 4 years with Madame Rosso in the suburbs of Paris, from the age 7, but am self taught on the guitar.

Why have you never played piano or keyboards on your own albums?

PB: I have played a bit of piano on my second album in 1977. I refrained from using it on records or on stage because I really stopped playing for a long time and lost most of my technique. I recently bought one again and have much fun with it, but I use it mostly for writing or to hear my friends players when they visit me. I'd rather invite a real pianist to play on my recordings.

Do you feel that learning the Piano led to a better knowledge of musicality that you applied to playing guitar?

PB: The piano has helped me to think harmonic and polyphonic. It has also increased my inner sense of counterpoint. It has also helped my hand and fingers to stretch. The guitar touches a more sensual note, the vibrato I guess, the relationship with the strings, the fact that you can move/shake the instrument and incidentally influence the overall sound. It is something else but at the end of the day, it's just an instrument. I feel I am constantly looking to play on the guitar with the natural continuando that you get with the piano. It has to flow without any interruption.

You've played Lowden guitars pretty much exclusively throughout your career. Was the move to Kevin Ryan guitars because Lowden no longer hand-make their guitars?

PB: Not exactly. I moved away because my friend George Lowden had lost the control over his company, and that I didn't feel like working with the board of other directors with George being away from that loop. To make a long story short, there has been quite a dispute between these people and my place was no longer to stand in the middle of this. Moving to Kevin Ryan was much of a vacation for me. Kevin's guitars are uncomparable and so different from George's guitars that I am now equally happy. Now, George is back and has full control over his company and production, the situation is completly different. He has never forgotten what has been my contribution to put his guitars on the map and would like me back on his side, so we'll see what the future will be.

Does your new signature guitar have any design elements that you specifically requested?

PB: Absolutly: the neck, its width and shape, the shape and depth of the body and of the cut away, the finition and design of the saddle, the esthetics, etc. There are two different luthiers I have been working with. Kevin Ryan for the steel string model and Juan Miguel Carmona for the nylon string model.

Sometime in the summer of 2002, Kevin Ryan began developing a new concept in the philosophy of guitar building. What later became known as the Nightingale was on the drawing board during this time when myself and Kevin (who know each other for years) began a discussion of a possible collaboration on the Pierre Bensusan Artist Model. Kevin knew immediately that the Nightingale (then known secretly as Project ÒXÓ) would be the perfect model upon which to base a Signature guitar for me. It was a great size; it had the sensuous curves and look, and it had a higher and tighter waist so that the soundboard could respond freely to the rich and powerful bass characteristic of my sound. And it was going to accommodate KevinÕs innovation of the ergonomic bevel so that the instrument could be held comfortably and the soundboard would respond to the trebles and mid-range with sparkle and shimmer. All this made it the perfect canvas upon which to paint the Bensusan Signature Model, which has many other unique features.

My nylon string Signature guitar model was made and designed by the Spanish luthier from Granada, Juan Miguel Carmona, considered to be one of the best of his generation, and also a cousin of the Habichuela family, one of the most well known Flamenco families in Andalousia. The first Pierre Bensusan Signature models were delivered in April 2003. Although Juan Miguel makes both Flamenco and Classical nylon strings, the Carmona/Bensusan Signature is not a classical, nor a Flamenco, but somewhere in between. The neck is not as wide as on a classical but still wider than what steel string guitarists are used to. The sound, the touch, the look are all what I have dreamed of. More infos on my web site at: http://www.pierrebensusan.com

What equipment do you use in your home studio?

PB: My new album "Altiplanos" was recorded at home with: An Apple Mac G5
Pro Tools Digi 02
2 Cad VX2, Dual Valve Condenser Microphones
2 Avallon pre-amp VT 737 sp
An Onyx mackie mixer
Eventide Orville, TC M400 and Plug Ins reverbs
Genelec 1031 monitor speakers
Recorded and mixed by Dany Rallo and myself

You've been quoted as using the Behringer shotgun microphone for recordings; why?

PB: I had met a sound engineer in Belfast who used it on my guitar at a concert and I fell in love with it, bought one and used it at most of my shows at that time, and logically used it on the recording of "Intuite". I feel though that the Cad VX2 to serve the sound better. I used one for Intuite along with the Beringher and replaced the Beringher by a second Cad for Altiplanos.

What gear you used on some of the recordings such as Spices and CD's in the similar era for Di/Volume rides/chorus/reverbs/amp etc? PB: For all the shows I was doing at the time I recored the album Spices and Wu Wei, I used:
A Lowden S22 equiped with an Ashworth piezo pickup
An Ernie Ball volume pedal
A TC 1128 EQ
A Lexicon reverb L35 for guitar
A Yamaha SPX 90 reverb for vocals
A TC Digital Delay and loop 2290 + foot controler or Oberheim Loop
A TC Chorus/Flanger pedal
A TC Boost pedal
A Midimitigator foot controler
An Aart Muti effect (I don't remember the model)
An Alesis data saver
A Mackie 16 Chanels mixer
A Sure monitor system
No Amp, everything was going direct into the PA.

You run guitar seminars at your home in France. Where do people come from who attend your seminars?

PB: From all over the world, as far as New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania. Most of our visitors come from North America and Europe though.

What level of player are you dealing with at these seminars?

PB: Intermediate and advanced players. Amateurs, semi-pros, and pros.

Do you listen to a broad selection of music?

PB: Of course, especially in my car when traveling. At home, I write, practice, play and study mostly. If I was spending all my time listening to the music made by others, I would simply less feel the need to express my own voice. Instead, I priviledge staying on my own and give life and movement to my imagination and go as deep as I can into it.

I notice that on the new album the opening track has a South African high life vibe. Is that something you have recently become more interested in?

I have to thank Paul Simon for bringing that sound to my attention when he did invite Lady Smith MumbaZo to record with him. Also, if you listen to the song "Awali" in my album Wu Wei recorded in 1993, that inspiration is already vividly there. Speaking of which, that album, along with "Spices", will both soon be re-released on Favored Nations.

What are you currently listening to?

PB: Samuel Barber, Durufle, Faure, Golderg Variations by Glen Gould, Bach also by Dinu Lipatti, Paco de Lucia, Juan Luis Guerra, Joni Mitchell, Joe Zawinul, Weather Report, Hun Huur Tuu, Wayne Shorter, Maurice Ravel, Keith Jarett, Maite Martins, Charlie Mingus, Milton Nascimento, Jobim, Egberto Gismonti, Hermeto Pasquoal, etc. + lots of rapp and R&B when I get anywhere near my son's bedroom.

Some years ago during live performances you used a fair amount of technology. Do you think your more recent decision to play pure acoustic guitar will stay with you?

PB: My electronic set up nowadays is very basic and is not any more even close to what it used to be. Intuite was completly solo and acoustic. Altiplanos was recorded with 2 mics + the B-Band piezo pickup output, and we did mix the 3 in the mixdown. On stage, I use an EQ and a M4000 TC reverb, a volume pedal - and an electrical fan to cool me down. I miss sometimes the loopings I was using to play different parts, but at the same time, I know that it's much more challenging to conceive the guitar as a solo instrument and try to make it "say" it all without any net. I also notice the rapport with the audience to be deeper and more direct. So yes, this will stay with me and yet, I will never close the door to electronics because it can be a lot of fun. If you have well noticed in Altiplanos, there are 3 pieces which are a testimony of that time. It's quite a contrast with the rest of the album and yet the feel is natural. I like all kind of sounds when they contribute to a musical universe. At the same time, I have right now enough on my plate with the infinite palette of tones and colours of just one guitar, and in the future there are many possible declinations to create the propice environement for my guitar and voice.

I noticed that your new album and web site has French and English translations, which is very unique. However, your albums do not have lyrics translated into English, why is this?

PB: All the lyrics of the songs recorded on my 10 albums can be found on my website and not any more on the actual album's sleeve. Translations happen only by coincidence when some soul out there wants to give it a try and that the result is convincing. Else than that, translation is a much time consuming process and, alas, I cannot have all my texts translated. I observe that most of the English speaking singers do not bother to have their songs translated into French anyway. In some cases, it's just as well I guess.

Have you ever played air guitar, and if so where and what to?

PB: Air guitar ??? Never, what is that ? Is it something you throw at people's car when they have their windows opened ?

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