Straddling the boundaries of virtuosity and eclecticism, Italian-born American acoustic guitarist Peppino D’Agostino’s innovative fretwork saw him named by Guitar Player in 2017 as one of the 50 Transcendent Acoustic Guitarists on the scene.
His cross-cultural collaborations have also seen him work with longtime Joe Satriani drummer Jeff Campitelli and classical guitarist David Tanenbaum.
For his latest collaboration, D’Agostino teamed up with Dr. Barbara A. Minton, an internationally recognized psychologist, neuroscientist and musician, for Calm the Storm, an album blending cutting-edge neurobiology with the transcendent power of music to foster restoration, emotional healing and inner-connection.
“When I was asked by Dr. Minton [who accompanies D’Agostino on pipe organ] to work on this project, she set up certain parameters,” D’Agostino says. “I needed to stay within two octaves because the idea is to engage the brain with melodies so that the brain is focusing, and at the same time, give the brain this kind of a slow tempo. Also, the pitch was important because if it’s too high frequency, the brain gets disturbed.”
While the fingerpicking guitarist is normally at home playing a Robert Godin designed signature model Seagull steel-string guitar, he switched to a nylon-string for the new album.
“Due to the brightness of the steel string guitar, Dr. Minton determined that it was not what we wanted,” he says. “So, we decided to use a Godin nylon-string guitar. I had to be careful about touching the strings a certain way because we needed to avoid parasite noises when you slide your fingers along the strings.
“I also had to consciously think about the amount of pressure that I was putting on each string, especially on the bass strings. If you press too hard, the string goes out of tune.”
D’Agostino hopes Calm the Storm inspires people to reflect on the unique combination of classical guitar and pipe organ.
“This music is not about acrobatics or showmanship: it’s about touching people with beautiful melodies and rich harmonies,” he says, “so that it brings them into a positive state of mind and reminds us that music can be a source of healing and a refuge of happiness.”
- Calm the Storm is available now via musicandhealing.net
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
