Samba Touré: “I don’t know anything about music theory – everything happens between my head and hands, by feeling”

Samba Touré
(Image credit: Supplied)

Leading Malian singer and guitarist Samba Touré is an adept player, crafting licks to support his sharp blues songs, but he arrived at the guitar later and without any formal background. 

“I began music as a singer in a band in [Malian capital] Bamako,” Samba tells us. “But when I started as a solo artist, I quickly learned the guitar. I would say it was in quite an intuitive way,” he continues. “I don’t know anything about music theory; everything happens between my head and hands, by feeling.”

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year 

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Glenn Kimpton

Glenn Kimpton is a freelance writer based in the west of England. His interest in English folk music came through players like Chris Wood and Martin Carthy, who also steered him towards alternate guitar tunings. From there, the solo acoustic instrumental genre, sometimes called American Primitive, became more important, with guitarists like Jack Rose, Glenn Jones and Robbie Basho eventually giving way to more contemporary players like William Tyler and Nick Jonah Davis. Most recently, Glenn has focused on a more improvised and experimental side to solo acoustic playing, both through his writing and his own music, with players like Bill Orcutt and Tashi Dorji being particularly significant.