Supernova - Interview with Flavio Nati

When did you start playing guitar and why? What did you study and what is your musical background? What guitars do you play and you've played with ?

I started playing when I was 8 years old, just for the fun. I started in a school district near my home with Maurizio Greco , a good teacher that never forced me and permitted me to discovered the guitar in my personal way. When I realized that I really liked playing ( I have to say after several years! ) I began to spend more time on the instrument, studying harder and playind more difficoult songs ... So it happened that my teacher introduced me to his teacher , Giuliano Balestra, who had recently retired from the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia. All this happened in 2007 : I started to follow Balestra in annual masterclass , then in the summer courses ... it was a like to “how to get into his class at the conservatory” , also his students continued to follow him, and at least I’m still in contact with this group of fine people ...
Then finally I made the big decision to get into the conservatory : so I began my studies with Arturo Tallini , which opened me to a world , or rather has opened me the world of music, giving me totally unexpected perspectives in the sense that managed to pull off what I first thought it was not even remotely possible, both technically and expressively , pushing me toward something new every time ... I was in his class at the Conservatory for three years, which have literally flown by . In 2012 I graduated and I decided to move to the Netherlands to attend a two-year specialization with Carlo Marchione , in Maastricht, on the Belgian border . Even with Carlo I played very well, he is great a musician and a wonderful teacher , the class is excellent and I am glad of the course, in general compared to two years in Italy I had a lot less complementary subjects to study, which allows you to concentrate much more on the study of the instrument, even managing to find some time for myself. But I must admit that - coming from Rome - a city of 100,000 inhabitants may be a little bit "tight", at least I admit that after almost two years I miss Italy a little bit ...
At the moment I play acedar top guitar made by Canadian luthier Robert Mikhail in 2005. It's a very comfortable guitar with a great sound and I’m very happy to have it. Every now and then I think I’m a little bit too much squeezed between trips , concerts , competitions, tests , though for the moment it is better that way ... In the past I have also played a Locci & Mancini , made in 1992 if I'm not wrong, an italian guitar model built on Ramirez , sound really nice but with a really hard neck,such a pity! I’m thinking about buying a romantic guitar, since I believe that it can really open up a world for the interpretation of nineteenth-century music : who knows maybe I could find her soon ...

What were and are your main musical influences?

I have always tried to draw a lot of inspiration from my teachers, not only from the technical or instrumental point of view, but also from the human point of view, the most personal, that is, the aspect that makes the bottom of the "simple" musicians by trade (which already is by no means simple in itself ) of the real artists in the round. Every teacher that I had followed - with its different personality – had a strong influence on my guitar and above all being a musician.
Then there was the world of rock , in fact I have also played the electric guitar for a long time. It's been a very challenging also because I studied pretty much all alone, just by listening to CDs and imitating the great guitarists: Hendrix, Page , Clapton , Gilmour ... The fact that I was " self-taught " (even if my classical studies helped me a lot) has allowed me to rely more on instinct , something from my point of view should not to be underestimated even for classical musicians and with pleasure that I keep in my musical knowledge . Then with Supernova I had to brush up my Strat , I honestly did not think I could still enjoy it so much that world, so distant and yet so close!

What prompted you to enter t in Supernova .. ?

First of all, the desire to continue to work closely with my teacher Arturo Tallini, who is a person that fills me every time for new ideas, always offers a different perspective, very personal perspectives, but in the end always consistent because is the result of a thorough search of himself. This is one of the most important things he taught me and that made me grow infinitely , as a musician and as a person ... Then the urge to have a meeting with other members of Supernova , which are all great friends and talented musicians colleagues! Too often we met in such occasions, especially in competitions, we did not have the possibility to spend some time together in peace ... Of course we work very hard making rehearsals, but we always manage to find the moments to spend together and do group, which is an essential aspect of making music in this kind of project.

What are your other future projects?
I currently have several things in mind for my solo career : I will continue to study new repertoire and to participate in various competitions , which are always a stimulus for me , although I would decrease the number of them rather to focus on quality.
I also play in a duo with flutist , Gloria Ammendola, with which we had in mind to prepare an all-Italian program , focusing mainly on the twentieth century: a repertoire which is usually less played but instead is of great interest and which we try to overcome those clichés that still affect this kind of duo since nineteenth century’s music. Who knows - maybe in the future I would be able to release a CD 

Contacts:

www.facebook.com/flavionatiguitar www.youtube.com/flavionati