THE LINEUP
A monthly look at must-hear artists from all corners of the guitar world, from the roots of their sound to the tracks that matter most
Discovering the guitar through the Guitar Hero II computer game, North Virginia native Yasmin Williams is now fully ingratiated into the solo instrumental acoustic genre. With a singular style that maximises the solo sound, she is willing to throw many a curveball at the usual tropes, playing kalimba (thumb piano) alongside guitar, using a dulcimer hammer on her strings, and even creating makeshift percussion wearing tap shoes. Her most recent album, Urban Driftwood, demonstrates many techniques and styles across its 10 tracks and is a reassuring reminder that solo guitar music is still very much alive and kicking.
Style & Substance
Citing Jimi Hendrix and Elizabeth Cotten as indirect influences and examples of unique performers, Yasmin is well aware of her unorthodox style and its importance. “I feel like my influences don’t necessarily come out in my music,” she tells us. “I’m more interested in how these people distinguished themselves from others and what made them unique.
They are influences in that they were unafraid to be seen as different. I’ve had people say in the past, ‘You’re playing guitar wrong’, or whatever, so it was important to me to stick to my guns and not be afraid to play what I wanted to play, how I wanted to play it.”
Instrumental Impact
Anybody who has spent time with Yasmin’s music will know the technical prowess she possesses and the complexity of some of her songs, which are precise and deliberate. “My songs usually have a theme behind them,” she says. “It’s similar to a songwriter writing lyrics about something; I just use my guitar instead of lyrics. I’m not trying to say anything in particular, but for me the absence of lyrics doesn’t make a song any less impactful. A guitar can say a lot by itself and I guess I try to speak that way.”
Unorthodox Experimentation
The different elements in Yasmin’s sound, such as the dulcimer hammer and kalimba we mentioned earlier, give it a unique character and a sense of freedom. “Most of that just came from me figuring out how to play by myself,” she says. “I’ve never had a band backing me, so guitar has really only ever been for me and my own enjoyment. The lap tapping thing was just me working out how to have
