An Interview with Matt Palmer

Matt Palmer is a Tennessee native with an extraordinary musical gift. He’s an electric guitarist turned classical and holds degrees from MTSU and Appalachian State and holds a DMA from the University of Arizona. Matt is known for ridiculous scale technique, which he explains in the videos below.

I had the privilege to see Matt in concert at the WIU Guitar Festival. The performance was outstanding. Matt’s superior technical skills only serve as a vehicle for him to showcase his mature sense of musicianship and musicality. Be sure to check out his debut CD, Un tiempo fue Italica famosa, which features works by Rodrigo, Turina, Tárrega, Rudnev, Ponce, and Rak.

Connect with Matt on Facebook and Youtube.

Part 1

• How Matt got started playing guitar
• What led him to classical guitar
• Matt explains the beginnings of his scale technique

Part 2

• Matt outlines his scale system
• Some information about Matt’s debut CD
• How he selects repertoire to record or perform

Part 3

• About Matt’s recording process (gear, set up, and lessons learned)
• What lessons carried over from recording into the concert hall

Part 4

• How Matt deals with performance anxiety
• Matt’s upcoming projects

Title Track on Matt’s CD

Photo by Mamta Popat.