Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Harding
Hi Robert, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a guy who has had a lifelong love of music and fell in love with playing the guitar in high school. This positively influenced the course of my life and has yielded many blessings I may not have enjoyed otherwise. As a young child, I remember notes on the piano corresponding to vivid color resonance as I played notes up and down the keyboard. Around kindergarten age I remember playing in the dirt while hearing The Beatles song “Help” in my head, adding parts to it in my internal playback. At 16 I learned banjo from my dad, who taught me clawhammer style, an old Appalachian sound. A year later my Dad and I were at a small music store in Richardson, Texas picking out a steel string guitar. I took lessons, got a couple of electric guitars, jammed with everyone I could, and played in a rock and roll band in front of people. I was hooked. After high school I went to San Antonio to study guitar at a conservatory where I began studying classical guitar. I traveled to Spain one summer to study guitar in Madrid and Alacante. I got my Bachelor of Music from UNT, and my Master of Music from SMU. Both are performance degrees on classical guitar. I met a wealth of unforgettable, great musicians, composers, song writers, and artists from all over the globe. For several years, whenever a concertizing guitarist gave a master class in Dallas, I played as a student. I was a college professor of music for several years, and released a recording in 2007. I’ve played professionally everywhere from concert halls to airline cabins in flight. From live radio to an event at a smelly recycling plant on a plank board stage. I once played music for a dinner inside the Meadows Art Museum where the playwright Arthur Miller was the guest of honor. Afterwards we all walked next door to watch SMU’s theater department present his play “The Crucible”. I bet those actors were more nervous that night than I was. The guitar affords an intimate listening experience, so playing to one or a small group of friends is as rewarding as the storied gigs. When the weather permits, I love doing this outdoors in nature. The sounds of the wind and birds can add to the overall experiences for both myself and the listeners. This exchange is part of the relational nature of live music, and perhaps most rewarding to me. When I was a 17 year old listening to Segovia records (20th century Spanish classical guitarist), I heard music that took me places, that made me feel relaxed and focused at the same time. Now, as a player, I hear listeners comment that the music they heard was ‘beautiful’, and ‘took them somewhere’. It ‘relaxed’ them, and I think this is a beautiful end to my short story.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In 1988 I was awarded full scholarship at SMU to study with Robert Guthrie. The lesson I retained, and applied most from him is a question: “What does that have to do with your playing?” The word “that” is a filler for anything I perceived as an obstacle. When I described an obstacle to Mr. Guthrie, he would ask this question of me. If I explained the scenario again and he would simply ask the question again. As my professor, he kept my efforts focused on the study without external distractions interfering. To work on repertoire, exercise my hands, or improvise, I only have to pick up the guitar and play. Nothing external is stopping me from playing, studying and learning new music. I am almost 60 years old, and you can believe I’ve had my share of real life distractions. Throughout, I’ve asked myself this question and kept playing. Over time I’ve seen that playing opportunities present themselves in unexpected ways. Just after graduating from SMU, I became a father. I maintained the teaching schedule career for a dozen or so years, but eventually took a financially stable job in a small IT company. I continued to perform, but initially felt somewhat discouraged about my short term playing opportunities. You see, I couldn’t give a faculty concert anymore. And then, my future was sparked by a coworker who participated in music gatherings every year in Wimberley, where folks played guitar and sang together in “song circles”. I didn’t know how my classical guitar playing would be received, but they welcomed me warmly. I immediately felt a kinship. We shared the love of playing music together. It reminded me of the joy I felt in high school when I started playing. Over the years, I’ve been engaged to play across the country multiple times by these folks. All of those opportunities were unexpected.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I provide a service of live music on solo guitar anywhere anyone wants. This can be weddings, dinners, house, or hall concerts. I’ve played at the airport, in song circles, parties and galas. I’ve played on live radio and performed at radio promotions (including a pre 2001 ‘Concert in the Sky’ for WRR and Legend Airlines where I played up and down the aisle on a flight from Dallas to LA). I also play steel string with singer songwriters and in groups. I love coming up with a part that supports the song. It’s a different sort of playing, because what I play is not the whole of the music, as it is in solo repertoire. At an Austin song circle I met a songwriter who asked me to accompany him at his New Folk Finalist two-song performance at the Kerrville Folk Festival. We walked out before a couple of hundred loving people who cheered us on. It was an amazing experience.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
My success is tied to my love of the music and my persistence in playing it throughout my life. I’ve also honored those initial feelings that attracted me to music, and later to playing it on guitar, for those were born in innocence. Free of ego. Today I play for the same reasons that drew me to the guitar in the first place. I remember why I wanted to play. And these are very good feelings. I love telling listeners information about the piece I am about to play. People tell me it helps them listen. Perhaps like them, that is gives them a frame of expectation that can draw their ears into the sound. I love sharing the sound!
Contact Info:
- Email: robertclarkharding@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertHardingGuitarist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rguitarharding
Image Credits
Black and white photo by Derrick Birdsall
