The German guitarist, composer and storyteller Sönke Meinen is one of those rare musicians who allows technique and poetry to flow seamlessly into one another. His playing is virtuosic, but never vain. His tone is warm, narrative, sometimes fragile – as if the guitar itself breathes. During the Antwerp Guitar Festival, he presents a programme that takes his audience into a world of sound, silence and personal stories.
A musician with three faces
"What drives me most as a musician is composing," Meinen says without hesitation. "Simply performing existing pieces gives me little satisfaction. When I write, I try to rediscover the guitar over and over again. That means no piece resembles the previous one – but what they all have in common is that they tell a story." This art of storytelling is not limited to the notes. In his concerts, he weaves anecdotes and small observations through the music. "I see myself as a guitarist, composer and storyteller. That trinity describes exactly what I want to do. It also keeps me away from pigeonholing. I am not 'classical', not 'fingerstyle', not 'jazz' – I'm simply someone who tells stories through the guitar."
The teacher who kindled the flame
The seeds for all this were sown by his first teacher, Emile Joseph, a name Meinen speaks with visible respect. "He was an incredibly inspiring man: cheerful, curious, full of humour. He showed me that classical music, jazz, folk and pop could all exist alongside each other. He played mandolin in an Irish folk band, but also gave brilliant classical guitar lessons. That openness shaped my entire musical thinking." When Joseph became ill and had to stop teaching, Meinen lost touch with him. "It wasn't until seventeen years later that I got his address through his sister. I wrote him a long letter to thank him. We managed to talk once more – shortly after, he passed away. At his funeral, I was allowed to play. That moment meant a lot to me. It was as if I could finally let him hear what he had kindled in me." "The special thing is that he once took me to a Tommy Emmanuel concert," Meinen recounts. "I was a teenager then, and that performance changed everything. For the first time, I thought: that's what I want to do. Years later, I got to share the stage with Tommy myself – that felt like the circle was complete. Without Emile, that would never have happened."
A language without borders
Meinen's music is difficult to fit into one category. It moves freely between classical, fingerstyle, jazz and world music – and that is not a conscious strategy. "It has always been that way," he says. "Even as a child, I played everything that intrigued me. Later, during my studies, my teachers and friends helped me forge all those impressions into something personal. Yet it is a process that is never finished – and I hope it never will be. Music must keep changing." His compositions come about in all sorts of ways. "Sometimes it starts with a chord that evokes a certain atmosphere, sometimes with a rhythm or a melodic motif. Anything can be the starting point, as long as I take the idea seriously. There are no bad ideas – only ideas that are not developed enough." "Sometimes something emerges directly on the guitar, sometimes I develop it further on the computer," he explains. "I use notation software as a tool, but never as a limitation. What matters is that the idea gets room to grow."
The magic of the 'complete' feeling
How does he know when a piece is finished? "I feel it. It is purely intuitive. At a certain point everything falls into place and the music flows naturally. Then I know: the story has been told. As long as that feeling is not there, I keep tinkering. Sometimes for months. But when it is right, it is the most satisfying feeling there is." Yet his pieces often continue to evolve in concert. "A composition lives. On stage, the timing changes, the breath, the dynamics. The notes stay the same, but the story grows with me."
Collaboration as dialogue
In addition to his solo work, Meinen is known for his duos with, among others, Reentko Dirks and Danish violinist Bjarke Falgren. Their album The Circle is praised for its warm, lyrical tone. "Bjarke is one of those rare musicians who opens an entire world with a single note. We are similar in some ways, but different in the right ways. I am the more analytical composer, he the intuitive improviser. That keeps it fresh and lively." According to him, a successful collaboration requires above all trust. "Making music is something intimate. You must be willing to set your ego aside and play to make the other person sound better. That is the essence of ensemble playing."
The rhythmic side of the guitar
Anyone who hears Sönke Meinen live understands how broad his sound world is. The guitar becomes not only a melody instrument for him, but also a percussive body. "The guitar is a tool full of timbres and sounds," he explains. "Dead notes, clicks, the hiss of strings – these are not mistakes, but part of its vocabulary. I use those sounds consciously, just like the beautiful tone I learned in my classical lessons." He uses amplification and subtle effects to expand the expressive possibilities. "I don't see that as something artificial, but as a way to let the guitar speak more powerfully. It doesn't become louder, but deeper." "Technique is never an end in itself," he adds. "Everything I play – a tone, a click, a breath – must have meaning. Otherwise the magic disappears."
Between fingerstyle and classical
Meinen moves between worlds. "At fingerstyle festivals I'm often seen as the 'classical' man, and at classical festivals as the 'fingerstyler'," he laughs. "Some initially look a bit skeptical when I bring something outside the traditional repertoire, but usually that changes as soon as they hear the music. I notice that a new openness is growing, especially at festivals like Antwerpen. That's hopeful. Ultimately, it's about curiosity and appreciation for handmade, personal music."
The power of the stage
Unlike many studio artists, Meinen is a born stage player. "I love playing for people, sharing something. In the studio you can create an intimate sound, but live you can fill a space with energy. I try to find the balance between power and subtlety, between breath and intensity." "During a concert I pay attention not only to sound, but also to atmosphere, light and silence," he says. "And I love little bits of humor in between – it breaks the tension and makes the contact with the audience more genuine." His concerts are more than musical performances; they are encounters. "The stories I tell in between are not a prepared script. They are moments of contact. Music becomes more personal when you feel the person behind it. I want people to leave not just remembering the music, but also the warmth of the moment."
An instrument as partner
His main instrument for years has been a nylon crossover guitar by Austrian builder Christina Kobler. "It's ideal for amplified concerts: acoustically it sounds soft and warm, but through my pick-ups and effects it really comes alive. It feels like we've grown together." At home he also works with a steel-string Fylde guitar by Roger Bucknall. "A beautiful guitar with its own character. That will definitely appear on an album soon." "I play with Savarez strings," he says smiling. "They've never let me down." His favorite tuning – CGDGBE, with the three low strings like a cello – is key to his sound. "That tuning opens a new universe. It allows chords and resonances that are impossible in standard tuning. I haven't played in standard tuning for ten years."
Teaching as a reciprocal process
Meinen travels the world for workshops and masterclasses, from China to the United States. "What strikes me every time is that the guitar speaks a universal language. Wherever you are, everyone understands that love for the instrument. I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me. Some things you can't explain; they arise naturally, in encounter, in ensemble." "Some things you can't explain," he says. "They arise naturally, in encounter and ensemble. That reciprocal process, that non-linguistic understanding, is the heart of teaching for me."
The future: back to basics
After three duo albums, Meinen is working on a new solo program again. "Back to the roots," he says smiling. "I don't want to start new projects for a while, but go deeper with what's already there. Over the winter I plan to compose as much as possible. In addition, I'm working on a video course that will appear on my website next year." And how does he see the future of the guitar at a time when artificial music is becoming increasingly prominent? "I hope the guitar gets a new platform precisely now. It stands for something real, something handmade. Maybe the world needs that again right now."
Silence as the final note
At the end of our conversation, Meinen comes to rest for a moment. His voice becomes softer. "How terrible would life be without silence? Then tones could no longer give direction. Silence is the space in which music gains meaning – just as it is in life itself."
A guitarist who breathes stories
Sönke Meinen embodies a generation of guitarists who transcend the boundaries between styles. His music is personal, his sound refined, his attitude genuine. He doesn't play to impress, but to connect.
Or, as he puts it himself: "If someone leaves my concert with the feeling that they wanted to hear one more piece, then I'm happy."
Are you intrigued after this interview? Then come and listen to Sönke Meinen on Saturday 8 November