The Mystery of Tina S (part 1)

Taking a detour from Band-Maid, but continuing my homage to Women in Music: Tina Setkic is a French guitarist who surfaced on youtube some nine years ago at the age of 14, posted around 20 mind-blowing guitar videos, and then vanished.  Some of her videos have over 40 million views apiece, and her fans include some of the biggest names in rock.  Those fans have been trying for six years to find out what happened to her, with no luck.  Someone is managing her website, so she is probably alive, but we don’t really know. (Note: If anyone reading this knows what she’s up to, by all means please post in the comments!)

Tina’s youtube posts include interpretations of blues, progressive rock and heavy metal classics.  Her most startling performances, however, are her electrified versions of pieces by the classical composers Vivaldi, Paganini and Beethoven.  I previously included a couple of her clips in my “Guitar Magic” post, in case you want to check that out.

I’m not a guitarist, but some things about her playing jump out at me right away. First is her extreme economy of motion—she barely seems to move her hands.  Because of this, some people even thought she was faking it. Second, she doesn’t anchor her right hand the way 90+% of electric guitarists do.  She lets the hand float, which makes it more challenging to strike accurately, but allows greater speed and nuance.  The fact that she is still so accurate just adds to the “wow” factor. Finally, there are no grimaces or “guitar face”—all of the emotion comes out in her playing.

Vivaldi Tribute (arranged by Patrick Rondat) (age 14) Tina’s detached look belies the intense concentration needed to play something like this.  She often appears to be staring into space, rather than at the fretboard. 

Guitar solo from “The Best of Times” (Dream Theater) (age 14) Composed by John Petrucci.  After Tina posted this video, Dream Theater began playing it on the big screen during their concert intermissions. 

Guitar solo from “Comfortably Numb” (Pink Floyd)

Tina recorded this just after her 15th birthday.  One of the greatest guitar solos ever, and she captures every nuance.