Chatma guitar solo

Tinariwen, 2007, from Amassakoul. Solo by Tinariwen.

A song addressed to Tuareg women, carried by circular guitar figures and clipped lead fills.

Chatma is addressed to Tuareg women, and its guitar parts carry a sense of warmth and respect. The song is built on circular guitar figures that loop steadily, with clipped lead fills punctuating the vocal lines. Those fills are short and precise, more like sung responses than solos, and they keep the song moving without cluttering it. The track shows how Tinariwen use the guitar as part of a communal conversation rather than a spotlight instrument. Listen for the brief, bright fills that follow each vocal phrase; they work like answering voices in a group song, giving the music its call-and-response structure.

Chatma by Tinariwen is featured in our Desert Blues (#10) list. The solo is played by Tinariwen and the song was released in 2007.

In our lists

• The Greatest Desert Blues Guitar Songs — #10
• The Best Tinariwen Guitar Solos — #2
• Top 20 Guitar Solos of 2007 — #7

Sources