Tracy Moore brings his 12-string guitar to life with his complex, original compositions and his unique arrangements of traditional pieces. Appearing to flow effortlessly from his fingers and his guitar, his music is sometimes whimsical, and sometimes deeply emotional. He catches his audiences at a very personal level.
Tracy’s love affair with music and the guitar began at the age of ten when his Grandmother introduced him to fingerstyle guitar technique. His mom bought him his first guitar right away and he began to learn to play. In high school, he and a few friends put together a successful rock and roll band called Celebration and kept busy doing gigs at high schools and colleges. Leo Kottke’s album “Six and Twelve String Guitar” later turned his head and his heart to the rich melodic tones and the dynamic possibilities of the 12-string guitar.
During college, Tracy majored in music, studying Classical Guitar and Renaissance Lute. Following his studies he became the musical director of a one ring circus, where he learned to juggle, clown and eat fire. Tracy’s captivating and often humorous rapport with his audience, his relaxed and engaging stage presence come, in part, from his experience with the circus. With a twinkle in his eye, and his wonderfully relaxed, anecdotal introductions to his compositions, Tracy enchants and delights an audience with his music and his personality.
While many guitarists use the 12-string as a sideline, Tracy has given it a strong identity and voice of its own. “My goal has always been to write music using the tonal and textural characteristics of the 12-string guitar”, says Tracy. “Rather than plucking the strings in pairs in the traditional fashion I have developed a technique where I can choose to pluck any of the twelve strings individually, creating a much wider range of textures and melodic possibilities.”
Originally from Seattle, Tracy moved to Boston in 1987, where he fell in love with New England’s history and scenery. The abundance of folk music venues and appreciative concert goers yielded many new fans for his musical talent. But on a concert tour to Seattle in 1989, he fell in love again, only this time with the woman he planned to marry. In 1991, he packed his bags and returned to the Northwest, to settle on Camano Island, just north of Seattle. Tracy still considers Boston a second home and holds it in a special place in his heart.
Tracy travels and performs extensively throughout the United States, playing for an ever growing number of 12-string enthusiasts at festivals, coffeehouses and concerts. “I enjoy playing for an audience,” concludes Tracy. “Through the special language of the 12-string guitar, I create stories and images for my listeners. Although my music is entirely instrumental, each listener is free to add their own words to the story.”