Three necks are better than one

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

Italian fingerstyle guitarist Luca Stricagnoli has performed in 20 countries, with gigs ranging from intimate gatherings for Nobel Prize winners to concert halls filled with more than 12,000 people. Friday, Sept. 27, he and his famous triple-neck guitar will give a special performance at the Panida (300 N. First Ave.), courtesy of the Pend Oreille Arts Council, before he flies off to China on the next stage of his world tour.

Stricagnoli began learning classical guitar in Italy at the age of 10 and was immediately enamored.

“When I saw somebody playing guitar on the street as a child it kind of clicked and I asked my mom to buy me one,” Stricagnoli told the Reader. “I started being inseparable from it — even bringing it to bed with me when I went to sleep. I was pretty obsessed right away.”

It wasn’t until much later in his musical career that Stricagnoli discovered his passion for fingerstyle — a technique wherein he plucks the strings with his fingernails rather than strumming them with a pick.

Courtesy photo.

“I began trying to create my own style, at first by playing two guitars simultaneously, and then when I figured I’d need to add one more guitar, I thought I should probably incorporate them all into one,” said Stricagnoli.

With the help of luthier Davide Serracini, Stricagnoli invented the reversed triple-neck guitar and the attachable reversed slide neck. He’s since developed and perfected a unique style that incorporates the different timbres and combinations that are only possible with a triple-neck guitar.

“Instead of playing the bar chords with the left hand, I play with the right hand using — I don’t know how to explain it in English — imagine that you’re Bruce Lee doing a karate chop and you destroy a piece of wood. It’s that part of the hand,” said Stricagnoli.

Stricagnoli takes inspiration from other musicians — especially his wife, pop singer, songwriter and producer Meg Pfeiffer — but he’s also influenced by comedians.

“It can be hard to put on a show alone with a guitar, without a band or anything, but these guys go on stage with just a microphone — without even an instrument,” he said.

Stricagnoli intends to release his first entirely original album in conjunction with Pfeiffer. His current work is available on lucastricagnoli.com and Spotify and includes his personal compositions intermingled with covers of famous hits from every genre.

His performance at the Panida will highlight covers like “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, which have earned him international acclaim and more than 200 million streams online.

“Touring is not a piece of cake but I wouldn’t do without it. It’s my dream so I’m happy about it,” Stricagnoli said.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and music begins at 7 p.m. at the Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students at panida.org or artinsandpoint.org/luca. Listen at lucastricagnoli.com.