Watch eight Elixir® Strings guitarists from around the world perform together

The diverse global talent of Elixir® Strings artists is showcased in a stunning new composition called Octet. It's a specially commissioned piece written by The Chris Woods Groove Orchestra, featuring the British guitarist collaborating with seven other virtuosic and diverse players.

Octet was created in December 2020 with each of the electric, acoustic and guitarists filming their own contributions during the process with parts written especially for them. 

 “I started writing the piece by quickly creating a bank of different ideas," explains Chris Woods. "I think I created about 10 different motifs for the ‘bank’. I tried to make each one as different in style as possible and wanted to work as quickly as possible at this stage before getting too attached to specific ideas."

The constantly evolving piece features fellow Brit  Michael Watts, MusicRadar 2020 acoustic guitarist of the year candidate Maneli Jamal and US bassist Tiffany Lloyd alongside extended range guitarists Ando San and Quentin Godet, electric player Sus Vasquez and Austrian shredder Bernth Brodträger.

“I listened to what each of the artists do, spoke with them about writing for them and then wrote as minimally as possible, in order to allow them room for their own interpretation," explains woods. "The whole concept of the piece was to reflect their musical personalities, so this was really important. I wanted to create a space to give them room to do something that played to their strengths and characters.”

Octet a fascinating reflection of the talented players with a rich variety of styles and instruments relying on Elixir® Strings for recording and live performance every day. 

"Whenever inspiration strikes, I can pick up my guitar knowing my strings are going to be working with me, not against me," adds Woods.

For more information on the range of electric, acoustic and bass strings available, visit  Elixir® Strings.