All Episodes

April 11, 2024 16 mins

Catch up with singer-songwriter Naima Bock in this bonus Acoustic Guitar Sessions episode. We enjoy an impromptu performance of a new song—“Showers”—then discuss Bock’s roots in Brazilian and British folk music and get a rundown of her guitars and gear. Listen to her album Giant Palm and visit NaimaBock.com to learn more.

Support the show:

Support the show

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nick Grizzle (00:00):
Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Podcast.
I'm your host, nick Grizzle.
For this bonus Acoustic GuitarSessions mini-sode, I'm joined
by Naima Bock, asinger-songwriter with roots in
Brazilian and British folk music.
One quick note before we start.
During our conversation, youmay hear my dog barking in the
background.
Please accept our apologies inadvance.

(00:21):
He promises to be a very goodboy during our recording
sessions in the future.
Our episode begins with animpromptu performance of a new
song by Naima Bock, titledShowers.

Naima Bock (00:48):
But I've been a trial Lord, but I can't remember
before.
The veins on your hand show methe way.

(01:08):
Nothing easy now, nothing hardeither.
So just watch as you sway onstage An object or some kind of

(01:42):
muse.
But I can't get close to you,so I'll say your name again and
again, like I sung before Inanother song.

(02:12):
Your shoulders are wider thanthe mountains.

Nick Grizzle (02:24):
How did you get started playing guitar?

Naima Bock (02:27):
um, so I had my father played guitar and so it
was always around in the house.
Um, in brazil I was luckyenough to grow up with a family
who, so my dad, played guitar,um, predominantly electric, but
at home he would play, you know,nylon strung, and then my aunts
and my auntie was a celloplayer, is a cello player, and

(02:51):
my grandmother is a pianist andso I was kind of grew up with a
lot, of, a lot of that stuff,mostly classical.
There they play classical music, um, and then so I had that
that kind of sonic world aroundme is, is the guitar the
instrument you mostly use forsongwriting yes, I used to.

(03:13):
I used to.
I used to use bass more thatwould have, but that was about
five years ago or something and,like a lot of the songs that
were on my first record, Iinitially wrote on bass and then
, uh, that was because I was,that's what I was playing in the
first band that I was in.
But then, yeah, no, the lastfive years it's been all guitar

(03:33):
and I've tried to just have itwith, like, make sure that the
song is good enough, just guitarand voice, and then only, like
quite a lot later, startthinking about other things to
put on it so your, your voice ispretty distinctive.

Nick Grizzle (03:48):
I mean, you can, how did you develop that, that
distinct sound that you have?

Naima Bock (03:53):
I don't know really.
I think I think it is just, Ithink it is mostly just um, it
being my voice.
I found found a recording notthat long ago of me singing a
Sandy Denny song when I was 13.
And it was really funny to hearbecause I thought about in my

(04:13):
head, I thought, oh, I've comethis far with my voice and kind
of trying to be able to projectmore or doing trills better or
these technical things that Isort of thought I was improving
on, which I have improved on.
But I listened to thisrecording of me when I was 13
and it is kind of the same, justlike a few, like you know,

(04:34):
octaves higher.
So I just thought, well, I mean, yeah, you do sort of get what
you're given in terms of yourvoice.
And I remember once, likesomeone said to me, um, which
slightly contradicts what I saidearlier, because there is
always improvement.
But I think that, in terms oftone, um, and maybe that's
mostly what comes across whenpeople like have unique voices,

(04:57):
is like the unique tone thatthey have, um, and I guess
delivery as well, like dependingon how much someone, how far
someone pushes their voice, andoften I think, the further that
one pushes their voice, it cansometimes become more generic
sounding.
That's like not always the case, but I sometimes find that like

(05:21):
, the better a singer is, youknow, like, the more they kind
of just sound like everyone else.
Um, you know, not every case,but so I not that I resisted
being a good singer.
I just think that I had to likewatch how far I wanted to push
it.
Um, but in turn, the next thingwould be doing, I think, doing

(05:46):
folk, like doing choirs, singingfolk, a cappella songs.
That's probably been thebiggest helper in terms of
learning how to be more open,less shy with my voice.

Nick Grizzle (05:59):
Can you tell us a little more about your process
for songwriting?

Naima Bock (06:01):
about your process for songwriting.
Yeah, I think that I've hadit's changed a bit over the last
six months actually, becausebefore, prior to six months ago,
I would normally write two tothree songs per year, which is
just nothing.
I would be very it would takeme a long time to figure out
exactly what I wanted to do withthe song and what the lyrics

(06:24):
should be, and it would justtake me a long time to write it
and finish it.
And I sort of thought of thisas like a, you know, a bit of a
slow cooking attitude towardssongwriting, which I was fine to
function in, because I didn'tever I mean, I'm grateful to
myself for not ever reallyputting um like pressure on

(06:46):
myself to write songs, because,and if I had periods of time
which I have had many where Idon't feel like writing songs, I
don't beat myself up about it.
Um, my friend calls them thefertile void, which is I quite
like, because, you know, otherthings grow up in that time and
you sort of ingest more than youput out, and I think that that

(07:09):
can be important.
Um, but the last six monthsI've found that I'm at, you know
, I'm back at university againand doing something other than
music has been the best thingfor writing songs.
It's the.
It's probably like a strangebrain trick, you know, um that
where you, if you, the thingthat you have to do songwriting

(07:33):
has become my procrastination,and so then I'm just writing
loads of songs, which is fun,and I was going to say, like
it's, it's a lot of.
It is dependent on who I'mlistening to and if, if I've got
an artist or a musician thatI'm really invested in, in that
period of time over it normallylasts two to four months where I
just listen to one personpredominantly, and if I have

(07:55):
that kind of feeling towards amusician, then I'll write more
songs, um, influenced by whatthey do.
I was listening to.
I listened to like PhilElverham, so Microphones, mount
Eerie, but I hadn't I hadn'tknown anything about him before
last year, and then I found theMicrophones in 2020 album song,

(08:18):
and so I listened to his musicfor about four to five months
and I still listen to it quite alot.
And then also in the, and thenthe last person has been about
three months I've predominantlyjust listened to, like
everything Will Oldham's done soPalace Brothers, palace Music,
funny Prince Billy, and actuallythose two are the.

(08:40):
I think I'd say I couldprobably just leave it at those
two for the last, for the lastperiod of time.

Nick Grizzle (08:52):
Also Joanna Newsome and Joanna Sternberg.
Okay, let's talk guitars.

Naima Bock (08:54):
Uh, what guitars do you play and what do you like
about them?
So I've had, um, my firstguitar that I got, which is the
one that I played live up untila year ago, is the Yamaha FG800
or something.
I can't remember the exactmodel, but it was.
It was like 250 pounds, whichis probably about 300 dollars,

(09:14):
I'm guessing, and it was verycheap.
But it was very sturdy and itand it stayed you know it didn't
warp played, you know it didn'twarp and it stays in tune, and
it was a really good guitar.
But I I kind of moved away fromit.

(09:34):
Um, I just thought, well, I'mlike I thought, if I'm gonna do
this as a job, I need to getlike a real expensive guitar.
So I tried to buy, I wentthrough a few different guitars.
Um, I mean, should I actuallyreel off all of the guitars?
Is that going to be boring?

Nick Grizzle (09:48):
This is a guitar nerd podcast, so we're into it.

Naima Bock (09:51):
So yeah, so I had that Yamaha and then I went and
then I did, because I definitelywasn't a guitar nerd I just
thought I want a guitar thatlooks cool.
So I got a Hofner from like a1964 Hofner.
So I got a Hofner from like a1964 Hofner and it was very thin

(10:14):
, which is, um, yeah, very thin,like v-e-r-i thin, and uh, it
was not a great guitar and itreally went out of tune all the
time.
But everyone thought, everyonewas like, wow, that looks so
cool and then thought, well,maybe I'll keep it as a kind of
investment.
You know, it's like pretty oldand it's been kept in good
condition-ish, but yeah, and Ihave, I've still got it.

(10:36):
I've tried to sell it.
No one wants it, so I don'tknow what I'm gonna do I'm sure
somebody out there wants it from1964.
I feel like, yeah, I mean, myother option is just to hold on
to it, you know.
And then, like, in 40 yearsit'll be worth loads more.
And then I moved on to, andthen I bought a larivay um mg

(10:58):
800, I think is.
I'm I'm closing my eyes becauseI'm picturing the sticker
inside the guitar, but I can'tsay that I know exactly what the
model is for that.
But an OM, I think the Larriveewas and it was.
That was a really beautifulguitar, but it's too, it's too
precious to take on tour or toplay gigs with.
It's just, it's really nice andit's rosewood as, and so I just

(11:22):
keep it at home in its case andplay it like every now and then
.
And then I had, and then I gotbut this is acoustic guitars.
Actually I realized I wastalking about Hofner.
Hofner was hollow body, whichis, you know, half of an
acoustic guitar.

Nick Grizzle (11:38):
Counts yeah.

Naima Bock (11:39):
And then, after the Larivee, I tried to get, I tried
to get a Martin.
I've been kind of wanting toget a Martin for a really long
time but they're reallyexpensive, so I haven't quite
managed to get myself a Martinyet.
That's something that I'm goingto work towards.
But the main guitar that I playnow is a nylon strung, which is

(12:00):
this one.
It's an Alhambra and it's new.
I bought it new for for like1200.
I actually will be able to tellyou the model of this one.
Well, that's a complicatedmodel, surely not cslr, I don't
know crossover alhambra, um, butit's got like a good.

(12:21):
The main one of the mainreasons I got this is mostly
because, well, I mean, it's alsosolid wood, so it's not
laminate, and it's got like agood.
The main one of the mainreasons I got this is mostly
because, well, I mean, it's alsosolid wood, so it's not
laminate, and it's themicrophone.
There's a microphone insiderather than I can't remember
what the other kind of we knowlike metallic pickup is Like a
piezo pickup or something.
Yeah, it's not that it's likeit's a fishman, but it's tiny
microphone in it, which justmeans that, like because, try, I

(12:45):
was using a LR Baggs pickup onacoustic guitars and acoustic
guitars are obviously difficultto play live with and it's super
venue dependent, like dependenton the PA.
Um and they?
I didn't really give it asecond thought until a very
honest and kind friend of minethree years ago said that the
guitar sounds like shit so I waslike, right, I need to actually

(13:08):
sort it out.
And then, since then, I've beenon a really annoying journey of
trying to find the right mix of.
You know, because I'd like to,I'd prefer to play with a
microphone to the acousticguitar, just an external
microphone to the acousticguitar.
But in the gigs that I playusually, which like support
slots, it's very kind of youknow you got like 20 minutes to

(13:29):
do a sound check and and theengineers hate you because they,
like the, might have used amicrophone and feeds back, and
so I decided to get this guitarand um and the it's.
It's still not perfect and itdoesn't sound great when you
strum it, but it soundsbeautiful when you finger pick
it and so it's been, it's beenlike the best thus far.

(13:52):
But my, my, you know acousticguitar pickup journey is not
over.
Um and actually I think nylonstrung in terms of if you're
going to be playing like just onyour own, then it feels, I feel
like the sound of it fills theroom a little more.
It's super warm and pretty loudas well.

(14:13):
I mean on its own, withoutamplification, it's a lot louder
than a steel strung.
But yeah, I've enjoyed.
I've enjoyed my nylon strunglife over the last six months.
It's been good and it itchanges the way I write songs as
well, I think how?

Nick Grizzle (14:28):
so how does it change your songwriting?

Naima Bock (14:31):
um, it's just a bit it makes it veers you away.
It veers one away from justdoing the kind of like you know,
like the they're like very likebasic strumming patterns and it
just has to be finger-pickedand it kind of means that I have
tried to learn new techniques,with that not being like super
successful, but I'm on my, I'mtrying a lot of the music.

(14:53):
Some of my favorite musiciansthat play acoustic guitar, I
realized only recently, playnylon strung.
So like I was listening to anAldous Harding record, she plays
mostly nylon strung other thanwhen she plays piano.
I know that Mount Erie, a lotof Mount Erie songs are on nylon
.
Some Jessica Pratt tunes are onnylon but like, yeah, I've

(15:13):
started noticing the difference,I guess, in tones, a little bit
more.

Nick Grizzle (15:18):
To hear more from Naima Bock.
Be sure to check out the shownotes for this episode.
If you're enjoying the AcousticGuitar Podcast, please head
over to our Patreon page atpatreoncom slash acoustic guitar
plus.
This is a listener funded show,and your pledge of one or five
or nine dollars a month helps uscontinue to produce new
episodes.
Plus, you'll get instant accessto a whole bunch of great perks

(15:40):
like exclusive live streamworkshops, song transcriptions
and guitar lessons.
If you aren't able to make acontribution at this time, we
understand.
Another way you can support theshow without spending any money
is to leave a five-star ratingalong with a review on Apple
Podcasts.
This really does help withdiscoverability, and the more
guitarists who tune in eachmonth the better.

(16:01):
Thanks again for listening andfor your support of the Acoustic
Guitar Podcast.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.