David Knott is a board-certified music therapist, instrument builder, and composing improvisor living and working in Seattle. He specializes in using clinical improvisation to facilitate therapeutic change with critically ill adults and children with special needs. Inspired by flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya and Jimi Hendrix, he started playing guitar in 1981 and later studied jazz and classical guitar in college. Having access to his grandfather's salvage yard provided a host of opportunities for creative soundmaking and exploration. A three year tour in the US Army as a truck driver provided an opportunity to live in Tongduchon, Republic of Korea and a college fund to finish school. David moved to Seattle in October of 1991 and began improvising with musicians and non-musicians alike. This playful work refined his interest in instrument making and ultimately sent him back to school to study luthiery at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, AZ (1994) and to Willamette University to study music therapy (1997-99).
After the successful completion of Music Therapy coursework at Willamette University, David returned to Seattle and found employment as a Rehabilitation Specialist working with a brain injured artist. The present day finds him working at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, the Bailey-Boushay House and MusicWorks Northwest, a community music school located in Bellevue, WA.
Since 1982, David has been playing and recording his own music solo and in collaboration with others. His interest in music and soundmaking comes from a personal, intuitive response to vibration. With instrument building, performances, workshops and recorded works, he seeks to stimulate the listener to a point of resonance and discovery of their own musical being. A debut solo CD "Natura Naturans", featuring his stringboard instruments, has been released on Anomalous Records. He is a founding member of animist orchestra - an ensemble that uses natural materials to create very quiet, subtly evolving soundscapes. Additionally, he has made interactive installations in public and private settings which seek to provide participants with opportunities to realize kinesthetic expressions in sound and promote deeper listening. His solo CD and the animist orchestra CD are available at Anomalous Records.