guitar, voice, & violin

… and a bit of music theory thrown in for good measure.

From time to time, I find some pieces of good advice relating to performing or composing music.  Most of what I plan to share here will relate to the instruments that I play – guitar, voice, and violin.  Sometimes though, I do find more general, beneficial advice, and I’ll pass that along.

[Note: The point of view from which I approach the advice offered here is that of personal experience; in other words, I’m sharing with you what I have discovered. If you have something constructive to add, please email me (drewvervan@drewvervan.com) – I’d love to hear from you.]

If you’re curious about what instruments I actually play, that is, what brand of instruments, here’s the score:

Guitar(s): I have a few, but I’m a Taylor guitar fan – I own three.  My main guitar, since 1992, has been my Taylor 710.  The pickup in the 710 is an L.R. Baggs, bridge pick-up (the pickup is the bridge itself).  I also play this through the L.R. Baggs para DI, and I use a Monster guitar cable.

For recording, particularly fingerstyle playing, I often use my Guild.  I bought this one in 1991, and the completion date stamped on the inside is my birthday, so I always felt it was some sort of destiny that I should have this guitar.  While living in Germany, this guitar suffered a horrible accident: It was dropped by a friend of mine, and the neck split.  I brought it back to Appalachian Bluegrass in Catonsville, MD, and John Thurston put it back together.  It’s better now than it was before the accident.

Violin: My violin is the only one I’ve ever owned – an Anton Becker, circa 1880s.  I’ve owned this violin since 1980.  I use a Coda bow and Dominant strings.

Voice: My voice has shifted a bit over the years.  When I was younger, I was a definite baritone, but with a bunch of high notes.  I’ve lost of few of the notes at the extreme ends of my range, but, in full voice (not falsetto), I still have a solid two-octave range.