Sunday, May 14 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Technique Building, Inspiration, And The Creative Process
The workshop/masterclass will cover technique building exercises, practice routines and advice, answer questions regarding equipment, inspiration, being an artist in the digital age etc. Trevor will talk about the creative process and how that lead to developing the Kalimbatar but these teachings can take other players into other directions. You do not have to have a Kalimbatar to learn something here!"
About Trevor
Rated one of the top 30 guitarists in the world under 30 years of age by Acoustic Guitar magazine, Trevor Gordon Hall is an instrumentalist from Philadelphia whose compositions range in style from edgy driving rhythms to soft melodic phrases. Trevor sets himself apart by leaving no physical aspect of the guitar untouched and weaving together different textures into grand yet intimate and lyrical compositions. His blend of sounds never overcomplicates but focuses on utilizing the instrument’s fullest creative and compositional potential guiding listeners through an igniting experience of music that isn’t just heard but felt.
Trevor has gained the respect of some of the most trusted and legendary names in the music business and his genre with nods of approval from Graham Nash, Steve Hackett, Billy Cobham, Dar Williams, Will Ackerman, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Phil Keaggy and more. Between his live show, his albums and his custom instrument, Trevor has earned an international growing fanbase that has allowed him to tour throughout North America and Europe. Trevor has also been featured on various national radio stations including NPR and national and international television networks including NBC, PBS and German national television.
At the start of his career, Trevor caught the eye of 9 time Grammy award winning producer Joe Nicolo (James Taylor, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, etc.), who produced two of Trevor’s releases, Finding My Way and Let Your Heart Be Light, in 2008 and 2009.
Then in 2010, inspired by his studies and always on the hunt for new sounds to utilize, Trevor collaborated with various builders to design an instrument combining an african finger piano (kalimba) and an acoustic guitar. The instrument combination, which Trevor calls the “Kalimbatar”, has opened up new possibilities for solo instrumental music. Compositions inspired by the pairing of the two instruments were first introduced in previous releases but fully realized in Trevor’s Candyrat Records debut Entelechy. Upon its release in 2011, this album rapidly climbed the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts, as well as YouTube Top Commented/Top Favorited/Most Discussed categories gathering millions of views with the release of performance videos. This enabled Trevor to start touring throughout the USA, Canada, England, Wales, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Holland and more.
In the next few years leading up to his 2014 album Mind Heart Fingers, Trevor redesigned and fine-tuned the Kalimbatar with the help of master luthier Sheldon Schwartz. Trevor recorded with his new instrument at Imaginary Road Studios in VT with Grammy winning and long time hero Will Ackerman. Mind Heart Fingers was the result of a unique experience created between Will, Tom Eaton and Trevor, to capture a heart-felt recording honoring the guitar tradition which Windham Hill helped to found, while looking forward to what is next for the guitar scene. This project reached #4 on the ZMR international radio charts and was nominated for best instrumental acoustic album of the year by the ZMR awards.
Constantly working on new sounds and possibilities, Trevor released the first of an EP series entitled Kalimbatar Classics Vol. 1 in 2015 featuring his arrangements of classical piano standards for the Kalimbtar. Moving from that into the electronic world in his 2016 release Late Night with Headphones Vol. 1, Trevor introduced his listeners to new sounds incorporating electric guitar and electronic textures.
Trevor is an artist on a mission to ride the line between being adventurous and accessible. As Grammy winning Will Ackerman has said “…Trevor has a stunning range stylistically while being made cohesive by the power of Trevor’s artistic voice and vision... a guitarist we will need to pay attention to…”, and guitarist Don Ross agrees, “…Trevor has a timeless sense of melody, and he creates some of the richest sonic textures you're likely to hear from any contemporary composer/guitarist…”
