Thursday, January 22, 2009

new guitar: Elya

I used some of my Minus 40 Tour earnings for a new guitar last week and gave ‘her’ a name: Elya.

The group Silverwind used to sing a song about a woman named Elya behind the iron curtain teaching children to sing and to pray, even though she risked jail or worse.

My mom used to sing this song to me as I was growing up and thinking of going to a similar country. (These types of countries are now known as Creative Access Nations.)


My Yamaha has served me well since 1996.




I learned a lot with her and she will continue to serve me well in teaching guitar lessons (her name is Liabella after two of my students) and in less professional settings, but she was resisting some of my new music, especially songs with bar chords.

Elya, on the other hand, loves those songs from the start. Rosewood back and sides give her warm tones, and her spruce top and bracing give her some nice percussive qualities, so our voices are complementary - a perfect companion for a traveling minstrel.


And true to her Russian namesake who would "teach them to sing," Elya has inspired several songs already, by me and other people.



Elya, my elegant new Larriv
ée.

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