We recently connected with Keith Gehle and have shared our conversation below.

Keith, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

I was trained as a classical guitarist in college and fully embraced that style of playing, but really the term “classical guitar” is a misnomer. The term really means the type of guitar one plays (an acoustic instrument with a wider neck and nylon strings) and how one plays it (with the fingers of the right hand rather than a pick). Many people believe that classical guitarists only play classical music but that’s not true at all for me. Personally, I find myself playing many music styles at concerts and events including popular songs and standards, my original fingerstyle pieces, and even some blues and folk tunes.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started playing the steel string acoustic guitar just after my 12th birthday and purchased my first electric guitar at age 14; from then, my passion for the instrument flourished. Throughout high school I was mostly interested in blues and rock, but I eventually began exploring acoustic guitar stylings and singing. When I heard a recording by classical guitarist Christopher Parkening as a freshman in college, I was hooked on the classical guitar. I transferred to The University of Georgia where I studied with the highly regarded professor John Sutherland and a few years later completed my Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance. Another life changing event around that time was when I stumbled upon a copy of A Winter’s Solstice by Windham Hill Records. I must admit I knew nothing about what was then called “New Age” music but was drawn to the beautiful album artwork and design. After listening to the recording, it seemed like I had found what I was truly looking for in music and what I wanted to pursue for my career. One piece in particular on the album (William Ackerman’s “New England Morning”) set something off in my heart and mind. I knew then that I wanted to release New Age music of my own. I worked for nearly a decade on my first album while I completed my collegiate studies, performed frequently as a soloist, and taught students. The album I released was called Wintersong. A recording of Romantic Era guitar works followed shortly thereafter as well as a Christmas recording a few years later. My most recent album of all originals is entitled Space and Time. Since that recording I’ve released a few singles through online streaming platforms and have a number of tunes and an album ready for release in the near future. I’m definitely most proud of the music I’ve written, and plan to continue composing, arranging, and recording.

In the area of performance, these days I primarily play for social gatherings such as weddings, dinner events, and corporate receptions. I enjoy such settings as I sincerely believe that live music brings a unique quality and atmosphere to an event that recorded music doesn’t quite match. I would say the main thing that sets me apart from others as a performer is the wide variety of music I play. It’s not unusual to hear me playing Beatles’ songs, blues tunes, Spanish classical music, and my originals at the same gig. What I look for when choosing music to play at events are songs that have a timeless quality, stir emotion, and bring forth memories. Those are the qualities that make music so special to me and my listeners.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The main mission driving my creative journey right now is adding to the available repertoire for the classical and fingerstyle guitar and it’s exciting to know that everyday I’m creating and contributing something that will endure beyond my career. I will continue writing original music, arranging classic songs, releasing new recordings, and publishing all of my best work in the coming years. I have so much music waiting to be finished and released and could honestly stay busy for the rest of my life without having to write another thing. A sentiment shared by many artists is that the work is never done, and I believe that wholeheartedly. I also believe that art is meant to be shared. I’ve always enjoyed bringing what I’ve created to life at various performances, and while teaching my students.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When my brother Ken unexpectedly passed away from cancer, I was quite lost and for a time and had trouble seeing the purpose of playing music. While I knew people who had died, his passing was the first time I experienced and dealt with death up close. It was (and still is) unimaginable that I couldn’t just pick up the phone and talk to him. We spent a lot of time together as children and as adults, lived in the same city where I frequently helped him on building projects renovating his family’s home. Ken was also a professional artist as an award winning photographer (www.kengehle.com) and he helped me on all of my publicity and recording projects since the beginning of my career. It was several years after his death before I had a photo shoot with a photographer and even then I struggled with the reality that someone else was taking my picture and not Ken.

One of the ways I was able to cope with his loss was through composing. I wrote many songs in the months and years following his death and felt a comfort and purpose in the creative process. Pieces like “Waiting for the Sun”, “The Escaping Light”, “Stars of the Desert Sky” and many more from Space and Time were all composed with Ken in mind. While I’m grateful for the music created in response to the tragedy of his loss, I would give them all back to have him with us again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.keithgehle.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atlantaclassicalguitar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-sBbdHLUeiaNLSbOObjC3w
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5xO9iynaeLGOOE49omtAOu?si=tR4vC6MvRDqnvXyVumve1g https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/Search.aspx?query=keith%20gehle

Image Credits
photos 1 through 3 (left to right) Emerald Lane photo 4 (bottom right) Kim Gehle