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Hello, you probably got to this site via one of my other web pages, but if not, my name is Kip White. I am an independent acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. This page is a summary of frequently asked questions about everything from music to theology. If you have a question for me, feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.

songwriting

Q: Which comes first, the lyrics or the music?
A: It varies, but sometimes they both come at once.

Q: How do you know if you have written a good song?
A: I typically do not shop my songs for placement with A/R directors, but these directors have a definition of good which is related to how hard the song "hooks". I gauge the merit of my songs by my listener's responses (in my opinion, a more valid way to measure the "hook"). If someone tells me, "that song was nice", it probably means that it did not move them or that it is mediocre and needs to be tossed or rewritten. On the other hand if several people tell me, I really like that song because...", then the song probably has merit.

Q: How many songs have you written?
A: I don't know for sure, but probably more than 100. I have written a lot more bad songs than good ones. I realized early on that if I was afraid to write a bad song, I probably would not write at all. Recently I found an old notebook of songs and partial songs that I wrote in 1979. Most of them really stink, but there are a couple that I may dust off and use in the future.

singing

Q: Have you ever taken voice lessons?
A: Yes, I took a semester of classical voice in college. it helped me learn how to support and breathe, but I didn't care for singing in German and Latin.

Q: Is it easier for you to sing or play the guitar?
A: It's much easier for me to sing. I generally don't have to think about it to get what I want out of my voice.

guitar playing

Q: What kind of guitar do you play?
A: I play acoustic steel-string guitars. My main instruments are a Taylor PS-14 6-string, Taylor 855 12-string, and an EVD 6-string. The EVD is a custom-built instrument constructed by Denver luthier Edward Dick  (EVD Stringed Instruments).

Q: Is the 12-string guitar harder to play than the 6-string?
A: Yes, it requires more left-hand strength, and right-hand coordination.

Q: Do you play any instruments other than guitar?
A: No, I learned piano and violin as a child, but have long since given them up.

theology, philosophy, etc.

Q: How would you classify your music?
A: I get asked this question a lot, and have never felt satisfied with my answer. Maybe I'm not satisfied with the question. I'm afraid to answer it for fear my music will be "put in a box". I write about life, about things I've read, people I've met, places I've been, experiences and relationships I've had, and my love affair with Christ. I try to compose music that "sells" the particular metaphor or groups of metaphors I am using in the song. Since my music is largely centered around the acoustic guitar, some have classified it as folk-rock. Some have classified it as "Christian contemporary". This classification, I rebel against the most, because it makes some people feel really safe with my music (so they are likely to miss much of what it says) and others immediately turn it off, because they don't want to hear that "Jesus-s*#!*". I do not expect my listeners to believe as I do. Some of my most enthusiastic fans do not. What was the question?

Q: A lot of your themes address God stuff. What's that about?
A: I affirm that Christ loves me - by His choice and not mine. I affirm that I love Him - I speak from my experience. I have a deep longing to know the Unknowable who loves me. I write music to find expression for the longing. But when the longing is too poignant to bear, I tend to box God up so that He is not too big for my feeble mind or so I can feel superior to another. This reaction is, of course, common, but it is ridiculous and shameful. If I did not believe in God, I would have no hope, I would be a bitter cynic, and I probably would never have started making music.

Q: Do you consider your music sacred?
A: Yes, unless I have lied with it. I believe all things are sacred if they are not sin. While I get caught up in the segregation of sacred and secular from time to time, I try to resist such segregation, because I believe it to be completely unnatural and stifling to creativity.