Ravi: You are considered by many to be the finest female fingerstyle guitarist in the world. Was it always fingerstyle from the beginning or have you explored other genres, electric guitars, etc.?
Anderson: Aww, there are so many great players. I started with folk guitar, greatly inspired by Doc Watson fingerpicking and flatpicking. Then I formed a Bluegrass band in high school and also played in the school jazz band. Classical was the only way to study guitar in college, so I reluctantly started to learn its techniques. When I heard the music of Christopher Parkening, I was [instantly] enthralled with the new possibilities of the instrument. I also enjoyed folk dancing and music from many countries. All influences work their way into the music at times.
 
Ravi: What was your first guitar and where did you get it?
Anderson: A friend of my parents, Adele Knight, was throwing away a half-size Decca nylon string guitar. I picked the garbage out of the sound hole and tuned up the three strings that were remaining on it. When Adele saw this, she said, “Why don’t you keep it?” So I took it into the backseat of the car with me on the way home and started figuring out melodies and making up tunes. My parents realized that I had an affinity for it right away. I remember that at that time it seemed really big; I was 8 years old.
 
Ravi: How accommodating were local music stores as your interests and needs evolved? 
Anderson: Music stores were magical places to me. I was a quick learner, so people were generous in showing me tunes. I remember Terry Straker’s store, The Guitar Works, in Evanston, Ill. I took mandolin lessons there from Jethro Burns, as much for his sense of humor as his mandolin playing! Terry sat down with me and taught me “Kudah Duxx” by Rick Ruskin. It was a revelation—what, the bass notes don’t have to be on beats one and three? Also there, I heard some great picking and sat down with Gamble Rogers. He invited me to play on stage with him that evening. It was my first time on a real stage, and what an enthralling performer. The Old Town School of Folk Music store in Chicago was also an extension of the magic of the place, and there I had the opportunity to play with Fred Holstein and some of the old hallmarks of the folk music scene.
 
Ravi: You certainly bring some unique instruments on stage with you. Harp guitars are not hanging in many music stores, so how did you originally gravitate toward those?
Anderson: When I first started playing Bach at DePaul University, I felt many of the cello suites needed extra-low bass strings. I had seen pictures of harp guitars, and when Del Langejans offered to build me a guitar, I told him how long I had wanted a harp guitar. He built his first one for me—a beautiful instrument—and now I also have a nylon string harp guitar made by Mike Doolin.

Ravi: Who builds the other instruments that you currently use and how do you get the best sound out of them in a concert environment...any secret weapons we should know about?
Anderson: My main instrument is a classical built by Paul McGill. He is a brilliant guitar builder, and I’m very happy with the tone and feel of this instrument. My steel strings are Morris and Kevin Ryan, and two harp guitars by Langejans and Doolin. For live concerts I use a D-Tar “timberline” pickup and a D-Tar “equinox” EQ box. This combination gives a full spectrum of frequencies. I find with any bridge pickup it’s important to EQ, dipping a little of the honk around 800 Hz, and also dipping the brittle part of the highs and high-mids. When possible, I compensate by adding 20K, which is above the pitch of the fingernail clicks, so it just adds presence. For recording, I nearly exclusively use my Brauner stereo microphone.

(continued...)