Lyle de Vitry

Originally from Lancaster, PA, Lyle began his musical journey studying piano at the age of 8 and took up cello lessons at the age of 9. He continued piano lessons for 5 years, but eventually decided to focus on the cello. Throughout grade school he was a part of many youth orchestras including the Lancaster Youth Symphony and Allegretto, a selective youth chamber orchestra in Lancaster county. Now, with 20 years of experience playing the cello, Lyle performs professionally as a side-musician and studio session instrumentalist around Asheville. More recently, he started composing string arrangements for his own songs and, last year, began composing his first string quartet.

In addition to cello, Lyle also is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter. Completely self taught, Lyle’s approach to the guitar is unique. He started learning songs in middle school when he fell in love with the music of Sufjan Stevens, Jose Gonzalez, and Nick Drake. After years of studying tab and learning by ear, he started writing his own songs and instrumentals. In 2023, he was selected as one of ten finalists in the internationally recognized Telluride Troubadours contest and was named runner-up in the local NewSong LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition. He recently completed the prestigious Residency at 821 hosted by Lamplight AVL in Asheville, NC, and will be releasing his debut album on August 2nd, 2024.

Furthermore, a big reason Lyle moved to Asheville was to be close to the rich Appalachian music scene. He has played both fiddle and banjo for 10 years, and also loves playing rhythm guitar. Lyle taught guitar and banjo at several of the local Junior Appalachian Music programs and has offered private lessons for almost a decade. He studied music education briefly and was a part of three choirs during his time at Temple University, where he earned a bachelors of arts in anthropology with a minor in music.

Lessons With Lyle

All lessons will be customized and based on the skill level and interests of each student. Lyle enjoys teaching many styles of music including classical, improvisation, traditional Appalachian, and songwriting. He believes in the value of learning to read music, but also loves teaching students to learn by ear. Creating a calm, welcoming and supportive teaching environment, Lyle encourages creative exploration on each instrument and helps students to find their own unique voice.

Cello and fiddle students with interest in reading music will learn from the Mark O’Connor Method string books, with the option to also learn traditional tunes by ear. Beginners will learn fundamentals such as left hand finger placement and bow technique, basic theory, rhythms and time signatures. Intermediate students will also work on fundamentals, but with an emphasis on honing their technique and developing musicality, expression, and beautiful tone.

With a similar approach to the Suzuki method, students who are specifically interested in Appalachian fiddle and banjo will learn tunes completely by ear, with the option to read tab as needed. Lyle is passionate about passing along traditional techniques as well as helping students feel empowered to explore new interpretations of old tunes and songs.

Guitar students will have the opportunity to learn basic chords in standard tuning, elements of songwriting, fingerstyle guitar technique & fingerpicking patterns. Specializing in open tunings, Lyle is also able to help students explore the boundless moods and palettes to be discovered with unconventional chord shapes in these alternate tunings.