Jason Mraz is a Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter born June 23, 1977 in Mechanicsville, Virginia and now Resides in San Diego, CA. Primarily recognized as an acoustic folk/rock musician, Mraz’s music has also been classified as a lesser the known genre, Blue-Eyed Soul.

Mraz first archived national attention for his 2002 release, Waiting for My Rocket To Come. Thanks to his hit I’m Yours, which set a record for lasting 76 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 charts, Mraz was named to Billboard’s 2009 Top Artist of the Year list. More recently, his song I Won’t Give Up on the album Love is a Four Letter Word, has reached as high as 16th on the Billboard Top 100  chart.

taylor mraz signature guitarMraz mainly plays acoustic guitars. He primarily relies his own signature Taylor model NS72ce, which is a nylon string guitar with a grand concert body shape with a cut out. He is also known to play a Taylor NS52ce. As a nylon string guitar player, Mraz is also known for playing the guitar with his fingers as opposed to a pick. When he does play an electric guitars he sports a Fender 1962 Jaguar Re-issue, and a Yamaha SBG2000.

Mraz doesn’t use many effects or pedals. When he does alter his tone, he uses a Moollon VintAge Wah pedal, a Moollon 3-Plus Pedal, and a Radial J48 MK2 Phantom Power Active Direct Box. For amplification, he uses a Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp.

jason tenor

As a singer, Mraz is a high tenor with a broad range. His songwriting style takes advantage of the upper end of his register which makes singing some of his song difficult for some men and even the average women. That said, a good portion of his songs, including I’m Yours, can be easily performed by a singer with an average range. To match his broad vocal range, Mraz often uses a capo, which allows him to play simplified chords in higher registers.

While the guitars Mraz plays are pricey, he does not use many expensive effects or amplifications systems. In general, his song structures are note overly complex, so if you know basic open chords, have an acoustic guitar and a wide vocal range, you are most of the way there. While his songs can also be played in a strumming style, to truly master Mraz’s playing style a good understanding of fingerpicking is a plus.

Keep Rockin’!!!

Jason Mraz by trendyjend © February 2009
Jason Mraz by devar © April 18, 2009

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