 Singing competitions and local talent contests followed, but it was not until his teenage years that the bass guitar became the focus of his musical aspirations.Discovering an old guitar in the family loft with only a single low E-string left, he started to pick out bass-lines from favourite records, finally graduating to the real thing at 16 years old.From the early 1980s, Vernal began playing in a variety of Glasgow-based bands and some jazz residencies throughout Scotland until, after some persuasion from their drummer, joined newly signed Deacon Blue in the autumn of 1986—until 1994, the band enjoyed worldwide success.