Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
“Masters don’t need to say they’re the masters—it’s obvious in the work.” Maikel Kuijpers studies craftsmanship. This is my kind of thinking and one of the reasons I became so infatuated with material culture when I was a young anthropology student. People who make for themselves, when that is the only option, don't just create … Continue reading The Future is Handmade
Greg, over at Hillbilly Daiku is always posting great stuff. There is too much good information out there and not enough time to take it all in while still leading a creative and fulfilling life so it takes me a while to catch up. I was just reading this excellent post about something dear to … Continue reading More Cigar Box Guitar
My friend Bob sent me a link to an excellent video documenting the construction of a Spanish (i.e. Classical) Guitar. The man is obviously a real craftsman with a purpose-built shop and this is definitely not a one-off project. If you are like me and like to see how things are made, this half hour … Continue reading Making a Spanish Guitar in the 21st Century
And this is just one facet of this all American genre. https://youtu.be/mZDH7C8N7LE "The blues used to be dangerous, then it got packaged into an adult contemporary box and organized into TAB charts. Luckily, nobody has passed any laws demanding pure traditionalism. I’d rather be a blues liar. You are more than a guitarist. You are … Continue reading Raw and Gritty, Real Blues is Alive and Well
Last winter I had an important epiphany about myself as a musician. I am under nor delusion that I will ever be more than a closet or campfire player. For me, for now, that's going to have to be good enough. Although I love the fiddle more than any other instrument, I went back to … Continue reading Banjo redo
A beautiful, but all too short of a film showing a master luthier at work. http://vimeo.com/80626929#
A beautiful short film about the maker. Pieces of wood, love, knowledge and 299 hours of work, condensed in a 3 minute film.
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 