An Arcane Pause

TOOLS OF WOOD

Bamboo Or Spruce ?

strokes and folks

WALLPAPER:  CEDAR OR SPRUCE ?

-------

.. A not so quiet renaissance is sweeping the world. It is similar to the resurgence of bamboo that one sees in rods of fly fishers.

BY MARTIN

.. It is every bit as organic, cultural, and as arcane as it is in the fly fishing world. It's the world of classical guitars and ukuleles.
.. Down through the millennia a box with a string has revealed itself in cultures around the world.
.. We call those boxes musical instruments. The boxes and strings have evolved into a seemingly endless array of shapes and sizes.
.. The guitar, (as we know it,) is a fairly recent iteration of this genera. The ukulele is even more recent.
.. Both are members of the "lute family." and are becoming fixtures in cultures both east and west.

BY TORRES

.. Sometime in the 15th or 16th century the modern form of the guitar became recognizable. By 1792 the six string version that we know was pretty well standardized.
.. The ukulele can trace it's origin to small Portuguese instruments, (machete de braga,) that were introduced to Hawaii early in the 19th century. By mid century the form that we know today had become recognizable.
.. Over the last 200 years guitars have become the universally recognized accompaniment to vocal music in world cultures: electric, electric acoustical, acoustical, folk, classical, flamenco, etc.

BY KALA

.. During the last 70 years, (or so,) with increasing regularity, The guitar has become a fixture in the home and on the trail. During the last 20 years the ukulele has been making rapid progress as the instrument of choice for campfire accompaniment.
.. With the explosion of Asian labor and the abilities of exceptional craftspeople, both of these instruments are now being produced in huge quantities. Prices are lower than any in memory.
.. The quality of the instruments ranges from pure shit to the best ever made. Experimentation with new materials, (woods and synthetics, ) and construction techniques, (i.e. double tops and carbon fibers,) has brought a revolution in the familiar instruments.

BY GIBSON

.. The electric guitar from the 50's and 60's has become an expensive collectors item. Depending on provenance an electric guitar can go for over two million dollars at auction, (LINK.)
.. The earliest classical guitars may go for three times the price of the electric models. But, price is a digression for the specialist.

RAMIREZ GENERATIONS SPAIN

.. Today there are guitars and ukuleles being made throughout the world that are the sound and construction equivalent of anything made previously. The best guitars now come from California, Spain, Germany, China, Japan, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, and - all points in between. The best ukuleles come from China, California, Germany and Hawaii, (among other places.)

AMALIA RAMIREZ

.. Some are made in garages in Oregon. Some are made in small shops in Spain. Some are made in factories in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Some are made in forest retreats in Japan. They can be made anywhere there is a dedicated craftsman. There are even two in West Yellowstone, Montana.
.. Modern commerce and international cooperation have made available woods that have hitherto been unknown or unavailable to the luthiers of the world. There are even large companies that specialize in the woods for the ukulele and guitar.

ALL THOSE WOODS

.. The appeal of both the guitar and the ukulele for solo pleasure, performance, and voice accompaniment is portability.
.. Today kids, children, old codgers, teenagers, millennials, men, women, and others are flocking to ukuleles like never before.

UKULELES BY THE THOUSANDS

.. Blogs are erupting across the web in languages never before encountered. YouTube is rife with reviews, songs, instruction, performances, and the miscellaneous stuff that is attracted to that platform.
.. Specialty shops that sell only ukuleles now are more popular than guitar specialty shops.

STRAIGHT FROM SCOTLAND

.. School music programs can afford ukuleles for all students not just a few band instruments for the band classes.
.. The autoharp is out. Boring and irrelevant 'music appreciation' is long gone. Ukulele participation is in. In the last 10 years the classroom ukulele has become a true phenomenon. AND, it persists outside the classroom.

READY TO JAM

.. Kids can carry their ukes and jam at any time and anywhere. Even the waterproof plastic ukuleles sound good, stay in tune and can go to the beach, river, lake, or ski slope, (REALLY ?).
.. From obscure and humble beginnings in 1967, (LINK,) to today the 50 year explosion has produced a multi-generational conversation that brings together folks in a unique and productive way. Try it - you'll like it.
.. 'The movement,' if it can be called that, is as simple or complex as you choose it to be.
.. The expense can vary from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. The songs can be as simple as "Mary had A Little Lamb," to as difficult as  "Bohemian Rhapsody."

..
 Bohemian Rhapsody by Jake

.. We enjoy listening to both the guitar and the ukulele. We play both very badly.
.. But - in the winter these chunks of wood are almost as fulfilling as the bits of bamboo that we torture in the warmer months. A box full of air should be explored by everyone at least once in their life.

-----

.. It's about to become a melting day - again. There is petrol in the horse and Notellum Backwater has not frozen yet. False dawn just broke and the neighbors have let their dogs out to fertilize the snow. All is right with the universe.
.. For those interested there are some unique video bits below the wallpaper.

-------

WALLPAPER:   PULLA - STRAIGHT FROM FINLAND

 -------

..

..

..

..

//