At 6:56 PM -0400 9/2/06, David W. Fenton wrote:
Well, this was the cheapest possible instrument, and the fingerboard was clearly wood that had been stained black and the stain had worn off. My bet is that the majority of fiddlers out there are playing on instruments that aren't made with the finest materials.
Now, now! That's true of most beginners on most instruments, who may play plastic recorders, piccolos, clarinets, bassoons, and small violins and cellos that do not represent master-pieces of the luthiers' art. And in many cases, not even journeyman-pieces! Few beginning pianists have access to a Steinway D. And when I started teaching viol at Indiana in the '70s, the school owned only a trio of absolutely dreadful, clunky East German instruments, but some of the students who started on those instruments have gone on to great professional success.
But if you're implying that country and traditional musicians are blind to fine craftsmanship and fine woods, I have to differ. The ex-husband of a woman who played our community musical this summer has at least a 3-year waiting list for his instruments, and waiting customers who fully appreciate the esthetics as well as the sound of those instruments.
John -- John & Susie Howell Virginia Tech Department of Music Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
