When most people hear woodwork they usually think, shelves, table,
furniture, etc, but you have been making instruments - why something so
challenging?
When I was a kid my parents got me piano lessons. I quit almost immediately. A few years
later, same thing with guitar. Then trumpet. Finally, when I was 15 I started to teach myself
piano and have played ever since.
The reason I didn’t stick with any of those earlier lessons was that the teachers were taking a
traditional approach. They figured you start with scales, then theory, then the classical standards. I wasn’t interested, got no joy from it, and saw no joy ahead for all the effort.
When I was 15, I decided I wanted to learn how to play “Let It Be” by The Beatles so I banged
around on a piano for a month until I got it. Then I moved onto another song I wanted to
learn.
If a person wants to make shelves, they should start making shelves. Easy ones, then harder
ones. If you want to build furniture, likewise. I wanted to build cigar box guitars, so I watched
a bunch of YouTube videos and did it. It was ugly and clumsy and I had a blast doing it so I’ve
studied how to do it better. Joy HAS to come first. Then the challenge of improving follows
since you’re already tickled to do better. But until you love a thing it’s always gonna be a
chore.
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THE CONE - ISSUE #9 - SPRING 2016