Members Freeman Keller Posted October 4, 2015 Members Share Posted October 4, 2015 My local high school hosted a "Makers Faire" today. A Maker is someone who makes something - in attendance were lots of traditional craftspeople but also a bunch of hands on demonstrations for young people. There were robot competitions and drones racing around indoor obstacle courses, people who have converted their cars to alternate fuel or electricity and one guy building a race car for the Bonneville salt flats. Solar panels and alternate medicine and just about everything else you can imagine. Since a luthier is a Maker of stringed instruments I was asked to participate. I took a variety of home made guitars - electric, acoustic, resonators, a Weissenborn and a mandolin, as well as work in progress and a few tools. I invited people to pick up any of the instruments and play it - a couple of chairs, some picks and an amp for the electrics. I was surprised how many mandolin players there are, including boy probably 13 or 14 who ripped off a really good version of Whiskey Before Breakfast. There was some serious shreading on the Barncaster and the Lester and a lot of interest in the lefty 335 (no players tho) I set a tablet out and invited people to leave their names and e-mail address if they were interested in learning more about building their own guitars - I didn't count but there are a page and a half of names. If only one of two of these actually decide to build and instrument my efforts today will have been worthwhile. What a fun event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted October 4, 2015 Members Share Posted October 4, 2015 Very nice indeed. You know what you might think about with all your free time? To do a collaboration with a music teacher at one on the HS's or colleges in you area where you do a makers space building 3 string cigar box style guitars and the teach students how to play them. It would be something to think about and if approved I'm sure there would be a small stipend or pay check in it for both. Might want to speak to the dean of academics and curriculum on this. Nuttin like a good ol' hootenanny night to cap off a semester of blood sweat and tears [video=youtube;QDwcx4-7jBs] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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