The Tools That Help Tell The Story

Going from left to right--a wooden five string banjo that my father and I made in the 90's, a three string wooden Neely banjo made in Damascus, Virginia in the 80's, an Appalachian dulcimer, an Oscar Schmidt autoharp, a bouzouki, and a Sigma guitar. We have added to this by having three fiddle players, a mandolin player, a ukulele player, a tenor banjo player, a dobro and wash tub bass player, a developing Cajon player , a washboard player and an occasional harmonica.

But it is the lyrics that matter most. These old songs often tell stories and these instruments don't distract from those stories. No jazz inspired instrumentals--just a lot of hammers, pull offs and slides to both follow, and at time lead, the human voice as it seeks to find the sound that goes best with each word that tells that story.

I always keep my eyes open for instruments that transform the spoken word to music. The one below should arrive this week.