PaulAdams
Music
with David Hoffman
THIS CHRISTMAS An acoustic guitar holiday album by Paul Adams ""Adams'
instrumental interpretations of traditional Christmas fare are simple,
peaceful, and evocative.. serene meditative acoustic melodies that
avoid the usual holiday vices" Gary Panetta Peoria Journal Star |
A REMINDER
Non professionals seem to be more concerned with "appearance" or cosmetics than professional musicians. Many real "pro's" are concerned with sound, feel, and playability. BUT, some of you parents out there who are not sure your child will stick with it, may want to take some consideration in re salability. I thought I'd drop a few observations.
1. Classical or nylon string guitars don't sell as well as steel string instruments. So, if you want to be able to sell the instrument easily if your child looses interest, you may want to take this into consideration. It has nothing to do with what is better or best - just what will sell.
2. If you want to sell your student or first guitar, remember that your potential customers are going to be non professionals who will take the look and cosmetics into account. For this reason, try to convince little Johnny or Sally to treat the instrument well.
Hints about stringed instrument maintenance.
First of all, there is a lot of pressure on a stringed instrument. This, combined with other factors such as variances in climate, and the unpredictability of wood, can make things tricky. Wood is a living breathing thing. It isn't as stable as metal, and like people, can be unpredictable. THAT, is also the beauty of wood. It's mass and characteristics make it THE perfect medium for making musical instruments. Be aware that wood has a cellular structure and changes in climate, temperature, and humidity, can effect an instrument. In the winter months when we have our heaters on and the level of humidity in the air declines, wood can exhibit some shrinkage. ESPECIALLY if the wood was not dried properly before the instrument was constructed. Conversely, during the summer - especially here in the midwest - things can get VERY humid. This of coarse means that wood can absorb some of that moisture and actually expand somewhat.
Now, if you were to expose a stringed instrument to drastic and repeated changes in atmosphere, and climate, it can hurt the structure of the instrument. This is one reason why you don't see well known musicians touring with their favorite Martins. Not only do they go from Arizona to Georgia in a matter of one day, frequent jet travel will also expose the instrument is variances of atmospheric pressure. A long time ago I made a beautiful electric guitar for Rick Zunigar of Stevie Wonders Band. It was made of Paduk and had been recently finished w/ acrylic lacquer. Well, at 30,000 feet, the finish cracked. OOPS!!
I plan these pages to be an ongoing process so more areas will be covered as time permits. Depending on the time spent composing and running my record label I may not be able to answer all email, but i'll try to be as helpful as Ican. I know what it's like to be lost and a bit afraid to venture to new territory.
Here are some links that may offer more resources in learning more about stringed musical instruments as well as offering parts and miscellaneous hardware for working on instruments and learning about how guitars are built. The internet is a rich area and don't forget your local library.
LINKS OF INTEREST
The Guild Of American Luthiers
Link to my site showing the instruments I build
and music I compose