About/FAQ

About me:

            I began by learning the basics of guitar while in high school, on a $40 nylon string classical I found at a pawnshop. Over the next 15 years or so, I suffered from stage fright, which I finally overcame with much effort by playing guitar in a small church. Overcoming that barrier enabled me to join in with several other bands, and developed my songwriting abilities, all the while continuing to share what I’ve learned. Making music with others elevated my playing and approach to music, to a level not attainable any other way. These experiences, along with my innate compulsion to teach will hopefully be an encouragement for others, and enhance the style of this blog.

About this blog:

            The equation is simple; trees = guitars = music.

My vision is this blog:

            I envision this as an opportunity for building a community of guitarists and musicians dedicated to safeguarding the future of the trees essential to guitar building, by first becoming aware, and then sharing that awareness with others. My hope is in doing so, we will create an informed society who not only fully understand how and where guitars are made, but also modify their thinking, decisions, and actions to support efforts that safeguard the future of trees, guitars, and music. Without action now, these precious trees will soon vanish.

            The articles, photographs, and videos here will focus on three, interrelated themes:

                        1) Threatened forest habitats.

                        2) Guitar production.

                        3) Music.

            Through this blog, I seek to raise awareness of issues threatening the future of trees, guitars, and music; to change traditionally held perceptions of guitar manufacturing, and foster acceptance of non-traditional methods, while making the world a better place through the healing powers of music.

Why blog about trees, guitars, & music?

            Logging continues to destroy the forests, and natural habitats globally. If logging practices do not change, many of the trees critical in building guitars will become extinct. Old-growth Sitka spruce, essential to acoustic guitars, will be gone in ten years if clear-cutting continues in Alaska.  Ebony, another key wood for guitars, and violins has nearly been eliminated due to over harvesting; Cameroon is now the last place on Earth it can be legally obtained.

           

Some key issues I will be addressing:

            - According to a 2007 report from Greenpeace, “Today, just 8 percent of the world’s intact forest landscapes are strictly protected and many regions where logging takes places still do not have enough certified forests to supply instrument manufactures.” Many species have been exploited beyond recovery because of irresponsible harvesting. 

            - Ebony has been pushed to the brink of extinction; the only place left on Earth where it can be legally harvested is Cameroon.

            - Sitka spruce, a main element in construction of acoustic guitars, requires trees aged 250-300 years, which means they are only found in the old-growth forests. In 2007 in an article, The Truth about Tongass, National Geographic reported that, “In the lower 48 states, 96 percent of old-growth forest of all types has been cut down. The Tongass now represents not only the greatest remaining reserve of huge trees in the U.S., but also nearly one-third of the old-growth temperate rain forest left in the world.” Unless harvesting practices change, the supply of Sitka spruce is expected to be exhausted in ten years.

What to expect on the blog:

            I plan to visit several guitar manufactures this spring, beginning in California, with Taylor, Carvin, G&L, Fender, and Rickenbacker—Oregon’s Breedlove, and smaller builders such as Tom Anderson (Ca.), Seattle’s David Myka Custom Guitars, and Rainsong Graphite Guitars. During these visits I will gather interviews, photos, and where possible videos of their building practices, and sustainability initiatives.

            Also planed are visits to local churches, song circles, performances, and music shops. Many blog articles will also focus on the benefits of music, and include ways for local musicians to connect with each other. It will also encourage non-musicians to consider the health benefits of music, by learning to play guitar. Visits to the Seattle-based quarterly magazine, The Freeboard Journal, and various other periodicals such as, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and Guitar Player are also in the planning stages.

Because I’m not all-knowing:

            Knowledge for this blog will come from a variety of sources. As many of the initial blog entries will focus on them, much will be obtained through interviews, photos, and videos of West Coast guitar builders.  Additional research will include books, journals, websites, news articles, governmental regulations, activist organizations, and movies concerning sustainability, and music. I also encourage visitors to this blog to conduct their own research, and share their findings here, as we build this social movement together.