International Guitar Month

 April is INTERNATIONAL GUITAR MONTH. In celebration I read a short book about how guitars are made.  I also expanded my musical horizons by listening to music CDs of classical guitar, from the public library --- something quite different from the “classic” rock I’m used to.  One CD selection was IN THE SPANISH STYLE by Christopher Parkening, a student of Segovia who has been proclaimed by music critics as “America’s greatest guitar virtuoso.”  The other CD was GUITAR FOR RELAXATION, a collection of soothing music from different periods played by Julian Bream. I enjoyed them both very much.

GUITARS: From Start to Finish

by Samuel G. Woods

            c.1999  I often wish I had some musical talent, but I don’t. I can play a few tunes on the harmonica or the mountain dulcimer, but I always wished I’d had piano or guitar lessons as a child.

            This book is an interesting look at how one famous brand, the Martin guitar, is made. A German immigrant, Christian Frederick Martin, Sr., set up a guitar-making shop on NYC’s Lower West Side in 1833. Five years later, he moved his family and his business to Nazareth, Pennsylvania where The Martin Company has been making guitars for over 175 years.

            In a series of photos, many of the more than 300 steps required to make a finished Martin guitar are illustrated and explained. The factory produces about 50,000 guitars a year, an average of 150-200 a day!

            There are also photos of some of the today’s great musical legends who own and play Martin “Signature Series” custom-made instruments, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Stephen Stills, and Willie Nelson. Country superstar Travis Tritt owns one that cost $36,000!