|
Sept. 12, 2009
Firsthand accounts
of secondhand finds
There’s still one
source of musical instruments on this planet that is often
overlooked. Take it from me, I know. You just have to adjust your
frame of mind. I mean, there’s not going to be a big building with
a neon sign that says, “Buy This Guitar Here” or “Musical
Instrument Clearance Blowout Sale.” It’s going to be a lot less
obvious.
In all likelihood, it’s going
to say something like . . . “Garage Sale.”
Case in Point. Meet guitarist
Jim Pryts. A recent transplant to the Gorge, Jim has a long
history of playing and acquiring instruments. And, like me, he
found a gem among the random treasure one has to sort through in
the vast amount of second-hand stuff that comes up for sale. Jim
found a really old guitar, from a really famous maker, for less
than the cost of a new CD. And when I read that on his website, I
immediately re-lived my “Flea Market Find” moment. I was living on
the East coast, and was absolutely thrilled to find a 1950s famous
maker arch-top guitar for a price that I couldn’t pass up. That
guitar has been with me ever since. There were a few years when I
was moving around and such, and somehow, the guitar got lost.
Happily, it re-surfaced and was sent out to me here in
Oregon.
Jim sent me a few music samples of his
playing that brought back a memory of another second-hand find. I
guess about 20 years ago, I was stumbling through a flea market,
in Dunellun, NJ.
Digging through some old box, I came up with “The Art of Ragtime
Guitar,” by Green Note Music Publications, and luckily it still
had the flimsy 45 rpm-size record attached to it. With songs like
“Ragtime Ramble,” “Dadalada,” “Boogaloo Down La Rue,” and “Coney
Island Cakewalk,” I figured I couldn’t go wrong for a buck.
I didn’t know much about how to play
ragtime style, but it sure looked interesting.
I was kind of a beginner on the
instrument, back then, (and come to think of it, I still am!) but
it was kind of eye opening and addictive to try and play some of
these tunes. You see, the music was all written in guitar Tab, and
eventually I learned how to play most of one or two songs, from
memory. The rest I just listened to and sighed, -- I knew I’d
never be able to master them.
There was one more thing that
grabbed me looking at Jim’s web page. There’s a photo of Jim in
front of the Martin Guitar factory in
Pennsylvania. And that probably means that
Jim has the same souvenir that I have. You see, when you tour the
factory, you get to take a scrap of wood home with you. That scrap
of wood happens to be a soundhole cutout from a Really Nice
Guitar.
And although I can’t be sure,
I just can’t help but wonder if that scrap of wood came out of the
same guitar that’s on the front of my book. But, sheesh, that
would take a lot of work to find out.
I think it would be less work
to re-learn some of those ragtime tunes . . .
Read Jim’s interview with Jim Pyrts
here.
|
