Non-Replication Proclamation

Dasha Karandasheva, bassist for ZEN-ZEN-ZEN (Moscow, Russia) wrote me a very kind email today:

"Hi, Rick!

I have visited your site — this is really 'something different'.

My name is Dasha. I'm from Russia, Moscow.
I wold like to translate some information from your site into russian language — about you and your project, and then put it into russian bassplayer community.

Don't you mind?

And please, say — what do you realise, think, feel after all these years of making such a project?

I would like to know — what is inspiring you to make all this work — making design and build every instrument by hand?"

Hers is actually a very interesting question. Deceptively simple. I thought about what she wrote, while out splashing around in the mud on my mountain bike this afternoon, and realized the answer is complex.

It begins with labels.

(I'll plug myself into the equation. Feel free to substitute yourself.)

Human social institutions seek to quantify us: "Rick Toone is American. Agnostic. Libertarian. Married." Science seeks to qualify us: "Homo sapiens. Male. Caucasian. 6' 2" 185 lbs. Auburn hair. Blue eyes." We seek to identify ourselves: "I'm a luthier. Philosopher. Conservationist." As you read, an image of me forms in your brain, based on these "statistics."

A label.

And while labels are useful abstractions for representing categories of people, they are poor substitutes for recognizing individual human experience. The sights, smells, sounds...thoughts...feelings...during my bike ride today were unique and unrepeatable. Non-transferable. Even if you had been with me today, your experience would have been different. I cannot share my consciousness with you.

Which brings us to art.

Art is the most sophisticated tool we have for attempting to communicate consciousness. Using art we can communicate across both space and time. We can communicate across cultures. And music — alone among the arts — is so adept we can communicate between species...

Although Ludwig van Beethoven wrote Symphony No. 5 almost two hundred years ago, on a different continent, speaking a different language from me, as I listened today to Leonard Bernstein conduct the New York Philharmonic in 1961, I could feel Beethoven's consciousness. His sense of life.

And when I later "meowed" the melodies to my one eyed cat, I had his unblinking attention. He was quite literally mesmerized. When I switched to Radiohead, he lost interest and rubbed against my legs. Beethoven communicated to him. Why?

So how does this relate to lutherie?

My premise is the musician's instrument directly translates your musical thought — feeling, emotion — into physical sound waves. This is where imagination meets communication. The tool should be an extension of the musician, of your body. Your lifetime of skills intersects with my lifetime of skills. A collaboration between us, as artists. As unique and unrepeatable as your experience, your life.

Distinctiveness and replication are antitheses.

A one-off hand built instrument is by definition non-replicable. Guernica stands alone.

Scarcity has value.

Comments

[The Incredible Bulk]

I wonder... If you started out with Radiohead, if that would have sufficed for the 8 second attention span you received from your cat - which is really rare in cats? ^_^

Music is also rare in that it is one of the only forms of communication that transcends most all barriers - most notably, vocal barriers. And if one is cunning and passionate enough, you can emote and relate senses using music where the written word may be lost in translation.

I study animation, and that key word, 'Emote' - is the crux by which an animated object transforms from being a puppet on a string to an actual 'Character' that an audience signifies with and cares about. As far as I have come to think and understand, animation (properly applied) is the visual equivalent of music and has the ability to relate feeling and emotion without barriers. The Old Masters of the Renaissance (label), knew this all too well and practiced it relentlessly.

But all this can only be acheived by one of the emotions that many do not have or thier situation(s) in life keep from thier view - Passion. Passion drives us to create, destroy, love and relate. It is the spark of many things, good and bad. It is up to us when we realize it is present, what to do with it. And for the old masters of the musical sort (label again), they were able to realize the emotion and forge it into a form that emotes and relates to us today, just as it had to our ancestors. And they capitalized also by working in more than just a singular emotion in to their works that reflected the current society at that time.

That is also why I believe that much music today is 'labeled' to a 'sub-labeled' sect of people (this is primarily due to the 'do what makes money', 'short-sighted', 'got a piece of paper (degree) so I know what I am talking about' Ivy-Suits in power positions in record companies) and relates to only a small portion of people today and will most probably be lost to most of our future generations, where the Old Masters will still be just as fresh as they are today - 100 years later.

thanks for listening...

[Fighting Windmills]

That's a great explanation, Rick. I'm so happy for you that you are able to live what you believe.

[Monster]

Rick,

I thought you were building guitars in response to my near-constant nagging? Your answer was much more eloquent, however.

[Rob Hughes]

Your cat wanted nothing to do with Radiohead??? Thom Yorke is weeping as I write...

;)

Very well said, your depth and insight never ceases to amaze and inspire.