It's been a long time since I last recorded something. Let along published something around here. There's been a lot to do around the house, especially since I got a big chunk of work to do. I've turn a lot of spaces in workplaces. It's hard to keep everything out of the way.
This is similar to the way I work, but tidier.
My latest instrument, the one called "Ñuñis" has been ready for quite some time. However, it had some problems with tuning and other aspects. So, it's like a premature baby. It needed some support in order to finish its development. And that's one of the reason that has kept me away from the keyboard and studying music.
But this week, I finished the works and the little one is singing and making its noises. It's lovely to be able to solve these issues. Maybe I'm better at repairs than I thought.
If you are wondering about the weird name of the instrument, well, it's a not-so-long story. The girl that has my first sale told me a while ago she had name her Venezuelan Cuatro, Phillip. I don't actually remember if that was the spelling or if she used the French one. It's not the important thing. Then, she went on with this speech about how I had to name the instruments because of the connection between craftsman and crafts. She wasn't wrong. But I knew where she was going with this. She offered her help for this task. I thanked her for her feedback and told her I would take her offering into consideration. And we all know that's a polite way of saying "thank you, but no thanks".
It's not a thing of bragging but I can name my instrument alright without any suggestions. Names for stuff like this need to pop out in a moment or make reference to something related to the seasons, dates, and more. For example, I'm currently working on Venezuelan Cuatro #7. This one I named "Mardí". It is related to Carnival and more specific to Mardi Gras. I thought it was fitting to the upcoming holiday. About the name of this one, well, it was something the owner said in the chat. We have all this weird ways of saying something is pretty. It is a lovely thing because bending the language to express tenderness or saying something is too cute for words is just awesome. It is very Shakespearean as well. All this conjugates perfectly into the work of an artisan and something that is meant to keep art rolling.
As a side note, I have to say that the first girl felt like the name "Ñuñis" was an insult for her. And I had to remind her that the instruments are mine and as long as I'm ok with the names anyone's opinion is irrelevant (especially when I'm not asking for it). And that settled that business. There some pending posts about the new project. Meanwhile, after all this little bit of rambling, I'd like you to listen to "Ñuñis".
Let me know anything about the sound. It's still not too late to make some adjustments if it is needed. Her owner is still out of the country and won't have it in her hands for a while.
Now, about the video. I saw a lot of sound tests from friends in the craft these days. They were all playing fragments of songs that are traditional from their region. It seems a lot of the luthiers I know are from the plains. Then, I had to play something from the coast. The harmonic progression played in this video is from one of the genres of Eastern Traditional Venezuelan Music known as "Punto". This are the song of working people. These used to have no instruments to accompany them. The sound that made up the rhythm and musicality of these songs were the implements used for the job or nature around it. If these notes make you think of the sea and early mornings, it is because that's what it beckons. These is the harmony of "Punto de Navegante". It is a genre of songs about fishers and sailors going to work. Some of them are about the people waiting for their return and others are actually from the people doing the work.