Jerusalem Guitar project - An exercise in making something from nothing. (Music Recording and Video - 3 minutes) ecoTrain
I always get a lot of requests to hear my guitars when I publish photos of them. After all, that's what it's all about - the sound. I don't get on very well with recording myself, but I thought I'd have a go.
I laid down 4 guitar tracks on this guitar. I used 'Audacity' which is an open source recording program - easy to use and best of all, completely free. Growing up, I always wished I had a 4 track tape recorder, but somehow never managed to buy one. With 'Audacity' you can record as many tracks as you like, at the click of the mouse, and also add all kinds of effects, cut and paste waveforms and easily do all sorts of things that would have cost thousands of dollars in professional studio equipment not too long ago.
I then took all of the photos I had - most of which were taken on my old Galaxy 3, which I got for free from someone who upgraded - and put them together with the music, on my laptop, using Windows Movie Maker - which is also very simple to use and comes free with the computer or else is downloaded free from the internet. It lets you add some basic effects as well as things like captions and credits. Once again, massively powerful software which would have been an film editor's dream not all that many years ago - in the days of film reels, dark rooms, cutting rooms and complicated, expensive projection equipment. Editing took me a couple of hours using my trusty reconditioned Dell laptop which I bought for a couple of hundred dollars on Ebay a few years back.
Ok, so it's not exactly the Beatles Abbey Road album, or the latest Pixar movie - nor the most professional, slick promotional video presentation ever (yes, I noticed that I put some of the pictures in twice by accident, but by the time it was all rendered I couldn't be bothered to go through it all again... I don't really like using computers all that much) but as an exercise in making something from (almost) nothing, I'm very impressed with what's possible in this day and age.
Especially when you consider that I did all of this from a table in the corner of a battered old caravan on a hill, and uploaded it onto youtube using the connection from my mobile phone. Also when you consider that the guitar itself I made in the same said caravan - from some bits of wood I got from the garden, some shells I picked up on the beach, using a couple of handsaws, hand-planes and chisels.
I'm not telling you all of this to show off about how creative and talented I am. Really, anyone could do any of this. I just find it a good example of the almost undreamed of, limitless possibilities open to us these days.
Days of miracle and wonder indeed!
The tune I'm playing is 'On the Sea of Galilee' a traditional Christian song. Here it is sung by the Carter family:
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I don't know what to say. I hope you're not thinking of selling that guitar, bro - sounds like it's found you.
Thanks @healingherb . This guitar was made on commission, so it's going to its home in North Pole Alaska soon - and I'm happy about that. I like the idea that my guitars go on journeys all over the world, even though I don't go anywhere. I've got a few guitars which I am quite attached to which would be difficult to part with -but I probably would sell them if someone really connects with them (and offered the right price!). The main thing is that they go to good homes where they'll be appreciated and played.
Well, whoever it is is a very lucky person and I hope you'll post more of your playing because it's interesting to hear the intimacy in the sound (or that's how I interpret it) of maker on his own strings. Sounds brilliant to me. Thank you.
I have seen hundreds of posts today waiting for this one awe experience and here it is, thank you so much @stillgideon
Awww, I'm jealous I'm in a public library without earphones and couldn't listen yet. Can't wait. I already know how wonderful it is to hear him play. Four tracks put together is going to be fantastic. That Alaskan guy is going to be happy I bet.
Thanks @bubke . That's really encouraging
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STOPGorgeous gorgeous guitar sounds! And I agree about living in days of miracle and wonder right now. Nice to 'see' you again Gideon - it's Johleen from the Bristol road days. Tim mentioned he'd found you on Steemit.
Hope all is well with you and your family!
Love,
Johleen
Maybe materials cost 'nothing', but don't forget the painstaking workmanship, delicate shaving, shaping, hours of intricate inlaying involved in creating this stunning instrument.