Slide Show, Lecture, and a Private Concert by Master Luthier GRIT LASKIN

Thursday , September 01, 2005
06:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: Elderly Instruments
presentation ($25.00)

William "Grit" Laskin wears so many hats--and every one of them so well--that it's difficult to capture the essence of his talents in what might generally be considered a "reasonable" amount of text.

We'll begin with a description of the program Grit will present at Elderly on September 1. This presentation will appeal not only to instrument builders and other craftspeople but also to anyone who appreciates beautiful guitars. In his popular combination lecture/slide-show/concert event titled "Give me wood and I'll make it sing for you," Grit answers questions such as--but not limited to--How do pieces of trees create a box that can stir emotion? Why does the grain of a soundboard always go in a certain direction? Why do guitarmakers use so many politically-incorrect materials? Why is "soundhold" a misnomer?

In this entertaining presentation, Grit will answer the above questions and more. He guarantees that by the end of the evening you will have a surprisingly new understanding of how an instrument maker pulls music--not just sound--out of a wooden box. With over one-hundred slide images, Grit will also take you on a visual journey into his world of engraved inlay
and demonstrate how he has single-handedly pushed the medium from a decorative tradition into an art form.

To cap off the evening, Grit will offer a short concert for attendees, playing four of his handmade instruments: a guitar, a tenor mandolin, a concertina, and Northumbrian smallpipes.

Grit's background is incredibly varied. As an expert guitarmaker for many years, his steel-string, classical, and flamenco guitars are coveted around the world; the lengthy list of players of Laskin instruments includes k. d. lang, Sally Rogers, Claudia Schmidt, Mel Tillis, Ben Mink, Tom Cochrane, Tom Chapin, Garnet Rogers, Stan Rogers, James Keelaghan, and many more. There's a long waiting list of commissions.

In 1997, Laskin received Canada's prestigious Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence, the first and only instrument-maker to be so honored. He is an Elected Fellow of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, and is included in both the University of Toronto's "Who's Who in Canada" and the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada.

In order to encourage the growth and public awareness of the luthier's craft, in 1988 he co-founded the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans {A.S.I.A.), the international trade organization geared to professional builders of musical instruments. He has been president of A.S.I.A. twice, and in 1993 he authored the first Code of Ethics for luthiers.

Laskin's also a fine musician, songwriter, and singer, continuing to give concerts at clubs and festivals across Canada and the northern U.S. His original songs have been recorded by Pete Seeger, the Tannahill Weavers, and many others. He has recorded four solo albums and numerous others with various bands. In 1996, in partnership with three veteran producer/musicians, he founded Borealis Records, Canada's first national folk-music label. In addition, Laskin is one of the coordinators of Canada's longest-running adult folk-music camp, The Woods Music and Dance Camp.

Laskin is also a successful author of both fiction and nonfiction works, and in 2003 he published A Guitarmaker's Canvas; The Inlay Art of Grit Laskin. He developed and copyrighted body beveling techniques--the Armrest and the Ribrest-- that help reduce players' stress and soreness.

Following a two-year apprenticeship with Jean Larrivee beginning in 1971, he has been building guitars out of pure love of this painstaking, meticulous work. Larry Robinson, author of The Art of Inlay, extols Laskin as "the most astonishing inlay artist in North America." Laskin's philosophy is that inlays are not simply visual appointments but artistic statements. "The peghead and fingerboard are my canvas," he says. "I also love breaking the nut barrier," he explains, referring to inlays that spill over onto the first few frets. "But a guitar has to function as a musical tool first and foremost, otherwise the instrument is a failure."

The Museum of Civilization, Canada's equivalent of the Smithsonian, has four Laskin guitars in its permanent collection.
It's hard to imagine a more talented Renaissance man in the world of acoustic guitar than Grit Laskin.

Space is limited, so sign up soon.

Check out recordings we carry featuring Grit Laskin