The "Campbellin"

We just returned from another special experience at the John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. It is situated in a quiet valley in the midst of the Appalachian mountains with few modern distractions: full of learning challenges and chances to meet new and interesting people. It is like no place that I have ever been and we are already thinking of when to return.

For me, the experience was a chance to build a unique musical instrument and begin to learn to play it. John Huron of Noteworthy Music in Bristol, Tennessee, was the instructor and also the developer of this instrument. Because of it's design, the Campbellin could be built and then played within the week of the class. So Sunday through Wednesday was spent in the wood shop building the instrument. Thursday we "spanked the baby" by stringing the instrument and hearing it's first sounds. By Friday, the class was playing "Ode to Joy" at the concluding exhibit.

With the instructor's guidance and development of jigs and fixtures it was relatively easy to build and finish the Campbellin. I chose walnut sapwood for the top, walnut for the bottom and fretboard, ash for the sides, and sassafras for the neck. It was finished with one coat of urethane oil.

Learning to play the instrument was the most challenging part of the week for me since I lacked any knowledge of music theory. The idea, of course, is to follow the tradition of folk music and to experiment with the instrument. Most folk instruments were made and played by people who simply made up their own songs or "figured out" how to follow a folk melody. So, I have a new hobby - sitting on the deck and learning to play an instrument that I built. What a beautiful addition to my life.

I am editing a lot of video from this week and will be posting it to You Tube in the next couple of days. I will add a link to the blog when it is uploaded.