Pete Howlett
Well-known member
I have been running courses on ukulele building since 2008 and have had a considerable number of students complete wonderful instruments. One of the things that has become so apparent is that most who succeed well have had a little experience using their hands crafting something or other. However the significant quality that almost guarantees a successful outcome is those who listen and directly assimilate. My latest student did just that - use a tool this way and he followed instruction. Here is his completed works demo - the instrument was absolutely gorgeous...
Conversely, the least achieving students have been those who have already done some building or huge amounts of reading. They seem shackled by this prior learning and never quite get it... the sheep and goats moment occurs when they try to use my wooden spokeshave. Few can master this tool because it works purely by feel and, counter intuitively, only cuts when you roll it forward... The general miss call is to lean back on it when it starts to cut which makes it dig in and the more you lean back, the more of a hole you get in, and few there are who get out of it.
Making is about listening and thinking. It's not about knowledge and skill acquisition though these help.
Conversely, the least achieving students have been those who have already done some building or huge amounts of reading. They seem shackled by this prior learning and never quite get it... the sheep and goats moment occurs when they try to use my wooden spokeshave. Few can master this tool because it works purely by feel and, counter intuitively, only cuts when you roll it forward... The general miss call is to lean back on it when it starts to cut which makes it dig in and the more you lean back, the more of a hole you get in, and few there are who get out of it.
Making is about listening and thinking. It's not about knowledge and skill acquisition though these help.
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