Thursday, February 9, 2017

leadership dot #1714: guitjo

I recently accompanied Acoustic Eidolon as they performed as artists-in-residence in area schools. The duo performs with two instruments: a cello and a guitjo. If you have never heard of the later it is no surprise. The guitjo is a custom instrument that combines the guitar with the banjo into a two-neck string music-maker.
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Joe Scott of Acoustic Eidolon wanted to incorporate the sounds of the banjo into his performance, so he designed the instrument to allow him to do so. Once he had the guitjo custom-made, he then had to learn a new technique to allow him to play chords and the melody simultaneously. 
It would have been easier for Joe to alternate between the guitar and banjo, to add another performer to play the second instrument or to throw up his hands and lament that a blended medium did not exist. Instead, he put pencil to paper to design something new, then found a luthier to craft one for him. The result is a uniquely captivating sound that has entertained audiences around the world.
How can you model Joe's behavior and actually bring to fruition an idea that currently is just inside your head? Can you move from a need into action and create something that fills a gap in what exists? Sometimes combining two disparate ideas can result in beautiful music.
Learn more at Acoustic Eidolon.com

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