R. J. And the Fiddle

Al here¦ sometimes we have more than one thing going on. One night Bill was working on one project while Greg and I pursued another. At what we thought was the end of the day, we went to Mel & Vinnie’s place, thinking we’d kick back after the day’s work, maybe pick a few tunes and call it a night However, after a snack and a little story swapping, there’s a phone call. It’s R. J. Storm, and he’s got a violin for us but we have to come get it right then. He’s swamped with work, and will not have any other opportunity to get it to us.
We had met R. J. a couple of nights before, and he’d told us he might have something to donate. Here’s the thing; R. J. is not only a banjo player and singer; he’s also an instrument maker! (He made the banjo folk musician Pete Seeger currently plays.) Since Greg and I were both unfamiliar with the area, Mel and Vinnie volunteered to drive us over. We all piled into their van and off we went.
Watching a luthier at work was a rare treat for me. Though I play fiddle, I didn’t realize a lot of what’s involved in their constructions just observing R. J., I learned a lot about how to adjust and care for my own instrument. R. J. is somewhat of a human whirlwind. He was carrying on two or three room, conversations at once, hollering directions and requests for parts to people in the next room. Evaluating the tones of different violins being played myself or others, and shaping pegs, carving and hand fitting a bridge, and adjusting the sound post of the fiddle he was giving us, all at the same time! (In his spare time he’s an acupuncturist!) With his medical practice, how he finds time to do all he does escapes. Then again, like I said, he’s sort of a human tornado. After going through some surprise aggravations with the fiddle, he was finally satisfied that it was properly set up to give some student a solid instrument to learn on. Being a perfectionist, he wanted it to be just right, and wouldn’t settle for less. I can honestly say, it’s going to make some kid a great way to start. Thank you so much R.J.
After saying our goodbyes, with assurances from R. J. and friends that they’ll try to find more stuff for us, we finally headed back to Mel and Vinnie’s to crash so we could be up again first thing in the morning to meet Bill and dive into the next round Until we figure out how to fit two weeks into one, I guess we’ll continue to celebrate sleep deprivation and chaos! Onward through the fatigue!
Still Pickin'
Al Coffey
Greg Greenstein