Fear and Greed
What have we got to fear? With me it’s fear of loss. Loss of love. Loss of respect. Loss of security. I feel fear of failure. I don’t want to feel that others are judging or condemning me. This makes me afraid.
What have we got to be greedy about? I’m greedy/needy for recognition. Greedy for accomplishment or mastery of Life. I want to have it all and to keep it forever. Good luck.
The Native American style flute allows me to opportunity to confront my fear and greed. In order to learn and grow I must allow myself the right to make mistakes without labeling them as failures. To do this I must leave my fears behind. I accept that I am not going to be perfect all the time. This is OK. In fact only by giving myself the right to be imperfect can I continue to grow with my flute. My music is an exploration. Sometimes it leads to unexpected notes. Notice I did not say wrong notes. An unexpected note opens the space for a new improvisation to evolve. The improvisation finds a way to use the new note. The music improvises new ways to integrate the note into established patterns. This leads to new opportunities for expression. If we stay within the boundaries circumscribed by our fear of hitting a wrong/bad note nothing new happens. We are safe. But we are going in circles.
My greed wants me to be accomplished. I want to be confident that I have it wired. I don’t want to make mistakes. The mistakes that can lead to judgment or shame. Right! Try and make that one work. However, the music is a jealous lover. It will not allow of split attention. If my focus is on getting it right then I will not be surrendered to the music.
I know that the music coming through the flute can transport me to a place without fear and greed. The music is all that exists. Nothing else matters. My unique contribution to the universe is expressing itself in music. If no one hears – that’s OK. If the whole world hears – that’s OK too. What’s the difference? The flute has the answer.
Today we celebrate the birth of a man who sacrificed his life publicly so that the message ‘you are forgiven’ could get across. He told us that we can let go of our fear of failure. We can let go of our desire to be perfect. The Universe gives us the right to make mistakes. In fact it encourages us to do so.
Facing the Great Unknown
Friday, December 25, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Tuned In
What does ‘in tune’ mean? What is ‘being in tune’ any way and does it matter? Is your flute ‘in tune’? Is my flute ‘out of tune’? Am I out of tune? Are you out of tune? Are we ‘in tune’ with each other?
What happens if we are ‘out of tune’? Is that a bad thing? I’m getting confused – maybe I’m not in tune with what’s happening. Am I OK? Are you OK? Are our flutes OK? What will people think? Oh my God – I’m getting nervous about all this. Maybe something is wrong. I don’t want to be out of tune. Do you?
Now, relax and take a deep breath. We will try and sort out some of these questions. Then perhaps we will be in tune with tuning.
Music, like just about everything else in the modern world we live in has become standardized. If you want to be ‘in tune’ according to the latest (there have been many) standard then A is 440 Htz. This has not always been the standard. It is thought (though not proven) that Bach tuned to 415 Hz for A. Over the years there has been a steady creep upwards. This is because the higher frequency sounds ‘sweeter’ (what ever that means). I read somewhere – but don’t quote me – that what stopped the upward creep was opera singers. They rebelled because the high notes kept getting higher to the point that they were straining their voices to reach them.
So, by today’s standards if you want your flute to be in tune it should be calibrated to the big 440. Unless they have what is called perfect pitch most people can’t distinguish the difference between 440 Hz and 430Hz. Or 440 Hz and 450Hz. It sounds the same to them. Let’s draw a comparison with temperature. Can you distinguish between water that is 80F and water that is 82F? Or water that is 80F and 78F. Probably not. And if you could would that change anything.
There are flute players who carry around electronic tuners in their pockets. If a flute is not dead on at 440Hz they get all judgmental. They don’t even listen to the flute. Nor do they feel what is happening in themselves when they hear the sound. For them it’s all about what the electronic tuner says. I call these types tuning Nazis.
There is a myth out there that 432 Hz is the God ordained perfect pitch for A. Somehow 432Hz is thought to embody some cosmic harmonic or standard. This particular tuning is claimed to have profound effects on consciousness and on the cellular level of our bodies. But I have found no empirical evidence to support this claim. Lack of empirical evidence does not mean that this slightly lower tuning doesn’t have a different effect. I must confess that I prefer a flute that is tuned to about 432. This means that the flute is a little flat by contemporary standards. But I am going by the way I feel about it. Not by some standard of what is right or wrong. I’m not claiming it’s a magic number or sound. Or has healing properties.
So what does all this have to do with you and your flute?
For me the whole purpose of playing the Native American style flute is to relax and have fun. Playing my flute can help me get into a space where I am enjoying myself. Honestly, the last thing I am thinking about is whether or not my flute is in tune. I played my first simple river cane flute for a year and had a great time. Of course that little flute was way out of tune. I didn’t know it. Nobody complained. And, being “out of tune’ didn’t affect my enjoyment one bit. When I upgraded to another flute it was not to be ‘in tune’ but to get a clearer, sweet sound and more volume.
Relax, get in tune with your self and the world around you. Play. Is your flute out of tune? Does it really matter? Enjoy!
What happens if we are ‘out of tune’? Is that a bad thing? I’m getting confused – maybe I’m not in tune with what’s happening. Am I OK? Are you OK? Are our flutes OK? What will people think? Oh my God – I’m getting nervous about all this. Maybe something is wrong. I don’t want to be out of tune. Do you?
Now, relax and take a deep breath. We will try and sort out some of these questions. Then perhaps we will be in tune with tuning.
Music, like just about everything else in the modern world we live in has become standardized. If you want to be ‘in tune’ according to the latest (there have been many) standard then A is 440 Htz. This has not always been the standard. It is thought (though not proven) that Bach tuned to 415 Hz for A. Over the years there has been a steady creep upwards. This is because the higher frequency sounds ‘sweeter’ (what ever that means). I read somewhere – but don’t quote me – that what stopped the upward creep was opera singers. They rebelled because the high notes kept getting higher to the point that they were straining their voices to reach them.
So, by today’s standards if you want your flute to be in tune it should be calibrated to the big 440. Unless they have what is called perfect pitch most people can’t distinguish the difference between 440 Hz and 430Hz. Or 440 Hz and 450Hz. It sounds the same to them. Let’s draw a comparison with temperature. Can you distinguish between water that is 80F and water that is 82F? Or water that is 80F and 78F. Probably not. And if you could would that change anything.
There are flute players who carry around electronic tuners in their pockets. If a flute is not dead on at 440Hz they get all judgmental. They don’t even listen to the flute. Nor do they feel what is happening in themselves when they hear the sound. For them it’s all about what the electronic tuner says. I call these types tuning Nazis.
There is a myth out there that 432 Hz is the God ordained perfect pitch for A. Somehow 432Hz is thought to embody some cosmic harmonic or standard. This particular tuning is claimed to have profound effects on consciousness and on the cellular level of our bodies. But I have found no empirical evidence to support this claim. Lack of empirical evidence does not mean that this slightly lower tuning doesn’t have a different effect. I must confess that I prefer a flute that is tuned to about 432. This means that the flute is a little flat by contemporary standards. But I am going by the way I feel about it. Not by some standard of what is right or wrong. I’m not claiming it’s a magic number or sound. Or has healing properties.
So what does all this have to do with you and your flute?
For me the whole purpose of playing the Native American style flute is to relax and have fun. Playing my flute can help me get into a space where I am enjoying myself. Honestly, the last thing I am thinking about is whether or not my flute is in tune. I played my first simple river cane flute for a year and had a great time. Of course that little flute was way out of tune. I didn’t know it. Nobody complained. And, being “out of tune’ didn’t affect my enjoyment one bit. When I upgraded to another flute it was not to be ‘in tune’ but to get a clearer, sweet sound and more volume.
Relax, get in tune with your self and the world around you. Play. Is your flute out of tune? Does it really matter? Enjoy!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Something’s Happening Here
We know that something new is happening. Many people are being called from within to explore new ideas and behaviors. For one thing, music is coming into our lives in new ways. Drum circles and flute circles are forming everywhere. We are making our own music instead of just listening to the music of others. We are getting together with others to make music and exchange ideas.
We know that it is not about what is good for big business and big money. We are not consumers – we are people. People with ideas, feelings, needs and desires. It does not matter what name we use - Yahweh, Lord, Allah, Krishna. We are being called from within. It is a call to find a new relationship with our Mother Earth and with each other. A relationship of respect, appreciation, understanding and love.
Music is the universal language. It speaks to all hearts without the need for words. When we are making music we are communicating in a universal language. A good deal of that communication appears to be with our selves. As we play, as we listen to the tunes that come through us, we become aware that something more than our individual existence is being expressed.
Music is a gift that is given to us to use and enjoy. Remember who the giver is? The music that a person can express through a Native American style flute has a relaxing and centering quality. The flute is a tool. It is a tool that we can use to exorcise old fears and anxieties. Let go and let the flute teach you. As we heal ourselves we are changing the world. The healing opens a space for new ideas and behaviors to enter into reality.
We are sensitive, empathetic beings who want only what is best for ourselves and for others. Get a hold of a drum, rattle or Native American style flute and start playing. When the time is right you will find others to play with. The music that we are making is bringing the world closer together. Imagine.
We know that something new is happening. Many people are being called from within to explore new ideas and behaviors. For one thing, music is coming into our lives in new ways. Drum circles and flute circles are forming everywhere. We are making our own music instead of just listening to the music of others. We are getting together with others to make music and exchange ideas.
We know that it is not about what is good for big business and big money. We are not consumers – we are people. People with ideas, feelings, needs and desires. It does not matter what name we use - Yahweh, Lord, Allah, Krishna. We are being called from within. It is a call to find a new relationship with our Mother Earth and with each other. A relationship of respect, appreciation, understanding and love.
Music is the universal language. It speaks to all hearts without the need for words. When we are making music we are communicating in a universal language. A good deal of that communication appears to be with our selves. As we play, as we listen to the tunes that come through us, we become aware that something more than our individual existence is being expressed.
Music is a gift that is given to us to use and enjoy. Remember who the giver is? The music that a person can express through a Native American style flute has a relaxing and centering quality. The flute is a tool. It is a tool that we can use to exorcise old fears and anxieties. Let go and let the flute teach you. As we heal ourselves we are changing the world. The healing opens a space for new ideas and behaviors to enter into reality.
We are sensitive, empathetic beings who want only what is best for ourselves and for others. Get a hold of a drum, rattle or Native American style flute and start playing. When the time is right you will find others to play with. The music that we are making is bringing the world closer together. Imagine.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Playing With the Native American Style Flute
We have learned how to work hard, practice and get it right. But, this is not what the Native American style flute is about. With the flute we can learn how to play again.
We have become so focused and goal oriented that it is difficult for most of us to just relax, let go and have some fun. With the Native American style flute you can change some of those constricting patterns. Just pick up your flute and start fooling around. Remember, the flute will teach you. You can’t fail or make mistakes – let go of that emotional attitude. If you will allow yourself the space to relax, explore and just have fun you will develop a relationship with the Native American style flute that will be different than anything else you have experience in your adult, goal oriented life.
It’s good therapy to have something that you don’t have to work at. Can you remember your very early years when you were learning to ride your bike? You didn’t need to be going some place you were some place – on a bike, learning new muscle memory, checking it out. That’s how playing the flute can be. It’s fun just like learning to ride a bike was fun.
Playing The Native American style flute in the pentatonic scale is not an intellectual experience. It is an intuitive experience. Just like learning to ride a bike is not an intellectual experience. You don’t think about how to ride a bike – you just get on and start doing it. Of course, you’re not proficient at first. But, as you continue riding it gets easier and easier. Pretty soon you’re not even thinking about it any more – you’re just flowing along, balanced and free. It’s the same with the flute. Give yourself a little time and without any special effort you start to hear music coming out of your flute.
Once we could ride with confidence we were always trying new things. Perhaps we weren’t even consciously aware of it. We were just enjoying ourselves exploring the experience of bike riding – taking a sharper turn, making a quick stop. We did it just because it was fun. You will find yourself doing the same thing with your flute. First, you go over the basics until you know them by heart. Then, when you are bored with that you will start to explore new notes, new speeds, longer jumps from one note to another. You want to do this just like you wanted to increase you proficiency with riding – because it’s there, because you love it.
The music carries you forward deeper into itself. What’s happening here? More and more people are picking up the Native American style flute and finding something that had long been forgotten. Discovering a part of themselves that was dormant – waiting to be awakened. A flower opening in the morning sun.
We have learned how to work hard, practice and get it right. But, this is not what the Native American style flute is about. With the flute we can learn how to play again.
We have become so focused and goal oriented that it is difficult for most of us to just relax, let go and have some fun. With the Native American style flute you can change some of those constricting patterns. Just pick up your flute and start fooling around. Remember, the flute will teach you. You can’t fail or make mistakes – let go of that emotional attitude. If you will allow yourself the space to relax, explore and just have fun you will develop a relationship with the Native American style flute that will be different than anything else you have experience in your adult, goal oriented life.
It’s good therapy to have something that you don’t have to work at. Can you remember your very early years when you were learning to ride your bike? You didn’t need to be going some place you were some place – on a bike, learning new muscle memory, checking it out. That’s how playing the flute can be. It’s fun just like learning to ride a bike was fun.
Playing The Native American style flute in the pentatonic scale is not an intellectual experience. It is an intuitive experience. Just like learning to ride a bike is not an intellectual experience. You don’t think about how to ride a bike – you just get on and start doing it. Of course, you’re not proficient at first. But, as you continue riding it gets easier and easier. Pretty soon you’re not even thinking about it any more – you’re just flowing along, balanced and free. It’s the same with the flute. Give yourself a little time and without any special effort you start to hear music coming out of your flute.
Once we could ride with confidence we were always trying new things. Perhaps we weren’t even consciously aware of it. We were just enjoying ourselves exploring the experience of bike riding – taking a sharper turn, making a quick stop. We did it just because it was fun. You will find yourself doing the same thing with your flute. First, you go over the basics until you know them by heart. Then, when you are bored with that you will start to explore new notes, new speeds, longer jumps from one note to another. You want to do this just like you wanted to increase you proficiency with riding – because it’s there, because you love it.
The music carries you forward deeper into itself. What’s happening here? More and more people are picking up the Native American style flute and finding something that had long been forgotten. Discovering a part of themselves that was dormant – waiting to be awakened. A flower opening in the morning sun.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Let the Flute Teach You
Let The Flute Teach You
You are one with all that is.
The Universe is an expression of order and purpose.
All of its parts desire to be in Harmony with each other.
This feeling of Universal Harmony is called Love.
Music is part of the fabric of Creation.
The physical dimension of our Universe is made up of vibrating energetic particles.
We ourselves are vibrating energetic beings.
The vibrating waves of sound that we call Music have a cleansing and healing quality.
Music can have a calming and centering quality that facilitates the process of personal self-realization.
The highest form of self-realization is to be a co creative extension of that power we call God.
Music is Love expressed as sound.
Music is a gossamer web of sound vibration expressing order, creativity and uniqueness.
As you express the music from within you discover its value as a means of communication.
You will also discover that the music does not belong to you.
Music is Universal.
It is of all peoples, in all places, at all times.
Music emerges from a dimension of the Cosmos that is beyond time and space.
You are an instrument that is being played upon.
You are being used to bring into existence the sounds of Love.
If you are feeling the call to make music
Follow your spirit without hesitation.
The music that comes through your flute will help bring Peace and Harmony to you and those around you.
As you play you will be expanding your consciousness and contributing in an active way to the creation of Heaven on Earth.
It’s easy.
Thousands of people like you are playing.
With your flute you will embark on a new and enriching journey.
Begin to play a Native American style flute and express the sounds of your soul.
You are one with all that is.
The Universe is an expression of order and purpose.
All of its parts desire to be in Harmony with each other.
This feeling of Universal Harmony is called Love.
Music is part of the fabric of Creation.
The physical dimension of our Universe is made up of vibrating energetic particles.
We ourselves are vibrating energetic beings.
The vibrating waves of sound that we call Music have a cleansing and healing quality.
Music can have a calming and centering quality that facilitates the process of personal self-realization.
The highest form of self-realization is to be a co creative extension of that power we call God.
Music is Love expressed as sound.
Music is a gossamer web of sound vibration expressing order, creativity and uniqueness.
As you express the music from within you discover its value as a means of communication.
You will also discover that the music does not belong to you.
Music is Universal.
It is of all peoples, in all places, at all times.
Music emerges from a dimension of the Cosmos that is beyond time and space.
You are an instrument that is being played upon.
You are being used to bring into existence the sounds of Love.
If you are feeling the call to make music
Follow your spirit without hesitation.
The music that comes through your flute will help bring Peace and Harmony to you and those around you.
As you play you will be expanding your consciousness and contributing in an active way to the creation of Heaven on Earth.
It’s easy.
Thousands of people like you are playing.
With your flute you will embark on a new and enriching journey.
Begin to play a Native American style flute and express the sounds of your soul.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Craftsmanship or Good Enough is Not
Craftsmanship or Good Enough Is Not
There is a certain presence that has its place in a corner of my mind just behind my eyes. I call it a presence because it has a life of its own. This is my quality control inspector. The inspector has a mind/soul independent of me. I can, as I often do, be looking at a flute in progress. The flute has just completed a particular operation and is being held in front of my eyes. It looks good. But, from a certain angle there is something not quite right. Not there. It is good enough. However, the quality inspector says go back and make another minor adjustment. Good enough is not.
It’s not about making a perfect flute. The perfection I’m after is to be sought in the act of creating not the object being created.
Have I reached my ideal of what it means to be a craftsman? No. Am I striving for it? Yes. I will know I am there when the quality inspector not longer needs to be present. There is an aspect of my approach to my craft that is too goal oriented. I want to get things done, to see results, to finish product. Let’s face it - to make money. After all “time is money” is it not? In the midst of that ‘time is money’ space there is a discernable urge to let the ‘good enough’ be. Put that flute down and go on to the next flute. Oh, thank you God for the inspector. Or is God in the inspector? Saying - wait a minute, let’s look at that flute again. Let’s look at you again. I know when I feel that message that I have strayed away from the center. I am not a Craftsman I am a flute maker.
I consider it a great Grace to hear and be given the strength to act on that admonition. Having acknowledged the message, how can I not make the necessary shift in consciousness? I reorient the center of what I am and what I am doing. This shift is not about making better flutes – although better flutes will result. It’s about being a better me. Being a Craftsman and not a flute maker.
When I embody Craftsmanship the inspector is no longer needed. He is no longer present. In fact he not longer exists. The shift from goal orientation to a process orientation is complete and self-fulfilling. Being there in the work. Where every movement is part of a dance and the dance is the dance of Life. Colors and dimensions deepen and richen. Not making money to support a life. Centered in the middle of Life. Knowing with certitude that this is all that is necessary. Letting Life take care of providing the money.
There is a certain presence that has its place in a corner of my mind just behind my eyes. I call it a presence because it has a life of its own. This is my quality control inspector. The inspector has a mind/soul independent of me. I can, as I often do, be looking at a flute in progress. The flute has just completed a particular operation and is being held in front of my eyes. It looks good. But, from a certain angle there is something not quite right. Not there. It is good enough. However, the quality inspector says go back and make another minor adjustment. Good enough is not.
It’s not about making a perfect flute. The perfection I’m after is to be sought in the act of creating not the object being created.
Have I reached my ideal of what it means to be a craftsman? No. Am I striving for it? Yes. I will know I am there when the quality inspector not longer needs to be present. There is an aspect of my approach to my craft that is too goal oriented. I want to get things done, to see results, to finish product. Let’s face it - to make money. After all “time is money” is it not? In the midst of that ‘time is money’ space there is a discernable urge to let the ‘good enough’ be. Put that flute down and go on to the next flute. Oh, thank you God for the inspector. Or is God in the inspector? Saying - wait a minute, let’s look at that flute again. Let’s look at you again. I know when I feel that message that I have strayed away from the center. I am not a Craftsman I am a flute maker.
I consider it a great Grace to hear and be given the strength to act on that admonition. Having acknowledged the message, how can I not make the necessary shift in consciousness? I reorient the center of what I am and what I am doing. This shift is not about making better flutes – although better flutes will result. It’s about being a better me. Being a Craftsman and not a flute maker.
When I embody Craftsmanship the inspector is no longer needed. He is no longer present. In fact he not longer exists. The shift from goal orientation to a process orientation is complete and self-fulfilling. Being there in the work. Where every movement is part of a dance and the dance is the dance of Life. Colors and dimensions deepen and richen. Not making money to support a life. Centered in the middle of Life. Knowing with certitude that this is all that is necessary. Letting Life take care of providing the money.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Craftsmanship, Tools, Time and the Native American Flute
I have devoted myself to perfecting the craft of making a Native American Style flute. This is not a goal that I set out for myself with conscious awareness. It took place spontaneously. As often happens in life working with the flutes has provided me the opportunity to discover different aspects of my self.
My father was a craftsman of the old school German tradition. He acquired his craftsmanship mentality from his father and from his early training a cabinetmaker. I must confess that I did not inherit his tradition of craftsmanship willingly. My apprenticeship started at an early age. This apprenticeship consisted of standing by my fathers’ bench as he worked on whatever project inspired him at the moment. I would much rather have been outside playing with my friends.
When my father wanted a tool he would ask me to hand it to him. If he needed a third or fourth hand mine was available to him. I cursed the idle time in which I would stand at the ready for his next command. My heart was filled with anger as I dreamed of the ball game that was going on in my absence. But in spite of these negative emotions and without my being aware of it I was absorbing a tradition of Craftsmanship.
In that space at his bench my father loved what he was doing. It was not his job. It was his passion. He was absorbed in the process of creation. In spite of his austere, distant and silent demeanor part of this passion must have been passed unconsciously to me. He worked silently not talking about what he was doing. His lessons were not communicated verbally. There were few explanations. What was communicated was an attitude of concentrated effort and respect for the tools that enabled you to do your project.
My fathers tools were hung on a board above his bench. Each tool had its image painted on the board and a shelf or hooks that held the tool. A tool was taken from its place when it was needed. Its painted image remained on the board as a reminder. This was its home to which it would be returned when its job was completed. I realize now that these tools had a certain extra ordinary presence. I was not allowed to use these tools. God himself would have been in peril if one of those tools were to be missing from its place.
I grew up in an era when money was real. A new tool was a precious acquisition to be chosen with care. I can remember the Christmas when my father got his first electric drill. How pleased he was with that Black and Decker metal-bodied 3/8ths inch hand held drill. You would have thought it was made of gold. The drills electrical cord was kept coiled and tied with a string when not in use. The chuck key was taped carefully to the cord so it would be handy when needed. A place was made for it and its outline was painted on the board. Of course, I was not allowed to use it. To this day I choose each of my tools with care. I will agonize over tool catalogues, read reviews and seek advice before committing to an acquisition that will be with me for a lifetime.
He died at the age of forty-three. I was sixteen years old. I still have a few of his tools. They have been with me now for fifty years. I have little need for them in my work. They are reminders of a technology that was made obsolete many years ago by the advent of power tools. A hand drill, a brace and bits, various handsaws, a couple of hammers, some hand planes. They rest in drawers and on shelves in my shop. If I had the space I would display them like the antiques they are. Once in a while I’ll take them out, clean them and wipe on a fresh protective coat of oil.
There is a respectful satisfaction that goes with picking up a well maintained tool from its appointed place. Each tool has its history. How it was developed. Where it was made. When it was acquired. The objects it has contributed to making. Some tools are irreplaceable. Old and good companies go out of business for one reason or another. The tools they made were beyond compare and perhaps never to be equaled again. I watch a treasured chisel shorten with each sharpening. The cutting edge grows closer to the temper line on the steel. Will it last my lifetime? I am growing closer to the end of my craftsman’s life also.
For more information about John Stillwell and his Ancient Territories Native American style flutes visit http://atflutes.com/
My father was a craftsman of the old school German tradition. He acquired his craftsmanship mentality from his father and from his early training a cabinetmaker. I must confess that I did not inherit his tradition of craftsmanship willingly. My apprenticeship started at an early age. This apprenticeship consisted of standing by my fathers’ bench as he worked on whatever project inspired him at the moment. I would much rather have been outside playing with my friends.
When my father wanted a tool he would ask me to hand it to him. If he needed a third or fourth hand mine was available to him. I cursed the idle time in which I would stand at the ready for his next command. My heart was filled with anger as I dreamed of the ball game that was going on in my absence. But in spite of these negative emotions and without my being aware of it I was absorbing a tradition of Craftsmanship.
In that space at his bench my father loved what he was doing. It was not his job. It was his passion. He was absorbed in the process of creation. In spite of his austere, distant and silent demeanor part of this passion must have been passed unconsciously to me. He worked silently not talking about what he was doing. His lessons were not communicated verbally. There were few explanations. What was communicated was an attitude of concentrated effort and respect for the tools that enabled you to do your project.
My fathers tools were hung on a board above his bench. Each tool had its image painted on the board and a shelf or hooks that held the tool. A tool was taken from its place when it was needed. Its painted image remained on the board as a reminder. This was its home to which it would be returned when its job was completed. I realize now that these tools had a certain extra ordinary presence. I was not allowed to use these tools. God himself would have been in peril if one of those tools were to be missing from its place.
I grew up in an era when money was real. A new tool was a precious acquisition to be chosen with care. I can remember the Christmas when my father got his first electric drill. How pleased he was with that Black and Decker metal-bodied 3/8ths inch hand held drill. You would have thought it was made of gold. The drills electrical cord was kept coiled and tied with a string when not in use. The chuck key was taped carefully to the cord so it would be handy when needed. A place was made for it and its outline was painted on the board. Of course, I was not allowed to use it. To this day I choose each of my tools with care. I will agonize over tool catalogues, read reviews and seek advice before committing to an acquisition that will be with me for a lifetime.
He died at the age of forty-three. I was sixteen years old. I still have a few of his tools. They have been with me now for fifty years. I have little need for them in my work. They are reminders of a technology that was made obsolete many years ago by the advent of power tools. A hand drill, a brace and bits, various handsaws, a couple of hammers, some hand planes. They rest in drawers and on shelves in my shop. If I had the space I would display them like the antiques they are. Once in a while I’ll take them out, clean them and wipe on a fresh protective coat of oil.
There is a respectful satisfaction that goes with picking up a well maintained tool from its appointed place. Each tool has its history. How it was developed. Where it was made. When it was acquired. The objects it has contributed to making. Some tools are irreplaceable. Old and good companies go out of business for one reason or another. The tools they made were beyond compare and perhaps never to be equaled again. I watch a treasured chisel shorten with each sharpening. The cutting edge grows closer to the temper line on the steel. Will it last my lifetime? I am growing closer to the end of my craftsman’s life also.
For more information about John Stillwell and his Ancient Territories Native American style flutes visit http://atflutes.com/
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