The Nature of Music

Making guitars in a changing world

Menu
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • About
  • Posts
  • Resources
Menu

Posts

Stradivari, Cremona and violin mystique

Posted on June 12, 2021November 2, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

What makes classic violins made by Stradivari and others so good, and how is climate change relevant to this?

Read more

The house of a thousand guitars: on being obsessed

Posted on May 28, 2021January 4, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

Guitars come in all shapes and forms, and enthusiastic obsession happens. This can be fun but can also result in too many guitars.

Read more

Trees that nobody loves: weedy guitars

Posted on April 21, 2021January 4, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

Non-native plants can cause big problems everywhere, but are not always bad and can be put to use – guitars made from problem weeds.

Read more

And . . . what are we going to do about it?

Posted on March 14, 2021January 4, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the issues facing humanity and the planet, but it’s important to find positive things that can be done.

Read more

Wheatbelt woodlands in Western Australia: loss, hope and a guitar

Posted on March 14, 2021January 4, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

I worked in the woodlands in Western Australia for over 30 years and grew to love them. Despite past losses, much remains, and there is hope!

Read more

Re-use, recycle, repair, restore

Posted on February 2, 2021January 4, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

Restoring things is fun and important. But deciding how – and how much – to restore is not always straightforward.

Read more

Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky

Posted on January 5, 2021January 4, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

Horrific wildfires in Australia destroyed much, inspired musicians and guitar builders and offered many lessons to be learned.

Read more

Out of Africa: Changing the world one guitar at a time

Posted on December 17, 2020November 2, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

A Canadian guitar maker initiated a trade school in Uganda that trains young people to make world class guitars.

Read more

Sleeping giants: Ancient Kauri from Far North New Zealand

Posted on November 22, 2020October 6, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

Old growth Kauri trees are now found only in small remnant areas. But huge ancient logs buried in peat yield spectacular wood.

Read more

The Cadillac of Woods: Brazilian Rosewood

Posted on October 14, 2020January 4, 2022 by Richard Hobbs

Brazilian Rosewood has a long history as a prized tonewood, but its over-exploitation and subsequent trade restrictions mean it is now scarce.

Read more
  • Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next

Recent Posts

  • The view from space: Martin’s Earth Guitar
  • Mangoes, cherries and Martin guitars
  • Applewood: instruments from the orchard
  • A collector’s passion: diverse woods used in early European guitars
  • The curious case of the violin in a cage

Pages

  • Contact Us
  • Welcome
  • Posts
  • About
  • Resources
©2023 The Nature of Music | Theme by SuperbThemes