Local musician Derek Graziano has been enhancing his instruments with crystals and gemstones. These, he says, not only add to the instruments’ tone but offer a metaphysical connection to players and listeners. Graziano will perform at the Asheville Area Arts Council on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2-5 p.m., as part of the current Buncombe Built exhibit.
Email to Xpress from Graziano:
In the past couple months I started upgrading the plastic pieces commonly found on acoustic guitars to crystal gemstone pieces. Now all the music created from these instruments is vibrating through quartz, agate or petrified wood, which enhances so much acoustically, but now also adds a metaphysical connection for player and listener.
I’ve been busking in downtown for three years on a hammered dulcimer that I built from scratch and put jade and rose quartz under all the strings. I now am in a shared gallery exhibit at the AAAC in the Grove Arcade that runs until the end of February. I have two handcrafted hammered dulcimers with precious minerals under the strings as well as a guitar that I upgraded with a piece of fire agate.
On the Saturday, Feb. 7, I will be at the Asheville Area Arts Council space playing my crystal-adorned hammered dulcimer. [I will also be] demonstrating one guitar without stones (just the plastic original pieces) and then the same guitar with crystal replacements that I’ve prefabricated, so people can experience the difference. I’ll be fielding questions and discussing this breakthrough between songs on my dulcimer.
Derek builds instruments with such intention! His website is http://www.sourcesofsound.com to view photos of his instruments and crystal bridge upgrades. He is also raising funds to overhaul his workshop and more efficiently get these revolutionary upgrades out there. Please visit http://igg.me/at/sourcesofsound.com if this interests you and you can help with either donations or sharing with your networks.
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Funny how the Mtn X’s recurring series of crystal related articles about music never include actual luthiers weighing in about what makes a musical instrument sound better instead of ‘straight out of the music store’ (aka plastic aka plastic sounds icky – duh) materials. Crystals are for the Namaste types who strangely enough never can hang with an audience other than the same yoga mat types who are scared away for a musical backbeat.
Wood- aka quality wood make for good instruments.