Introduction

The bond between a musician and their instrument is special.

Whether it be the wood of a vintage acoustic guitar, that first ever strum of a power chord, or a connection to a late family member – whose memory is able to live on through the songs they used to play themselves.

I wanted to explore not only how music is meaningful to musicians, but also how older instruments are vessels of creativity and keepers of memories and stories to be shared.

So, I set out to find a few people to help tell this story.

Part I: The Luthier

Jarin Winterhalt, owner of Guitar O.R. which is a luthier service in Calgary, AB. A talented musician himself, Winterhalt transitioned from gigs to fixing string instruments while still being connected with the industry.

“I find that the best part of it is working with musicians and working on a lot of great instruments,” he said. “They all have their own little stories, their own personalities, and they’re fun to talk to.”

He has worked on thousands of instruments over the years and so many of them have amazing backstories.

From vintage electric guitars, to unique acoustic instruments, Winterhalt has worked on them all.

“A lot of people are pretty fascinated with new guitars,” he said. “Whereas the beauty and the art, in a lot of ways, is in the older guitars.”

While I was visiting his shop, he was working on a guitar that was made in Oklahoma City in 1991 for Don Williams, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010.

“We’ve seen some some early 1900s Martin’s that are probably upwards of 30 to 50 grand,” he explained. “We’re artisans. It’s a healthy dose of art and science and electronics and working with finish, so it’s fairly multifaceted.”

Part II: The Performer

To help tell this story about the significance of older instruments when it comes to sharing the love of music, we found a local performer in Kelowna, BC.

Branson Errol Mifsud has been a musician for about 15 years and has a slightly different perspective when it comes to playing instruments that have history.

“It’s usually more frustrating,” he said. “Older guitars don’t stay in tune that well unless you really know what you’re doing and modern guitars are much more forgiving.”

But, he also said they can give some insight into those who came before us, allowing for a deeper connection to people.

“If you’re in music or art in any capacity, there’s a story that you’re trying to tell and people are an inherent part of stories,” he explained. “The better you understand people, the better art you can make and the more likely you are to reach people in a meaningful way.”

Instead of playing older instruments, Mifsud has an affinity for amps. His prized possession is a 1962 35w supro. It is a lovely gray colour with a white racing stripe, and even has the original handle – which is broken now, but that doesn’t matter to Mifsud.

“Now I just carry it like a baby,” he said. “If I could only keep one [amp], it would be this one.”

Part III: The Banjo

The third person I reached out to really helped complete the story about the memories instruments have.

Jane Tetley is a musician from Calgary, AB who has been singing and playing guitar since the 1960s.

“We started camping when I was five years old, and we always sang around the campfire,” she said. “That’s where I got the music in my soul.”

The special part about Tetley’s story is she still has her dad’s old banjo that was made in 1912 and even went with him during the second world war. One of the sailors even painted their frigate on the banjo head, (during their time in the Canadian Navy).

“It just has so many memories,” Tetley said. “I hope whoever gets this banjo passes it on to their children, and passes the music on.”

As she was showing me the banjo, she was telling me all the old stories of her dad and how he inspired her to start creating music.

When she was little, she found a four string tenor guitar at the local music store and asked her dad if he would buy it for her, but he said if she wants it she should save up her money and buy it for herself.

“I saved up my money and we were sitting at the dining room table. I said, ‘Dad, can we go to the store tonight? I’ve got enough money,'” she explained. “And he walked into the bedroom and he came out with the guitar. It was it was pretty amazing for him to gift me with that.”

For me, this banjo very well might have been the oldest instrument I’ve seen in person. The thought of that was really fascinating and being able to share that moment with Tetley was special.

Conclusion

What I learned from telling this story and meeting so many talented musicians is that music is meaningful in ways that words can’t describe and instruments are the tools that help us share it.

Q: What does music mean to you?

Winterhalt: Music is life. I can’t imagine life without music. Music is art. I happen to make a living servicing instruments, but the main reason you do it is so other people can make music. The instruments are maintained and the dedication is displayed. I just play a small part in it and I’m happy to do that.

Mifsud: Much of my life is very calm and it’s tranquil. And so music is an opportunity to not have that tranquility to have a little bit of noise, a little bit of creative chaos. It’s also something that I can share with people that I care about.

Tetley: Music is life, it’s just something that I feel very strongly I must share. If you’re feeling down, music is so healing. I’ve had so many people come to me and say, ‘thank you for the memories’, because I sing all the good music. My children say I live in the past and I say, ‘that’s when the good music was.’