John Doan has been playing, teaching, recording, researching, and generally advocating for the harp guitar since the early 1980s. He’s the perfect person to put together a DVD that champions the instruments, both past and present, the players, the music, and last (and perhaps most for AL readers), the makers. He has teamed up with his wife Dierdra, Karla Fisher, and Michael King (the latter three behind the camera) to produce a 90 minute DVD plus another several minutes of hilarious outtakes. It’s an ambitious project covering a lot of territory, and it’s held together with the tack of John’s sense of humor and obvious affection for the instruments and his cast of characters as he:

▶ presents a historical overview of the harp guitar, (he’s in lecture mode here, a role he’s obviously comfortable with from his many years of teaching privately and at Willamette University in Salem, OR);
▶ attends the 2nd International Harp Guitar Gathering in Williamsburg, Virginia in November of 2004 interviewing and recording highlights of performances of many including Stephen Bennett, who organized the first and second international gatherings, and other players including Muriel Anderson, Stacy Hobbs, Andy Wahlberg, and many, many others.
▶ visits luthiers in this country and abroad, namely: Fred Carlson, Kerry Char, Mike Doolin, Jeff Elliott and John Sullivan (two for one), Bob and Orville Milburn, Benoît Meulle-Stef in Brussels, Stephen Sedgwick in England, and Michael Sandén, in Sweden; and lastly,
▶ braves LA traffic with water bottle, laptop, and cell phone in hand to visit the extraordinary resource, Gregg Miner’s collection of “Vintage, Exotic, & Just Plain Unusual Musical Instruments” (www.minermusic.com/minermuseum.htm).

Guitar makers don’t get too many starring roles, so this is the part I was really looking forward to (plus I know some of these guys pretty well). Generally not comedians (Harry Fleishman excepted), luthiers tend to take themselves fairly seriously. John wrote the script, and the builders conformed to varying degrees. It’s corny; it’s goofy; but it’s fun. John has made it so. The luthiers are all in their native habitats with the exception of Jeff Elliott, who is with John Sullivan at his shop, the location where John Doan’s contemporary harp guitar was made in 1986. Builders viewing the DVD can glean a lot about these shops — about tool and work space organization, workbenches, and most interesting, something of the people and thought processes behind the chisels. Of most interest to other builders might be the Mike Doolin sequence. Mike builds a harp guitar in a minute or two while John Doan “watches,” thanks to the marvels of very fast, edited time-lapse photography.

Other high points for me were Michael Sandén’s model-perfect shop in a lovely old building that’s been in use as a woodworking teaching facility since 1880; Kerry Char’s workshop, where every square inch of wall and hanging space appears to be given over to various guitar and harp guitar relics; and Fred Carlson and John Doan in matching hats with ear flaps seriously discussing Fred’s philosophy of building and life. (Is there a difference?)

Aside from the visits to shops and to the 2004 Harp Guitar Gathering, the visit to Gregg Miner’s collection stands out. Gregg is a player with a deep knowledge of the history of harp guitars. If you are interested in the arcane, weird, convoluted, idiosyncratic, and bizarre in the service of music making, this collection will definitely scratch that itch. By the way, Gregg will be on hand the 2006 GAL Convention in Tacoma June 21–25 with part of his collection. He’ll also be sharing historical information and participating in a harp guitar concert, as will John Doan and others. And there will be a panel presentation on harp guitars as well. (See p. 5 for the latest convention information.)

I enjoyed this DVD immensely and recommend it if for no other reason than to have a good laugh. The soundtrack is not always consistent, the pacing sometimes feels “off,” the humor is sometimes a little forced, and, of course, not everyone important to the harp guitar’s resurgence could be included, for example Steve Klein, Del Langejans, or Alan Perlman, to name a few luthiers. However, it’s certainly worth seeing and perhaps purchasing. John’s own words sum it up best: “Overall, this film documents guitar history in the making presented in the spirit of fun and discovery reaching back centuries, across continents, and beyond six strings.” ◆