Homegrown Music... and Musical Instruments! Good News for Homegrown Music Lovers

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Marc Bristol and other Washington State grassroots musicians wail away on a gutbucket, washboard, and jug (the axe is a gag). For Marc’s original homegrown music column—which featured gutbucket, washboard, jug kazoo, musical saw, and spoons “makin’ and playin’ “instructions—see MOTHER NO. 50. Insert shows gutbucket “notch and bevel” details.

Even homesteaders need to relax and enjoy themselves from time to time, right? And almost everybody these days wants to cut his or her cost of living. So how about a little do-it-yourself entertainment?

And that's what this column is all about. Down-home music that you can make... and the instruments (which, in some cases, you can also make!) to play that music on.

We may also publish some songs, discuss music as a potential home business, run discographies, bibliographies, and/or include whatever other do-it-yourself music topics you'd like to see.

The important thing is that this is your column. If you like it, write to me and let me know. If you have some ideas for this feature, let me know that. I'm open to any suggestions or information you care to contribute. I'll even try to answer your questions about down-home music... but—both for the benefit of all MOTHER'S readers and to ease my correspondence load—I'll deal with those questions, whenever possible, here in this column... rather than in personal letters.

Address your correspondence— for this column and this column only—to Marc Bristol, 31722 N.E. 180th Place, Duvall, Wash. 98019.

You say your homestead's sound system is made up of a bargain basement transistor radio and a portable cassette player, but that you daydream of owning a big-bucks stereo setup? Well sir, I can't work miracles, but I can tell you how—for little or no money—you can get your inexpensive "music makers" to put out "big system" sound!

The simple fact is that most portable radios and recorders are capable of much more accurate sound reproduction than their small speakers can deliver. So... all you have to do to bring the little electronic marvels "up to snuff" is hook 'em to a high-fidelity speaker system!

Just what do I mean by a "high-fidelity speaker system"... and how much will it cost? Well, I'm talking about the speakers that used to be standard features on most large black-and-white television sets (they were usually covered by a big grille cloth and positioned on the bottom of the TV's cabinet). The old picture boxes have, for the most part, given up the ghost... so a trip to the dump (or a "broken televisions hauled away free" ad) should turn up all of the no-cost speakers you'll need!

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