New Instruments from Old Homes

Detroit has been going through some rough times. At a time when many of its buildings are being torn down, a nonprofit called Reclaim Detroit is deconstructing vacant structures, and reselling the contents. From the floors to the doors, they are recycling these beautiful original materials.

Recently, a man named Gary Zimnicki heard about Reclaim Detroit, and he became inspired. Zimnicki has been hand-making guitars and ukulele's since he was a teenager. With the original inspiration to be a rockstar, Zimnicki ended up an amazing craftsman of instruments, whose guitars and ukelele's are played by some of the best.

Zimnicki recently teamed with Reclaim Detroit, and the outcome has been amazing. Taking materials from a house originally built in 1910, just two blocks from the Motown studios, Zimnicki is using floorboards and ceiling joists for his instruments. After cleaning, sanding, and cutting the wood, Zimnicki has beautiful materials to reuse. As he describes, the wood is "old and well seasoned" and pays tribute to the craftsman that built the houses, over 100 years ago.

"I like to say that I'm building instruments not made in Detroit, but made of Detroit." - Gary Zimnicki

With his final touch being a small mother of pearl image of the home from which the materials come, Zimnicki's instruments have produced a sound so beautiful it's stunning the professionals.

Watch the amazing video to see Zimnicki's work with Reclaim Detroit, 

and hear one of the instruments being played by a professional.

Resource:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/detroits-vacant-homes-make-music/

Check back next week to see our next blog post, which is an interesting take on why music education is so important to have in schools.


Heather (iCA President)

www.InstrumentCareApparel.com
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