Building from the Heart
by Tom Bills
Some of the main elements that determine the quality and outcome of guitar design are bracing, wood selection, bridge design, neck construction, tap tuning, action, and playability. Interestingly, however, I believe these elements, as important as they may be, do not fully determine the overall sound and feel of the guitar.
Let's suppose that two equally-skilled luthiers each build a guitar from the same blueprint using wood cut from the same tree. Even if they both follow the plan precisely and build the guitars the same in every way, the results will be very different in terms of feel and tone. With this likelihood in mind, we can conclude that the elements of design that usually get the most attention are not the only important aspects of shaping the sound and feel of an instrument.
This mysterious enigma, this intangible aspect of guitar construction accounts for why luthiers are drawn to and inspired by the guitar and its design. I believe it's in understanding this secret that we can cross the fine line between good and great, and that the cause of this phenomenon is a fundamental truth that can bring us to new levels of accomplishment in whatever we apply it to. Although identical in every detail of design and materials, I submit that the reason why the two hypothetical guitars would not have the same outcome is in the attitude of the builder's heart.
The human mind is a brilliant organizational and information processing mechanism, but it often falls short when it comes to creativity. It seems to be programmed for survival and tends to naturally lean toward the negative and stressful side of a given situation or concept.
By contrast, the heart works on the basis of love. When you work from the heart, your body will immediately relax and fall into a more harmonious state, and you'll be receptive to the divine flow of information and inspiration. You will become more efficient and perform tasks at a consistently higher level of skill, even higher than you thought possible.
To me, an artist is one who sees the world through the eyes of the heart. True art is an expression of love; it comes out of the heart or maybe a better way to say it is that it comes through our hearts from somewhere else. We are containers that God will fill for the benefit of others.
I've had the priceless experience of being led through this wonderful craft of wood, music, energy, and art to discover something that has taken hold of my entire life and continues to transform it daily. If I can perform every act I do from my heart, then I truly will be living a life of love and will reap a harvest of peace, fulfillment, joy, and success.
As I briefly describe the major key involved in my process of making an instrument, it is my hope that you'll be inspired to apply this simple approach to areas in your life that become apparent as you read on.
I begin the journey of creating a guitar with a great deal of listening. I listen to my client. What kind of person is he or she? What type of sound is he trying to communicate to me? What are her likes or dislikes? I'm always reading between the lines and looking for the true message. When I've heard clearly, I'll know inside that a certain way is the right way. It sounds esoteric, but if you'll listen to and trust that inner voice, you will see how easy it really is.
Next, I listen to the wood. I listen with my hands and with my fingers. I feel the way it responds to being touched and tapped. Here again, the heart is engaged not the mind. After all the information has been absorbed I listen for that "still small voice" inside of me. That is my guide; it's the voice of my heart and as you'll see it's the deciding factor in almost every step.
When I shape the tone bars for my instruments I first take the time to sharpen my tools. I mean this in every sense. My planes and my chisels are kept razor sharp and are re-sharpened often as I work the wood by hand, extracting the true voice from within. More important than the blades of wood planes and knives is my ability to work from and be in tune with my heart. This skill must be exercised or sharpened daily as I spend time reinforcing and growing my relationship with God who is the source of this love, guidance, and creativity.
Each piece of wood already has a voice within. A resonance and a life of its own placed there by God's own hand. It's my job to listen for it, and to hear and see its unique potential. Like a seed, this voice lies dormant, waiting for the nurturing touch of a sincere heart. It must be watered and cultivated even in its infancy where, to the untrained eye, it doesn't look like much. I am able to embark on this creative journey only because I have the vision of its potential. I've heard the dream of its song in my heart.
Listening is my first and most important endeavor. It's even more than an endeavor, it's a mindset or even a heartset so to speak- an approach to life. When we listen we open ourselves up to the limitlessness of God and break out of the limitations of our own minds. I'm sure that even a novice admirer of music can pick out a melody played from the mind; it seems lifeless and robotic. The notes might be right, but the love and vitality are simply not there. The same is true of a guitar or any work of art. The measurements could be right, the shape might even be pleasing, but the fingerprint of God is missing and that fingerprint is love.
This divine spark of life is never absent because God isn't willing to infuse our work with it, but because He isn't allowed to work through us. As humans we really don't have the capacity to create in the literal sense of the word. We are simply able to rearrange what is already here to conform with the vision that is in our hearts. Artistic vision always comes from the heart. It has to because it's written in the language of the heart, and the root language of all art - love.
I have been on my personal journey through life for only thirty-one years, seven of which have been devoted professionally to the art of guitar making. In this time I've grown through various stages, from novice to intermediate and onward to whatever stage I'm in now.
In my experience, the early stages of becoming a luthier are based on acquiring and honing skills and the gathering of knowledge. This type of growth can only take you to a certain point. Eventually you'll reach your limits, a plateau of sorts- because the aforementioned facets of this craft are focused purely on your ability to do or learn, which might be pretty good by some standards but is certainly only a microscopic glimpse of what is possible. As I continue to grow as a luthier, I've begun to understand that the leap from "very good" to "master craftsman" is not so much a leap of skill or knowledge as you might notice in moving from level to level in the earlier developmental stages of this craft. Instead, it is in the attitude of the heart. It's the jump from the confines of oneself to the limitlessness of the Creator.
So the next time you pick up your guitar, chisels, pen, hammer, paintbrush, or telephone or meet someone for lunch, have a business meeting, talk to you wife, spend time with your children- whatever it is that you do, tune into your heart and listen. Listen to that still small voice and unlock the limitless and freeing power of living from your heart.
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