Frontier/Mountain Musical
Instrument Making

A moderately skilled frontiersman could make a musical instrument with minimal cost. This was typically done in the wintertime after all the crops were harvested, the fall butchering done and all the broken farm implements were repaired. From time to time an individual would chose to build a banjo or fiddle during the offseason. The effort required was significant and would typically take at least a hundred hours for a simple banjo and two hundred for a fiddle. The only significant expenditure would be for strings, as the balance of the materials could come from a previous woodcarving project. This practice was not common, but it did occur. Hand made examples will be illustrated. Discussion would typically be at the PHAA Museum but could be at the sponsor's location.

Return to Introduction