05/04/2008

By TIM KRAKOWIAK  / Associated Press

A self-taught fiddle maker of 20 years keeps the fading art alive by passing it on to the next generation with the financial assistance of a state program.

Bernard Allen, newly elected mayor of Naylor, and his apprentice, 14-year-old Danyel Nobles of Poplar Bluff, presented a fiddle crafted from a block of wood at the Capitol in Jefferson City recently.

The pair has worked on the project since the beginning of the year with the help of a $2,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Missouri Arts Council.

The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program a project under the Missouri Folk Arts Program, is in its 23rd year and has taught more than 300 people, according to Lisa Higgins, director. This year there is a typical range of traditions being passed down, from American long rifle building to Irish tin whistle playing.

"I usually explain that folk arts are arts with a genealogy," said Higgins. "In other words, the master artist will be able to tell you who taught him or her and who taught his or her teacher ... not to mention why the tradition is important to them and their local communities."

Such is the case with Allen, who perfected his technique after drawing inspiration from the late Harold Beasley, a reputable fiddle maker of Naylor. When Allen approached him to ask to learn the skill, Beasley replied, "read a book."

With that advice Allen constructed his first fiddle.

"I was proud of it," Allen said. He took the fiddle to Beasley.

"He said it's not very good," Allen said with a laugh, explaining that Beasley was a curt man. "He meant it as a compliment. I read the book, I just didn't understand what it said."

Beasley later admitted that Allen's fiddle was better than his own first attempt.

Many fiddles and mandolins later, Allen met Danyel at County Mart in Poplar Bluff during a jam session. Allen would play music in the cafeteria of the store almost every week.

"From the very beginning (Allen) took Danyel under his wing," said Linda Nobles, Danyel's mother. "Danyel would show up where (Allen) was playing and get invited on stage."

Danyel was fascinated by the sound of a fiddle ever since he was 10, Linda said. One day, the boy heard a fiddle at church and told his mother he wanted to take lessons. Linda located an inexpensive fiddle at a little shop in Branson.

A fiddle is no different from a violin, except it's often associated with bluegrass music, which Danyel soon learned to play. Linda said her son wants to to be a farmer like his father, Rick.

"Farmers have a lot of down time," she said. "I thought the fiddle would make for a nice wintertime activity."

Allen learned about the TAAP program through the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, around the same time Danyel became interested in actually building the instrument. Danyel would study the structure of fiddles by taking them apart.

When Allen applied for the grant, he qualified as a master artist because of his artistic excellence, cultural knowledge and teaching ability. He became Danyel's mentor to help him mold a fiddle from scratch. After school, Danyel would visit Allen for a few hours each week.

In the shop, Allen handcrafted a fiddle just ahead of Danyel as the eight-grader emulated the process.

Last week, Danyel put the final touches on his fiddle while Allen looked on closely.

"Patience," Allen said, as Danyel filled with anticipation from months of meticulous work. "Don't get rambunctious, you'll skin the sides," Allen said as his apprentice finished assembling the tailpiece.

As Danyel tried to apply the bridge and the strings, he asked Allen, "Are you sure you can't just show me?"

Allen responded, "Don't worry. You're almost at the good part — playing it."

Danyel teased his mentor, "If it doesn't work, I can just hang it on the wall like your first one."

___

Information from: Daily American Republic, http://www.darnews.com