We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ray Vincent . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ray below.
Ray, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Through composing music. I was writing my fourth album and had an idea for a unique instrument that I could play on it, but I had to build it myself. So I created a few versions before I finally got close to what I wanted. I finished the album and continued to play the instrument in live situations. At the same time, I had all these new ideas for the instrument. So I built another, and then another. Next thing you know I was so involved in creating and designing this instrument that I realized I wasn’t really thinking about making music anymore, but building the next instrument. I got the bug as they say. I felt like I really found my purpose, what I absolutely loved and it came naturally to me. Through it I still have this amazing connection with the music world, but now I also get to explore visual art and design. Not to mention the absolute joy it brings to see your art/craft now being used by someone else to create their art and seeing the joy on their face as they do.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I love building musical instruments, but also trying new design ideas as well as giving them something special artistically. The musician/audiophile in me wants to achieve a unique sound that is rich and full of beautiful frequencies. This is why I started off creating an instrument based on the Fibonacci spiral (Golden ratio) and have taken so much time to understand the movement of sound through woods and form. While on this journey of making instruments, I became more and more interested in the ukulele world and I love playing it as well as making them. I feel like they’re the perfect size instrument to explore my ideas with.
I also love making mandolins, hammered dulcimers, guitars and my own unique instrument The Root, which can be played with a bow.
My instruments are inspired by nature and our surrounding world. For example I use a crosscut of a pine cone in the headstock which creates this beautiful look.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
“How you do anything is how you do everything.” Su, my wife once said this to me. At first I rolled my eyes, but then one day while working in my wood shop I really thought about it. As I compared how I did everything, from the way I cook to the way I approached making music, I realized that there was a pattern in the way I like to learn things. By comparing my paths to one another I was now was able to see my strength and weaknesses. For example I never read a manual, I just start doing. This is great for creativity, but can also make the road a lot longer. So this time, with making instruments I started take more time at the beginning to read other luthier’s stories and see how they did things. This really helped.
My ability to understand and figure out structural design and the best way to achieve it, was a big asset at the beginning and still is. It’s one thing to follow plans of an already existing musical instrument, it’s another to figure out how to make your own. Everything from playability, light weight (in acoustic instruments this is important) to making sure it can withstand the pressure of the strings.
Problem solving is also a daily skill with building musical instruments. Every new piece of wood, design change or trying to achieve the best sounds requires to figure out the best solution.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Su Halle (my wife) has been along every step of the way on this journey and has been involved in design choices, wood choices and business/selling choices. She understands everything at a deep enough level that I know we can talk about any aspect of the craft. Her background as an art director means her skillful eye notices all the details and give helpful feedback.
Su also is an amazing artist herself and through her world of painting I have also been inspired in colour and design. We have also done a couple of projects/instruments where she painted it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rayvincent.ca
- Instagram: rayvincentmusicalinstruments
- Youtube: @rayvincent
- Other: bandcamp https://ekoplex.bandcamp.com/album/its-alive
https://thetaflo.bandcamp.com/album/first-wave-a-musical-journey
Image Credits
Ray Vincent
