The mystery of a pawn shop violin (+ FREE Sample Library)
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- Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
- In this video, I investigate the origin of a mysterious violin bearing the name W. T. Fisher. The sample library I made in this video can be downloaded here: www.decentsamples.com/product...
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W.T. Fisher was probably a poor man in the Ozarks, who could not afford a violin but knew woodworking and knew he could make one. So he did. It sounded good, and he was proud. It probably entertained his family and the families of his friends and neighbors.
I think it’s fantastic you’ve saved the samples so the sound can be saved and used forever now.
It’s something very special, this small piece of American folk instrument. It’s a sound not many people get to hear today.
or a teen doing an ambitious wood shop project at some rural high school
I agree, the closest you get nowadays to the classy folk instruments that varied between ratty and competent, but sounded good nonetheless, are box guitars. And people think you're mental for wanting to make your own instruments.
@@StevDoesBigJumps I think making your own instruments is a wonderful use of time and great avenue for learning and expressing yourself. Who thinks it's mental? That's so sad.
@@error.418 It's strange, to a lot of the people I've met find building instruments and amps almost incomprehensible.
Not just guitar snobs, but also regular people I know, think it requires whatever the touch of a master or some magic factory process to get anything usable.
Oh well, it's probably because they don't understand it too well.
@@StevDoesBigJumps Sounds like something that needs to be demystified, it's very approachable. Now it's up to us to teach it in a way that's accessible.
Missed opportunity to make the title of this video "W.T.F. made this violin"
XD
🤓😚😩🤓🤓😕🫠🤬🤓🥺😰😙🤭🥰😜😣🫥😜😞😣😡😜😒😣😰🥵😡🫣😨😡😢😜😨😠😢😨😒😠🫣😨😠😨😜🥵🤔🫠🙁🥵😜🥵🥵😞🥶🥸😥🥶😞😥🥸🥶😞🥶😞🥶😞🥶😞🥶😇🫠🥵😌😒🫠😞😡😝😒🫨🫣😠😒😌😳😝😏😳🫨😢😶😨😡😨😎🫣😨😞😶😨😣😨🫠😒😅😅🫨😝😒🫠😅😒🫠😠😅😒😝😂😠🫠😰☹️😏😡🫠😬☹️😝😬🫣😇🥶🤥😰😏😝😡🤥😏🤓☹️😡😬😊😡☹️😡😬🫠🤓🥺🤭😡😏😍🫠🫣😍🥺😏😍😮😠🙁😍🫠😠😍😒😬🥵😜🙂🫠😨😢🥵🫠🫣😎😍😎🥺😡🥺🤭😡😌🤥😎☹️😜😒😬😜😬🥺😍🫠🥺😇😡😰🤥😜🤓🙁😨😡😜😒🫠☹️😜😮😰😞😡😙🥰🫣☹️😡😜🫣😢😜🙂🤥😢😎😞😬😎😎😍😶
Lol I never thought someone will like this chaos
@@mahimarajapaksha huh
@@mahimarajapaksha What?
Calmest man in Philly.
Most sane mane
Lol.
So true!!! 💯%
Nerdiest man in Philly too, but he does release some killer samples. 🤓
Psh
you are preserving sounds we didnt even know existed. cataloguing and archiving these things is a big deal for me so thanks for your work.
I wish I had samples of all my family instruments now gone.. sample catalogs are a wonderful gift to humanity
@@lunevermeil1400 seriously. I had a violin my great grandfather made in the early 20th century. I learned on that instrument. In 2015 we left our garage door open and that, a mandolin, most of my tools and a $2000 road bike were stolen. If I could have had a single thing back, it would have been our violin, and the sound is lost forever to me.
@@kevbob That's actually horrible. I'm so sorry that happened. I guess the best we can do is hope the thief at least used what they stole wisely.
Pretty crazy to think of an amateur in the distant past lovingly making this instrument for themselves only to have its sound captured in a virtual instrument used by countless people here in the present. I'm sure their mind would be blown seeing this. Thank you so much for all of the amazing work you do!
My mind is blown watching an hearing this ,amazing,
WT Fisher had no idea his instrument would become immortal.
When you were talking about the records you examined, I was surprised you didn't follow up on any of the "farmer" ones. This instrument was obviously made by a farmer. Every detail shouts it. The handwriting is by the Greatest Generation or before.
Agreed. My great-grandfather made his own violin, and he was a farmer in the Appalachian mountains.
I work at the said pawn shop and you're a genius
Everything about this video has you in it, from the nature of the instrument you found, your happening to have a few violin bridges kicking around the place, your tenacity in trying to find out about the maker and your optimistic investment of time getting it to a playable state, to your choice of "Cassette pong" among the effects presented by the LVX delay unit (which inspired me to google it-excellent). A delightful piece of work.
Aww, thanks!
Definitely got me to sub. Incredibly interesting and informative video. All it needs is a little more background music (removing a lot of the overall silence), and this might be my favourite "intriguing instrument"-related video ever.
What does it sound like without the reverb
I had an ex-in-law who was a truck driver, and in his spare time he hand made several violins. I looked him up in the '40 and '50 census and sure enough he was a truck driver and there is no mention of his violins. (No, his last name was Powell, not Fisher.) Good luck on some random family member out there seeing this video, recognizing that violin, and contacting you.
BTW: I like that sound of it. Much nicer than I expected.
That was really impressive! It looks exactly like what a farmer with no spare money would make to satisfy his/her musical bent. My father grew up on a farm and the credo of all farmers was, figure out how to do it yourself or how to do without it. SO MANY of them were expert engineers, electricians, plumbers, masons, carpenters, auto mechanics and farmers out of necessity. Not only did the locals NOT have to go without, I bet they were thrilled to hear the music that came off that beauty!
Hello David ..I just wanted you to know I have an almost identical violin made by an Alton Frissette in 1974 in Nashua NH... I was impressed that you tried to find WT Fisher. I hope information about him surfaces. I'd also very much like to find out about Alton Frissette. His violin is a work of art and a prized possession.
I think the wood type and signature are a path to both localizing and dating the violin. The handwriting style looks more like pre -WWII. The wood looks like - well, I’m not an expert on wood but I’m guessing that it may have been left overs from furniture making. The tuning pegs are probably the most recent addition. That’s not to say that type of tuner wasn’t there from the beginning, just they don’t necessarily last, and may be replacements.
I love the sound of that fiddle! Feel like I really have to make a boxfiddle. That slightly nasal and distorted tone is wonderful.
Yes, nasal is a great way of describing it
I wanna have a gourd fiddle myself. Strings rest on a floating bridge, which itself rests on top of a drum head, just like a banjo.
I love the homemade look of the violin and the sound of the samples. I wish you luck with finding out more about the creator, it would be amazing to have that backstory in more detail. Maybe he was a farmer, who carved his own fiddle for a hoedown?
It'd be worth going through some folklore collections of the Ozarks and surrounding areas in the Library of Congress and some colleges to look for a WT (and variations) Fisher as a player, or maybe people referencing him as a fellow musician or source of tunes. There's a few fiddles like that floating around there and on some old vinyl covers I have (no Fishers there though), and the guy from Otava Yo plays a similar instrument.
If only W T Fisher knew his fiddle was heard and digitally) played all over the world.
Always grateful for the free DS samples, David.
Everything about this is so wholesome - from the generosity of making the sample format and VST, to the research and documentation of it, to calling it "Decent Sampler" cheers me up. I'll be happy to write to Buckingham Palace and suggest you be granted honourary British citizenship and perhaps be made Sir Dave, keeper of the King's round robins.
My favorite hobby is building instruments and building experimental instruments is the best part of the best hobby. Thanks for posting! From now on I will be sure that every thing I build has a date, name and location on the label or engraved.
It would be great if you do videos showing your creations!
@@gabrielfkaplan Thanks for the encouragement! I may do that.
@@scillyautomatic please tag me when you do it!
@@gabrielfkaplan Will do!
A word that comes to mind after viewing this is "honesty". WT and David both.
And another is yet again "connection".
This whole DS project is a model of how digital technologies need not always separate and divide.
As a fiddle fan and mom of a young fiddler, I can say that this may be an ok-sounding violin, but it's actually got a fantastic sound for a fiddle. I would love to hear it played by an old-time fiddler, as I think it would sound absolutely amazing.
When people didn't have access to professionally made instruments, they made them from what they could. The Birthplace of Country Music Museum has 2 fiddles built out of, I kid you not, matchsticks! They were actually played on the radio there in Bristol, apparently.
And that spirit isn't limited to the rural South of the US, of course. Think of Brian May not being able to afford an electric guitar and building one with his dad, even winding his own pickups.
I found this video strangely touching. The instrument itself has a lovely voice in its way. As a guitarist I don't know much about the violin, so I can't tell if it's your playing or the instrument itself but I found the sound nostalgic and sweet. I'm a little heartbroken by it and I can't explain why. I do hope you held on to it, or at least gave it to someone who will.
I like the look of the violin. Sturdy. Rustic. Not half bad for an amateur. It reminds us that art is for everybody. And it sounds nice too.
I’m also in Philly, so now I 100% HAVE to check out that Pawn Shop you mentioned on South St.
God it sounds amazing, i love how soft the sound is, I think the fact that it has so few extreme frequencies gives it such a lovely modest sound.
I lived on South St! It was back in the early 90s. Then i lived on Rodman in a brownstone.
I'm loving the new video format with all the b-roll footage, it looks really professional like I'm watching a documentary lol
The depth of care and research that you put into these instruments is remarkable and at the very least entertaining. Thanks for all that you share with all of us.
the World, Humanity at least, DESPERATELY needs more People like You, my Friend... Your work, You MO is remarkable! keep it up!
thanks so much...again
I adore your sample libraries
Man! What a work of art. Both, the violin and the sampling process.
Thanks for sharing!
What an awesome find. 10/10 on the cool vibes scale. Keep it and if you want to get rid of it send it to a folk music museum in the ozarks.
Sounds lovely, can‘t wait to try it out! Thank you for all the amazing free instruments! :)
I just played with this for a bit; I love the sound. Thanks a lot, not just for the library, but for creating Decent Sampler.
I love your videos because they are relaxing and always have more to them than just sampling an instrument. Thanks for sharing ❤❤
We feel a great amount of nostalgia and sadness in this video
Thank you for your appreciation for the violin maker and for trying to find any information about him
this is fantastic, Dave. I was not betting it would sound that good! thanks (again!) for all you do, and all you have done for the sampling community.
David, i am simply impressed by your passion and your ability. I am a big fan of your sample library and I always enjoy working with it. I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for what an incredible job you are doing and that we are all very happy with it. Keep it up, I'm looking forward to your new results. Ralf.
Great work David, thank you 🙏!
You are the best I’ve come across in this particular niche. I love the samples of old instruments and found things that this channel provides. I mean it you are the best! If I had a synth I would definitely get your decent sampler app. Keep up the work and peace be with you🙏
your vids are amazing! they are interesting and wholesome. one of the best series on UA-cam
The first time you played it, it sounded so beautiful! It has some mysterious tone to it that I love
David, your efforts to restore old instruments and share their unique sounds with the world has always moved me. This instrument calls out to me. I'm literally weeping messy tears. There is something about rustic things that gets me right in the core and this is just a beautiful example of that. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Thanks for providing Decent Sampler. I don't record my music but I wanted to refresh my piano skills and the sound the application reproduces is amazing. Feels like I'm able to play an instrument that I would never by able to afford. So thank you kindly for providing and maintaining this wonderful tool.
God, seeing things that were lovingly created by passionate ppl from past eras makes me weirdly emotional, lol. It's incredibly sweet of you to name the sample library after him, despite his true identity being lost to time.
A lovely instrument! Im glad you took the time to try to discover who it was who had made it. I do hope this reaches the individual or their family!
Good one David! Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you David. Your videos are always such a joy to watch, and the sample instruments you produce are usable and unique. The work and enthusiasm is very much appreciated!
Can’t be overstated! 💯
Very Eno sounding going through the pedal. Great work Dave
Literally the definition of contributing to society. Thank you David.
Another great story, and I was actually shocked at how nice that sounds. Great work as always.
Maybe, just maybe the name was a joke meant only for people in the 21st century. WT Fisher. It would have been too obvious to carve only WTF. "Fisher" was just to make us work for it. Maybe.
You always have an engaging new adventure to share. Bravo
Im thankful for every free instrument you made, this is awesome ❤️
My grandfather who was a musician his whole life, from piano, piano tuning, violin, guitar etc. He was also great in repair of instruments, students/parents would come to him for repair work etc. When I was a kid, he started dabbling in making, violins and violas. He made several over time. When he died my father and uncle inherited everything since my grandmother passed before my grandfather. But His instruments have been turning up, some my uncle pawned!!!! (long story) But this reminds me of that. :)
Your videos helped inspire me to create my first sample-based instrument using a friend's kalimba recorded with a Zoom H1. With only seven notes, it was an easy instrument for an initial effort and turned out better than I'd hoped for. Notes are mapped in the same layout as the real instrument and I'm working on a song that uses it.
Thank u so much for always putting out incredible content
Mate, you are bloody brilliant. I love what you do.
Fantastic, amazing to think that the sound of W.T. Fisher will live on. Thanks for the sample pack x
THank you David, much appreciated. I think it's fantastic.....
Got goosebumps from this …..resurrection of a treasured artefact….thank you
What a lovely video, and an utterly charming instrument!
And -- just an aside -- but in an era of videos that are bloated to twice the necessary length by repetition, digressions and self-indulgence, *thank you* for respecting your viewers' time and making videos that tell us _just enough,_ and leave us wanting more. I wish more content creators understood that doing this is a gift to the viewer.
An old TV might be cool to do a scope mod to, basically driving the tube directly with an audio signal so you get a visualizer.
Very cool🎻✨
Beautiful playing👍🏻✨
I actually teared up it made my bones cold as soon as he started playing
Thank you for bringing this instrument to our attention, and making this library specially for us. I must give it a whirl!
Love your videos, what a lovely find. 🙏
Your videos bring me a lot of joy. Thank you.
I really like its timbre with its thicker tone. Amazing find
Great job! The sound reminds me very much of a Rebec which I built at an Early Music Workshop that I attended back in the '70s. The Rebec is a medieval three stringed bowl-back fiddle that was/is popular around the Black Sea in Europe. Although I sold the one that I built decades ago, I can still remember its hollow, haunting tone, evocative of another time and place, and which I hear echos of in your fantastic pawn shop violin. :)
turn the tiny tv into an oscilloscope!
Such a fun and beautiful story! Thanks a bunch.
Great job, love your work.
Such a lovely little story. Thank you ❤
Thanx for Vid & Sounds! Both great ✨🙏✨
the story of art, you did it, bro! it is a wonderful labor
That fiddle sounds absolutely beautiful.
Fantastic Video! Thank You so much!
You know I clic the LIKE button the moment the video starts... right?
You know this channel is sooooo good, you gotta do it!!
Excellent, as always!
So many would dismiss off hand or see a wall hanger as stated. In Australia old instruments turn up in rubbish or become reporopsed, when preservation and reusing them saves lost sounds. Thans for a beautiful video, so much more than I initially expected
Fascinating content as always.
Lovely instrument. Sounds great.
You are very lucky.
I’m a fan of the work of the scholar Greil Marcus, and this instrument was definitely from the invisible republic. Preserving it is a public good. I wish our libraries museums and institutions were as meticulous in preserving instruments in this fashion
Are you kidding me?? The sound is beautiful!! I was not expecting it to sound that good.
Thats really cool that you bought back that mans art. I have an old violin and I can't help but wonder about the players who etched their own marks into with sweet and friction how much emotion went into playing it over the centurys.
Even though its age and worn out look, it still manages to sound like beautiful instrument, great work man!
Fascinating video!
Thank you Fisher & Hilowitz.
Fascinating! When you started playing, I thought you were editing in the sound of a normal violin as a joke; I had no idea it would sound so good. I love seeing violin makers break from tradition! coming from the world of guitar, I think it's a bit of a shame how every violin looks mostly the same. I hope you're able to track down more info about Fisher and I'm looking forward to an update video if and when that happens.
sounds amazingly well for what it looks like, and just well overall.
I'm glad I came across your channel. The vibes and talents in your vids are excellent ❤
Great work. Grettings
You are a music saint . Thank you.
Wow! That was unexpected violin sound, beautiful and nostalgic!
You are on my hero personal list!
Thanks for the free instruments I know it cost time to sample it 🙏🏻
Friendly reminder for everyone watching to set notifications to All! I just realized I had it set to Personalized and I don’t want to miss a single video this guy makes :)
Amazing Job.
It sounds beautifully
Great post!