Bøger af Graham McDonald

Grace Howard, a Lakota woman from the Pine Ridge reservation, once reached the brink of stardom as a rock singer until the pressures of it drove her to drugs and oblivion. The catalyst to get clean, however, came with the birth of her physically deformed son, Jamie. Twelve years later, she is singing in a North Dakota bar to help pay for his ongoing medical treatment when a power surge through her microphone one night triggers a mystical experience. She has a vision and during it hears some unique music that will change her life forever. Jamie, a budding poet, has a strange dream at precisely the moment of Grace's vision and begins to produce lyrics of a standard well beyond his years. Their supernatural experiences ignite a special songwriting partnership and they begin to craft an album that melds the Lakota songs of an ancestor and other cultural music with modern rock-a combination that will eventually rocket to the top of the charts. Estranged from her people for many years, as the music gains popularity it compels Grace to make peace with her past. She returns to Pine Ridge and learns of the desecration of her musician-ancestor's spiritual resting place by the construction of a golf course. Enraged, she decides to use the music's massive popularity to try and stop the development. It sets in motion a series of events that will test the strength of her soul and put the lives of everyone she holds dear on the line. A heartfelt exploration of the resurrection of cultural and personal spirit, Graham McDonald's second installment of his spiritual trilogy examines the clash between European and indigenous cultures with bracing honesty. A haunting, compelling story full of the synchronicities of life and powers we can neither see nor touch, Song Catcher is as heartbreaking as it is transformative.

A workshop guide to building Irish bouzoukis and citterns. In the past forty years bouzoukis, citterns and octave mandolins have become an essential part of acoustic music. The Bouzouki Book is the first, and only, book to guides the reader through the steps to build one of these fascinating stringed musical instruments. The book includes nearly 200 colour and B&W illustrations as well as plans for all major components.

Suited for first-time builders with limited woodworking skills as well as those looking for a challenge, this workshop manual features four mandolin projects that range from a simple flat top and back model to the more complex, fully carved "A" style mandolin. The accompanying narrative offers step-by-step instruction in a relaxed, conversational style that not only explains what and how something should be done but also why it's executed in that particular manner. A set of full-size, detailed plans pairs with photographs, diagrams, and illustrations to round out the instruction materials. The manual's informative introductory section featuring a comprehensive history of the mandolin, construction techniques through the ages, and color illustrations of rare instruments--some of which have never been previously published--enhances the appreciation of this ancient string instrument.