The Resounding Resonator

A resonator is an acoustic guitar that produces sound by conducting string vibrations through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones (resonators), instead of to the guitar's sounding board (top). Dating back to the early 1900’s, they were originally designed to make an acoustic louder. Long after electric amplifiers solved the volume problem, their unique tone is popular among blues musicians

An Old Hand

The skilled hand of Roselyn Lionheart who, with her husband Dave Leonard, has played in the French Quarter since 1975. Ros and Dave first came to New Orleans in 1963 as part of a voter registration campaign. Her heart is as beautiful as her hand. “They're flooding my city again, flooding my city again. Once with water and now with neglect! They're flooding my city again.” - RL

"This Machine Kills Facists"

Inspired by the words sticker that Woody Guthrie had on his guitar, Collin Huggins places this inscription on the pianos that he plays. The phrase originated with industrial union workers who were putting on lathes used to make material bound for the Allied fight in WWII. Depending on the day, the FTW on his left hand means either “For The Win” or “F* the World.”

The Hand of Dusty Rhodes

A former homeless addict, who was living in the streets of New York City, he says the saxophone saved him. “It made other people happy… that was the thing that turned my life around.” His tenor sax, a gift, is to rumored to have been owned by Sonny Rollins. “A saxophone ripped open Washington Square Park and spilled honey and pain all over the sky. It was hard enough to get to Bleecker Street through the tears because all I had to give him was gratitude and money.”

"Even Without Drumbeats, Bananas Still Dance"

The djembe is one of West Africa's best known instruments. This goblet-shaped drum is traditionally carved from a single piece of African hardwood and topped with an animal skin as a drumhead. Some say the name of the djembe came from the Bamana in Mali, who said "Anke dje, anke be" to call their people together, as the saying translates as "everyone gather together."

Don't Fret the Cigarette

Bad for your lungs and the headstock, nobody’s knows when fretting cigarettes became popular. Some say it was Keith Richards, others attribute it to Pete Townsend or Eric Clapton. But no matter who was first, the practice became popular among gig guitarists. Oddly enough, there are blogs that instruct “wannabees” on how to use soldering irons to give new guitars the vintage look of cigarette burns.

I ♥ Tuba

The skilled hands of Mark “Tuba” Smith on an old, worn, beaten-up instrument held together with duct tape. He is a member of the Jackson Square Allstars and a founding musician of the Treme Artists Collective. Shortly after this photo was taken, the Marsalis Family Foundation presented him with a new instrument. “A lotta people is scared of the tuba. They say it’s too big, it’s too heavy, let me play a trumpet, let me play a saxophone. But me, I see that tuba as a challenge. See with the tuba, you have to fight with that tuba and that tuba gonna make you a man.” - MTS

Cold Hands, Warm Music

How Many Strings on a Banjo?

There are four, five, and six string banjos. The type of music largely determines the number of strings. The four-string is known for for dixeland music and the five-string for bluegrass (as seen in the move “Deliverance”). However, the 6-string banjo is simply a guitar shaped like a banjo. Popularized by the great Danny Barker (1909 – 1994), it is generally associated with ragtime music and it most frequently seen in the hands of New Orleans’ street musicians.

Wears Her Heart on Her Finger

A child prodigy, Tanya Huang has been playing violin since the age of 6. She’s played in venues ranging from concert halls to subway stations and is a favored street musician in New Orleans. She has also been affiliated with the Ellis Marsalis Center’s Musician’s Village, formed to provide a home for struggling artists who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Lower the Barre

Barre chords allow you to take the same chord position and just move it lower or higher on the fretboard to make new chords. Say you want to play an A# Major chord, but you don’t know the chord. If you play the Major barre chord with the Root note on the E string, and slide down to the 6th fret, you get an A# chord. Simple, huh?