This is because Gordon is in the business of violin making - a functional art form for which pieces made in the 16th- and 17th-centuries by Gasparo da Salo, Andrea Amati and Antonio Stradivari still sell for millions of dollars in modern auctions.
Using the molds of some of these great makers' most famous pieces and fashioning his instruments using modest hand tools, Gordon works daily in his home studio and sells his pieces both locally and throughout the nation. He works to carve a name for himself with his craft, unabashed by the more than 400 years of tradition that came before him.
"Stradivari, his golden period started when he was 57 years old," Gordon said. "I'm 57, so I'm pretending this is going to be my golden period."
Gordon made his first violin when he was 13 years old under the guidance of his father, Robert Gordon Jr., a maker with multiple awards and more than 180 pieces to his name at age 82.
"I wouldn't be doing it without the inspiration of my father," Gordon III said. "He was a factory worker, and came home every night and worked in the back of the house, where he had a little room. He set a tremendous example of the will to make. A lot of his instruments today other makers really like because he never came from a school that said you have to do it this way. His were coming right out of the creative spirit he had."
Gordon III apprenticed under Vahakn Nigogosian in the early 1990s, but also fell into repair and restoration work. He and his father opened a repair shop in Pleasantville in 1988, then Gordon III opened another in Indiana in 2006. Gordon III shut down the Indiana operation just three years ago in order to have more time to focus on making violins. He now only works with previous repair clients in the hope that he can go from making two instruments a year to two a month.
"I've got 30 under my belt," he said. " I have to make that transition or else I'll just be another guy out there lost in the violin making world."
Wood and mold selection are the most important contributions to a violin's tone and quality, Gordon III said. He uses maple for the necks, backs and sides of his instruments, and imports red spruce from Canada for the top wood.
And though he said that Stradivari himself would probably use electricity if he was alive and working today, Gordon III still chooses to carve his wood by hand.
"I think that by using a [finger] plane and using a gauge, you can feel the quality of the wood much better than using a sander or anything of that nature," Gordon III said. "Anything power tools takes away from the sound. I like to hear the crispness of the wood."
Gordon III's craftsmanship and attention to detail has not gone unnoticed by buyers.
Julie Gilchrist, who has been a violinist with the Johnstown Symphony for more than 35 years, bought one of his violins in 2004.
She said it continues to look and sound beautiful, from the scroll to the chin rest.
"The love that he puts into his instruments, you can see why they're so wonderful," she said. "I feel that there has not be a Strad out there that's as good as she is."
Gordon III said musicians are usually most concerned with tone when it comes to purchasing a violin, but collectors are also focused on condition and beauty.
This fact has led Gordon III to adapt various "tedious" varnishing processes, as well as "antiquing" his pieces to make them look old and worn.
"What we're dealing with is functional art," Gordon III said. "You can't just make something that looks good. If it doesn't play, nobody cares. ... You're caught in a world where you at least have to make it presentable. Then the idea is to make the tone be exceptional. That's what I try to do."
He said his instruments are sold for an average of $8,000. Though it's better than the millions one might have to pay for a good antique, he acknowledged that it's also a little pricey for anyone just learning the instrument or playing as a hobby.
"But that's nothing to spend for a violin if you're going to make your living all your life off something," he said. "That's the idea behind owning a violin, is having it all your life. You're just renting it, basically. Then, when you die, it goes to somebody else."
To help "advance the art" of violin playing and making for future generations, Gordon III also donates his time and expertise by doing repairs for surrounding school districts.
Julianne Laird, the junior high school orchestra teacher and third grade violin instructor for the Indiana Area School District, said she couldn't offer the opportunities she does without his help - including allowing every third grade student in the district to take a violin class.
"It helps out tremendously because we have only a certain amount of money we can spend on repairs," Laird said. "With Robert's assistance, we can purchase parts and rely on him to do the repairs. ... He has made a complete difference in the life of every kid who comes through the school district in the third grade."
Monday 15 October 2012
Emotions on a razor's edge as jockeys ply trade
THEY'RE about to jump in the second at Caulfield, and the jockeys' room is already a passing parade of small men with bright clothes and colourful language. For the rest of this spring Saturday afternoon, it will bustle with the activity of stripping, dressing, weighing and wise-cracking, fall quiet as they repair to their dangerous work, then bubble again on their return.
''You sit in here all day, you have a ball,'' says Chris Symons, the self-confessed clown who on this day is the butt of every passing joke, thanks to the plaster encasing his left foot, broken when it found its way under fellow rider Tom Sadler's tyre three weeks ago in the Sale car park. ''You couldn't have a camera in here,'' Symons adds. ''It can be a bit rude, crude and outrageous.''
It can be brow-furrowingly serious, too. James McDonald is camped in front of locker 58, normally occupied by Symons, who is happy to cede his spot, but has ''seen people get emotional'' over their preferred place.
McDonald, a fast-rising 20-year-old from New Zealand, has five rides and is ready for the first of them with an hour to spare. His ''game face'' is already on as he flexes his whip, then watches race two on a television, bouncing from foot to foot, up on his toes, throwing air punches out in front of his chest. He's almost embarrassed to be asked. ''It's just warming up.''
For fellow Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse, the day is already over. He's already had a shower and is suited, tied and about to head for home as Dom Tourneur drops his bag in front of locker 66. Tourneur's one ride - on Alcopop in the Caulfield Stakes - is more than an hour away; by then, Stackhouse will be home having a nap.
''I rode in the last race [at Cranbourne] last night, got home at 11.30, wound down, scrubbed my gear,'' Stackhouse says. ''I was up at 3.15 this morning for trackwork.'' His Guineas day starts and ends with a ride on 200-1 shot Verification, which trails the field home in the first.
Just along from Tourneur sits the other end of the spectrum. Craig Williams has rides in eight of the nine races, and the calm, organised demeanour of someone who fits Symons' description of him as ''the most professional bloke in here''. It helps that he can pay someone to do what for most in the room is the time-consuming grind of their daily riding ritual. Where the vast majority unzip their work bags to unpack breastplates, girths, surcingle, saddles, helmets, vests, boots, cleaning gear and all the other bits and pieces that help bring man and horse together on the track, Williams has Vincent Mills, jockeys' valet, to do it for him.
''I keep all their gear - a full set of saddles, everything,'' says Mills, 70, from his aluminium bench, where his work for Williams and Kerrin McEvoy (and Damien Oliver if he was riding) is meticulously laid out and ready for collection. ''Tonight I take that home, launder it, make sure everything's right, and on Wednesday it'll be back here, and when they walk in it's all set up, ready to go.''
Pinned to the wall is a newspaper formguide on which Mills has marked the weights for his men for each race. If all three are riding he can be juggling 30 saddles, which baffles some. ''It's like the line out of the bible: 'I know my sheep and my sheep know me'. You just know whose gear it is.''
The neat-as-a-pin state of the room gradually dips as the day wears on, but nothing like it would on a wet afternoon. ''If it was raining, there'd be mud and shit everywhere in here,'' Symons says. As Williams brushes up on form he has already spent much of Friday studying, Symons says there is no jealousy from those who can't afford such luxury assistance. The regular-guy jockeys like Tourneur, who sits along from Williams shining his boots and spraying Mr Sheen on his saddle.
Like any work place there is a pecking order, and Tourneur is glad he's ''a relaxed sort of bloke'' who can fly in from Adelaide on a Saturday morning, land among the big names of his craft and not feel intimidated. ''For an out-of-towner, the first time you come here it can be a bit eerie,'' he says, admitting he's seen many who don't assimilate so easily. ''You see them come in, basically looking like little lost sheep. For some people the moment can get the better of them. You've got to find your own way, how to handle it.''
Steven King, a soon-to-turn 43-year-old veteran, remembers Greg Hall and Pat Hyland being the noise-makers when he started out, and has seen the dynamic change over the years. ''They seem to be a bit more confident now,'' he says of younger riders. ''Maybe that's just the way of the world.''
There are plenty of options should a jockey want a place to hide. Entry to the main room is through a basic lounge, where those with gaps between rides can be found reclining in front of televisions, their trade playing out around the country. Some courses have a room with bunks to grab 40 winks; all have a masseur to repair tired muscles.
Off to McDonald's right the carpet gives way to tiles where a regular path is beaten to and from the spa, showers and sauna, the latter monitored by registered nurse Debbie Hansen. You're as likely to see a man naked as clothed in the jockeys' room, but Hansen is oblivious, propped on a chair next to the basin, crocheting and embroidering a Christmas quilt.
As King reclines in the spa reading a racebook, she explains her job as monitor of sauna visits, which are limited to 15 minutes per jockey per hour (in which they can lose between 300 and 500 grams).
''They sign in, sign out, and if anything does happen to them I look after them,'' she says, as an alarm sounds to alert her that it's time to get Brenton Avdulla out.
For those who can eat, there's a kitchen (empty each time The Age passes by), with salads, cold meats and a bain marie containing a slab of lasagne, untouched bar one missing serve, which Tourneur is happy to claim. ''I'm riding 59 kilos today, generally I ride 54, so we had a little bit of spare room.''
There is another empty room on Guineas day, just off the lounge with ''Lady Jockeys'' quaintly penned on the door. No women are riding this day, and its eight lockers are empty, scales untouched, and TV playing to nobody. Michelle Payne's appearance in the lounge, dressed to the nines and popping in to say hello to her workmates, adds a rare touch.
''You sit in here all day, you have a ball,'' says Chris Symons, the self-confessed clown who on this day is the butt of every passing joke, thanks to the plaster encasing his left foot, broken when it found its way under fellow rider Tom Sadler's tyre three weeks ago in the Sale car park. ''You couldn't have a camera in here,'' Symons adds. ''It can be a bit rude, crude and outrageous.''
It can be brow-furrowingly serious, too. James McDonald is camped in front of locker 58, normally occupied by Symons, who is happy to cede his spot, but has ''seen people get emotional'' over their preferred place.
McDonald, a fast-rising 20-year-old from New Zealand, has five rides and is ready for the first of them with an hour to spare. His ''game face'' is already on as he flexes his whip, then watches race two on a television, bouncing from foot to foot, up on his toes, throwing air punches out in front of his chest. He's almost embarrassed to be asked. ''It's just warming up.''
For fellow Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse, the day is already over. He's already had a shower and is suited, tied and about to head for home as Dom Tourneur drops his bag in front of locker 66. Tourneur's one ride - on Alcopop in the Caulfield Stakes - is more than an hour away; by then, Stackhouse will be home having a nap.
''I rode in the last race [at Cranbourne] last night, got home at 11.30, wound down, scrubbed my gear,'' Stackhouse says. ''I was up at 3.15 this morning for trackwork.'' His Guineas day starts and ends with a ride on 200-1 shot Verification, which trails the field home in the first.
Just along from Tourneur sits the other end of the spectrum. Craig Williams has rides in eight of the nine races, and the calm, organised demeanour of someone who fits Symons' description of him as ''the most professional bloke in here''. It helps that he can pay someone to do what for most in the room is the time-consuming grind of their daily riding ritual. Where the vast majority unzip their work bags to unpack breastplates, girths, surcingle, saddles, helmets, vests, boots, cleaning gear and all the other bits and pieces that help bring man and horse together on the track, Williams has Vincent Mills, jockeys' valet, to do it for him.
''I keep all their gear - a full set of saddles, everything,'' says Mills, 70, from his aluminium bench, where his work for Williams and Kerrin McEvoy (and Damien Oliver if he was riding) is meticulously laid out and ready for collection. ''Tonight I take that home, launder it, make sure everything's right, and on Wednesday it'll be back here, and when they walk in it's all set up, ready to go.''
Pinned to the wall is a newspaper formguide on which Mills has marked the weights for his men for each race. If all three are riding he can be juggling 30 saddles, which baffles some. ''It's like the line out of the bible: 'I know my sheep and my sheep know me'. You just know whose gear it is.''
The neat-as-a-pin state of the room gradually dips as the day wears on, but nothing like it would on a wet afternoon. ''If it was raining, there'd be mud and shit everywhere in here,'' Symons says. As Williams brushes up on form he has already spent much of Friday studying, Symons says there is no jealousy from those who can't afford such luxury assistance. The regular-guy jockeys like Tourneur, who sits along from Williams shining his boots and spraying Mr Sheen on his saddle.
Like any work place there is a pecking order, and Tourneur is glad he's ''a relaxed sort of bloke'' who can fly in from Adelaide on a Saturday morning, land among the big names of his craft and not feel intimidated. ''For an out-of-towner, the first time you come here it can be a bit eerie,'' he says, admitting he's seen many who don't assimilate so easily. ''You see them come in, basically looking like little lost sheep. For some people the moment can get the better of them. You've got to find your own way, how to handle it.''
Steven King, a soon-to-turn 43-year-old veteran, remembers Greg Hall and Pat Hyland being the noise-makers when he started out, and has seen the dynamic change over the years. ''They seem to be a bit more confident now,'' he says of younger riders. ''Maybe that's just the way of the world.''
There are plenty of options should a jockey want a place to hide. Entry to the main room is through a basic lounge, where those with gaps between rides can be found reclining in front of televisions, their trade playing out around the country. Some courses have a room with bunks to grab 40 winks; all have a masseur to repair tired muscles.
Off to McDonald's right the carpet gives way to tiles where a regular path is beaten to and from the spa, showers and sauna, the latter monitored by registered nurse Debbie Hansen. You're as likely to see a man naked as clothed in the jockeys' room, but Hansen is oblivious, propped on a chair next to the basin, crocheting and embroidering a Christmas quilt.
As King reclines in the spa reading a racebook, she explains her job as monitor of sauna visits, which are limited to 15 minutes per jockey per hour (in which they can lose between 300 and 500 grams).
''They sign in, sign out, and if anything does happen to them I look after them,'' she says, as an alarm sounds to alert her that it's time to get Brenton Avdulla out.
For those who can eat, there's a kitchen (empty each time The Age passes by), with salads, cold meats and a bain marie containing a slab of lasagne, untouched bar one missing serve, which Tourneur is happy to claim. ''I'm riding 59 kilos today, generally I ride 54, so we had a little bit of spare room.''
There is another empty room on Guineas day, just off the lounge with ''Lady Jockeys'' quaintly penned on the door. No women are riding this day, and its eight lockers are empty, scales untouched, and TV playing to nobody. Michelle Payne's appearance in the lounge, dressed to the nines and popping in to say hello to her workmates, adds a rare touch.
Monday 8 October 2012
KSRTC rides high on tech route
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), over the years, has become tech-savvy and has come up with a variety of options for its customers to book tickets. Passengers can avoid going to ticket counters and wait in long queues for their turn as tickets can now be booked on the phone or online.
E-tickets/M-tickets: Booking for KSRTC services can be made by registered user through internet. A registered user is given a user name and password after filling an e-form giving personal details. Online tickets can be booked 24/7. Payments for tickets will have to be made through credit card/debit card/online banking.
A passenger booking tickets will have to log on to KSRTC website and proceed through the link provided for Advance Booking. The passenger can select the seats in a service of his choice based on availability. During the booking process, the passenger will have to select ‘Identity Type’ for confirming his identity during the journey. He can select from any of the photo identity cards, i.e., passport/driving licence/voter ID card/PAN card/ration card. The passenger travelling with e-ticket/m-ticket should carry any one of these photo identity cards during the journey.
Before confirming the booking, the passenger will have to give payment details like ‘Credit Card/Debit card/Online Banking’ for accepting payment by the payment gateway. The booking will be confirmed after the financial gateway approves the transaction. At this stage, a PNR number is generated for that ticket and the passenger can print the e-ticket on plain paper for acknowledgement and it will be valid for the journey. An m-ticket will also be sent to passenger during e-booking/m-booking through SMS and will be valid for the journey.
Tickets booked through e-booking/m-booking can be cancelled online only till the booking closes for the service or till the time allowed as per cancellation slab, whichever is earlier. Cancellation is allowed online only if they login with the same user ID used for booking the ticket. In respect of cancellations, refunds applicable will be made to the concerned credit/debit card/online banking account only.
E-ticket should be cancelled by user himself. E-mail requests for cancellations are considered. Such requests will be considered only when the ‘Awatar’ application is not functioning. Cancellation of e-tickets after stopping of advance booking for a service is also not allowed. If the service is cancelled by KSRTC (or other STUs) for operational reasons, refund will be made to the concerned card/online banking account only.
Discounts are allowed for all tickets booked on internet. Senior citizen concession of 25% is allowed for residents of Karnataka up to Rajahamsa class of services. To avail concession, any one of the following ID proof has to be produced at the time of journey - senior citizen card issued by KSRTC, identification card issued by the Physically Challenged and Senior Citizens Welfare Directorate, driving licence, voter ID, passport, PAN card issued by the concerned authority. To avail this discount, only one seat should be booked in a transaction.
KSRTC has gone one step ahead to reach its passengers by introducing web-based mobile booking application. Now KSRTC has become the first state-run transport organization to introduce URL-based mobile booking application. There is no need to download or request any additional application to book the tickets from the mobile. Just access the URL "ksrtc.in/mobile" from a GPRS-enabled mobile and book your ticket within minutes. The registration for both e-booking and mobile user is one time, and the user need not register again to book or cancel the ticket through mobile. Passengers can also cancel their e-tickets through mobiles. All the terms and conditions of e-booking are applicable to mobile booking.
E-tickets/M-tickets: Booking for KSRTC services can be made by registered user through internet. A registered user is given a user name and password after filling an e-form giving personal details. Online tickets can be booked 24/7. Payments for tickets will have to be made through credit card/debit card/online banking.
A passenger booking tickets will have to log on to KSRTC website and proceed through the link provided for Advance Booking. The passenger can select the seats in a service of his choice based on availability. During the booking process, the passenger will have to select ‘Identity Type’ for confirming his identity during the journey. He can select from any of the photo identity cards, i.e., passport/driving licence/voter ID card/PAN card/ration card. The passenger travelling with e-ticket/m-ticket should carry any one of these photo identity cards during the journey.
Before confirming the booking, the passenger will have to give payment details like ‘Credit Card/Debit card/Online Banking’ for accepting payment by the payment gateway. The booking will be confirmed after the financial gateway approves the transaction. At this stage, a PNR number is generated for that ticket and the passenger can print the e-ticket on plain paper for acknowledgement and it will be valid for the journey. An m-ticket will also be sent to passenger during e-booking/m-booking through SMS and will be valid for the journey.
Tickets booked through e-booking/m-booking can be cancelled online only till the booking closes for the service or till the time allowed as per cancellation slab, whichever is earlier. Cancellation is allowed online only if they login with the same user ID used for booking the ticket. In respect of cancellations, refunds applicable will be made to the concerned credit/debit card/online banking account only.
E-ticket should be cancelled by user himself. E-mail requests for cancellations are considered. Such requests will be considered only when the ‘Awatar’ application is not functioning. Cancellation of e-tickets after stopping of advance booking for a service is also not allowed. If the service is cancelled by KSRTC (or other STUs) for operational reasons, refund will be made to the concerned card/online banking account only.
Discounts are allowed for all tickets booked on internet. Senior citizen concession of 25% is allowed for residents of Karnataka up to Rajahamsa class of services. To avail concession, any one of the following ID proof has to be produced at the time of journey - senior citizen card issued by KSRTC, identification card issued by the Physically Challenged and Senior Citizens Welfare Directorate, driving licence, voter ID, passport, PAN card issued by the concerned authority. To avail this discount, only one seat should be booked in a transaction.
KSRTC has gone one step ahead to reach its passengers by introducing web-based mobile booking application. Now KSRTC has become the first state-run transport organization to introduce URL-based mobile booking application. There is no need to download or request any additional application to book the tickets from the mobile. Just access the URL "ksrtc.in/mobile" from a GPRS-enabled mobile and book your ticket within minutes. The registration for both e-booking and mobile user is one time, and the user need not register again to book or cancel the ticket through mobile. Passengers can also cancel their e-tickets through mobiles. All the terms and conditions of e-booking are applicable to mobile booking.
Technology can bring frustration
Unless one chooses the lifestyle of a hermit, it is nearly impossible to avoid the long arm of automation in this modern world. We've come to depend upon the automated machine to give us cash, wash our cars, clean our pools, serve as a quick way to buy things at the grocery store, answer our inquiries on the phone, and on and on.
There is no question that advances in this field of technology have made our daily lives function much smoother. However, with new developments in automation comes the potential for a new set of frustrations, especially when things don't operate as they should. For these moments, I offer a few rules.
Let's start with that annoying automated voice response that so many businesses use. Since I am not the hermit type, I am resolved that I must learn to deal with it, even if it means that I will never speak to a real person again should I need to use the phone to place an order, make a complaint, renew a membership or just plain obtain information.
I find it infuriating to have to converse with an automated voice as he, she or it recites a list of options from which I must select in order to proceed. I admit there are times that I feel ashamed for interrupting and being so rude to that overly pleasant, faux human phone voice on the other end. To avoid such guilt, I am establishing a rule that all such phone calls must offer at the very start the option for the caller to choose to speak directly to a human representative.
Automated teller machines, better known as ATMs, have been with us a long time, and so have improved tremendously over the years. It is the ATM user who has not advanced. My sister Jan suggested that a rule be enforced for folks who stand before an ATM machine but cannot remember their security code, thus creating a line behind them that looms larger and larger. The person with the temporary memory loss is to step aside and go to the back of the line.
A related rule is for those who opt to use an automated video vending machine such as those provided by Red Box or Blockbuster. They must have the movies desired in mind before attempting to rent a video. If the film is not available, the consumer must step aside and let the next person have a go at it.
Parking machines need to be standardized so that wherever I park, I do not need to learn a whole new system to obtain a parking pass. And speaking of a standardized system, let's establish some universal way for credit card machines to function. Do I swipe or don't swipe, sign or don't sign, press "enter" or "clear," use the stylus or my finger?
There is no question that advances in this field of technology have made our daily lives function much smoother. However, with new developments in automation comes the potential for a new set of frustrations, especially when things don't operate as they should. For these moments, I offer a few rules.
Let's start with that annoying automated voice response that so many businesses use. Since I am not the hermit type, I am resolved that I must learn to deal with it, even if it means that I will never speak to a real person again should I need to use the phone to place an order, make a complaint, renew a membership or just plain obtain information.
I find it infuriating to have to converse with an automated voice as he, she or it recites a list of options from which I must select in order to proceed. I admit there are times that I feel ashamed for interrupting and being so rude to that overly pleasant, faux human phone voice on the other end. To avoid such guilt, I am establishing a rule that all such phone calls must offer at the very start the option for the caller to choose to speak directly to a human representative.
Automated teller machines, better known as ATMs, have been with us a long time, and so have improved tremendously over the years. It is the ATM user who has not advanced. My sister Jan suggested that a rule be enforced for folks who stand before an ATM machine but cannot remember their security code, thus creating a line behind them that looms larger and larger. The person with the temporary memory loss is to step aside and go to the back of the line.
A related rule is for those who opt to use an automated video vending machine such as those provided by Red Box or Blockbuster. They must have the movies desired in mind before attempting to rent a video. If the film is not available, the consumer must step aside and let the next person have a go at it.
Parking machines need to be standardized so that wherever I park, I do not need to learn a whole new system to obtain a parking pass. And speaking of a standardized system, let's establish some universal way for credit card machines to function. Do I swipe or don't swipe, sign or don't sign, press "enter" or "clear," use the stylus or my finger?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)