'B' is for Busking: Local Man Learns Rare Guitar Building Skills, Performs for Public

Remember that scene in 1993's Benny and June where Johnny Depp puts on a goofy performance in a park a la Charlie Chaplin?  Have you ever wondered what's up with those people who sit on the sidewalks, skyways, and coffee shops playing music with a hat or guitar case propped open to welcome your spare change? 

Did you know there's a term for it? My friend Dawn clued me into the term for this unique line of work - it's called busking and it means performing in public places for money or food. Other names for a busker are street performer, street musician, minstrel, or troubadour. How's that for your summer time vocab lesson!

Busking is an age old practice that dates back to ancient history and occurs virtually all over the world. In addition to playing music, busking can include other forms of entertainment such as acrobatics, animal tricks, balloon twisting, card tricks, caricatures, putting on a little circus with clowing, comedy, contortions, escape tricks, dance, singing, fire brfeathing and eating, fortune-telling, juggling, magic, mime, living statue, puppeteering, snake charming, storytelling, poetry reciting, sketching, painting, theatre, or even sword swallowing.

Well, I was curious as to who would do something like busking and I met 20-year-old Parker Lindo who's a 2010 graduate of . He recently completed the guitar repair and building program at Minnesota State College Southest Technical in Red Wing. Guitar building is fast becoming a rare trade and SE Technical offers one of the only guitar building a repair programs in the United States. 

Parker has never taken any formal guitar lessons but plays beautifully with his self-taught skills. He has already built two of his very own guitars, one is electric and one is acoustic. 

As a previous guitar player (Spanish style), I could appreciate the time and talent Parker put into his acoustic guitar. He spent approximately 200 hours over the course of three years carefully building, sanding, varnishing, and adding intricate details like designs with real mother of pearl. He used several types of wood including engelmann spruce for the top, Indian rosewood for the back and sapele for the neck.

So, the next time you see someone busking, I hope you stop to appreciate their performance and kick-in a little cash. You never know if you might just be helping someone learn and continue an ancient and rare art form.