Kirkwood High Musician Learns Unique Craft

When Andie Barnett considered a career, becoming a luthier never really crossed her mind.

Only because she’d never heard of it.

Now Barnett, 15, a sophomore at , is an apprentice luthier at St. Louis Strings, where she helps repair stringed instruments like violins, violas, cellos and basses.

Luthier is a word that dates back to the Middle Ages, said Ted Moniak, who has been working with Barnett since earlier this summer. A luthier is someone who builds or repairs stringed instruments, including the lute – popular during the Renaissance – and the double bass, which Barnett has been playing since fourth grade.

“I’d never heard of it,” she said. “I didn’t know it was a specific occupation.”

Moniak said the term is not very common except among musicians. And as uncommon as the craft is, it’s even more difficult to learn.

“The learning curve is very high and very long,” he said. “A lot of people have the interest but after the first day or two, they just give up.

“It’s something that’s simple to explain but hard to do.”

He likened it to being a practitioner of yoga, who must work for years to master a move. Luthiers need excellent eye-hand coordination, the patience to be precise and years of practice to master the craft.

But Barnett, he said, is a natural.

“Andie has the ability and she also has the interest,” Moniak said. “She’s got it all.”

Barnett said that while she had played bass for seven years, she had never given much thought to the mechanics of the instrument. Now she realizes how much the inner workings of an instrument affect its sound.

“I kind of understand how to get the most out of my instrument,” she said. “It’s really interesting. I’ve played for so long but you don’t really think about the other aspect of it.”

Barnett said she spent several days a week this summer at the sawdust-filled workshop in Dogtown, first learning simple tasks like putting strings on, then tackling harder jobs like sealing cracks and seams in the woodwork, adjusting fingerboards and fixing pegs.

She's continuing her apprenticeship even now that school is back in session.

“You can go to luthier schools but I think it’s one of those things best learned through an apprenticeship,” she said. “It’s kind of a never-ending learning sort of job.”

Moniak said learning luthier skills would serve Barnett well even if she didn’t make it a career. Whether she becomes a professional musician or a teacher, she will have a set of skills that will keep her own bass in top form and that other musicians will come to rely on.

“She’s going to save herself a lot of money,” he said. “And she’ll be able to make herself a little pocket money.”