Creating the perfect music sound and other creative performances needs a number of musical instruments one of which is the guitar. Locally, most guitars come from outside the country, but apparently in Lilongwe there is a guitar maker Blessings Chilunga who dedicates his time to create guitars from scratch as well as maintain broken ones. Our arts editor EDITH GONDWE caught up with Chilunga to understand more about his art.
Q
: First, may you introduce yourself?
A
: My name is Blessings Chilunga. I was born in Blantyre, but currently settled in Lilongwe from 2018. I started building guitars in 2011 under Mtengo Instrument, a company based in Blantyre.
Q
: Tell us more about your craft as a guitar maker?
A
: I was inspired by Ian Thomson who is a luthier and decided to join his company (Mtengo Instrument) in 2011, as I also love carpentry, an art from my dad which I was doing from 2011 to 2012. But in 2013, I decided it was time to learn something new and I mastered the art of building guitars. In the same year I was employed as a senior luthier at Mtengo Instrument. I was responsible for acoustic guitar designs and production and in 2015 I also had a chance to learn fundamentals of electric guitars – that’s from design to production as well. I resigned at Mtengo Instrument in 2018 to start my own project in guitar building in Lilongwe where I have been mostly repairing broken or damaged guitars. I have also attended instrument building and repair trainings under Music Crossroads International in 2019 and in 2021 as a peer trainer for the creative training organised by Music Crossroads International. In my day to day life, I basically build handmade guitars and repair existing guitars.
Q
: When you build a guitar from scratch, what materials do you use and once it is finished, how much does it cost?
A
: When building guitars we use solid wood such us gmelina and m’bawa, among other woods available in our country. The cost depends on the design, decorations and type of wood used, but the minimum of a finished guitar is K150 000.
Q
: Who usually is your target market?
A
: Malawians and everyone who love professional handmade materials.
Q
: Now that you have been in this business of creating guitars and repairing them, what is your long term plan?
A
: Currently, I am settled at my company called Guitar Clinic in Chilinde. The aim is to train others to master this art of making guitars especially the youth depending on availability of funds. I am planning training sessions and the first session starts in February where we aim to produce at least two instruments by the end of February. We also want to be a leading company in Malawi that produces quality handmade guitars.
Q
: Who qualifies to be part of the programme and how long will the programme take?
A
: Those who are passionate in building or repairing guitars and have the capacity to pay K30 000 per session (58 hours) are welcome to join. We will be having these sessions twice a month from February to December this year. To build an acoustic guitar mostly takes one month that is four weeks. For one to complete the course, one has to cover four sessions.
Q
: How important is the guitar in creating the perfect sound in music?
A
: The guitar is a very important instrument not only to the music world, but also to a person. The guitar enhances your concentration, improves your memory, enriches your multi-tasking skills, builds your confidence, makes you more disciplined, creates a fun atmosphere, help you meet new people every day, among other benefits.
Q
: Do you have any final remarks?
A
: I would like to encourage my fellow young people not only to wait for someone to employ them. Let’s utilise the skills and talents that we have. And if we have not yet recognised our talent, let’s learn from others.
