Brian Barber

When I was a kid, my dad had an electric guitar, and in the case were these 2 books. (published in 1959 and 1965, respectively). I really wanted to play the guitar, but the electric we had had REALLY bad action, the strings were waay off the fretboard, so it was pretty frustrating to try to play the chords in the book. And G7 augmented fifth? Gimme a break. Even when I did play it right, it sounded weird and REO Speedwagon never used a chord like that – what did I need it for? But the little pictures that went with each song … that was good stuff.

Move ahead 20 years or so. I illustrated the cover of a fiddle instruction book for a friend and helped with some of the instructional art on the inside.

Well it turns out this method he developed for teaching kids the fiddle has become one of the most popular and best-selling in the country, and the book has been through several editions.

Jump ahead 10 more years, Mel Bay the man may not be around any more, but the company sure is, and they have picked up the American Fiddle Method as one of their titles. I was asked to illustrate another cover, that funny little inside art, and hand-lettered titles. This will be The American Fiddle Method, Canadian Favorites. Kinda funny, huh? I’m hoping to finish everything up this weekend, and I’m sure the book will end up on the portfolio page.

Favorite Places got a nice review from Midwest Book Review.