90-year-old has a passion for building musical instruments

CALGARY -

Tony Maksymetz built his first hammer dulcimer when he was 19 alongside his father and grandfather. The third generation instrument maker turns 91 on August 26th and has already started work on his 25th dulcimer.

"Well it's like this, if I get rid of this one I'll make one more," said Maksymetz. "I'll keep going as long as I can, but here's another thing too, my hands are not as flexible as they used to be."

Maksymetz says there are very few people who make the 105 string instrument. They typically have 110 strings but Maksymetz deleted the top row because he says no one uses them.

He retired in 1996 after a career framing homes in Calgary. Originally from Manitoba, Maksymetz has built instruments for his family and people all over Western Canada and is still taking orders.

"Not too long ago I had calls and one guy wanted eight I said I'm sorry, I'm too old I cannot build (that many)," he said.

ORIGINATED IN MIDDLE EAST

Maksymetz is of Ukrainian heritage and says the dulcimer is used by people all over Eastern Europe. The first hammer dulcimer likely originated in the Middle East at about 900 AD.

Ken Vanberg met Maksymetz at a community function a handful of years ago.

"What happened is I brought my accordion over to play at Mount Pleasant (community association) and Tony caught me when I went by him," said Vanberg. "And he said I have a dulcimer and I know nothing about dulcimers."

Vanberg visited Maksymetz regularly and documented the building of his 24th dulcimer. He was inspired by the passion and skill of his friend and wrote a book about him.

"He's got a chisel there, he's got a jigsaw for working on the bridges and he has a few other small tools," said Vanberg. "That intrigues me to no end that people can make all that stuff with such a small amount of tools."

Maksymetz likes to use oak or birch wood or a combination of both to make his instruments. He says no two are alike because he changes things as he goes.

"It takes me three months," he said. "A little bit here, a little bit there, I don't put five or six hours steady, an hour or two here and I'm going to do something different."

He says it takes an entire month to tune the instrument. The strings have to be stretched slowly so the wood doesn't break. But the skill will likely end with Maksymetz. He has no one to pass the art to.

"I've talked to my family and (they say) grandpa, dad, I don't want to do it," said Maksymetz. "Well, I'm not going to force them."

And that's too bad because he's starting to see more of a demand for the dulcimer with fewer people making them.

"The young generation, the baby boomers are starting to come back to the old music, because this modern music is already failing out," he said.