Elderly Instruments School of Music

Arnold Hennig

Arnold Hennig has been playing guitar for over 40 years. During his earlier years he concentrated primarily on classical playing, as well as performing with a folk-oriented group. While studying at Western Michigan University, from which he graduated in 1974 with a degree in music and Spanish, he became acquainted with the growing Spanish-speaking community, in which he found a cultural and musical home.

When he started to participate in the Spanish-speaking church outreach, several people quickly introduced him to the styles and repertoir of the local primarily Tex-Mex community. Being interested in the diversity of cultures and musical styles in the Spanish-speaking world, Arnold has found the United States an ideal place to be, as people come here from all over, and over the years he has met individuals from a variety of countries who have gladly taken time to introduce him to their music.

Arnold has performed in a variety of environments, including a Tex-Mex band, a couple of trios, a long stint as a soloist in several local restaurants while living in Oklahoma City, and others. He has performed locally in a trio with his wife and daughter, who together play a variety of Latin American styles. Arnold's primary work has been in the field of building and repairing guitars, which he has been doing for about 35 years, and he has been a member of the Elderly Instruments repair staff since 1998. Because of his interest in the Latin American music and his active presence in the Spanish-speaking communities of the various areas in which he has lived, he has over the years built and repaired a variety of instruments typical of various regional musics of Latin America, including requinto, bajo sexto, cuatro Venezolano, cuatro Puertorriqueño, tiple and bandola de Colombia, and charango. He plays all of these instruments in greater or lesser degree, and although his available time is limited, he has made himself available as a member of Elderly's instruction staff for those students who have a particular interest in one of the Latin American styles or instruments, and for those Spanish-speaking students who find English an obstacle to learning.