Jordi Fontanet

Jordi Fontanet was born in Santpedor in 1993 and in his youth he became interested in xylophones and percussion instruments. Beyond just learning to play them, he gradually became fascinated with physical and mathematical relationship with the sounds they produced and it is this interest which led him to create his own company, Sforzando Percussion, which is dedicated to making, restoring and repairing all sorts of percussion instruments.

Sforzando percussion has made tambourines, drums and Fontanet is currently working on a new line of cymbals, triangles and snare drums. His artisanal approach to his craft allows his customers to enjoy uniquely personalised attention and care, down to the last detail.

Jordi showed us around his workshop and told us about the objects he uses most in his craft, from woollen thread and needles for making the marimbas, stainless steel and bronze, to the blacksmith's hammers he uses to beat out the cymbals, triangles and boxes. “My work combines everything I've seen and lived at home since I was a little boy. I learnt music and tools and the way of working from my mum and dad and my percussion teachers.

Anvil. (in the small photo), dates back to 1850. It used to belong to my grandfather who was a blacksmith. Using a bronze sheet, a hammer and the anvil, I create form until I get a plate. The result is that fusion of fire, anvil and hammer with its own particular sound obtained with different chemical and thermic treatments.

1. Bronze plate, is the base material; it comes from Istanbul and it is made of a special mixture which makes it different from the rest of the bronzes on the market.

2. Turkish hammers, also made in Turkey, as are the plates and triangles.

3. Drumsticks, indispensible for any percussionist.

4. Mallets - maces, These drumsticks are quite different, and they are used to play the marimba and other xylophone-style instruments, but also to obtain specific sound effects.

5. Bronze drum shell- , another of our artisanal crafted products. Starting out with one sheet of bronze we machine and turn the metal until we have the completed shell.

6. Cymbals - plates, the finished product which started out as one sheet of bronze plate. .

7. Bronze and stainless steel triangle, also finished products, and like the cymbals, what the client finally sees after many, many hours of craftsmanship.

8 Woollen thread and needle

www.sfpercussion.com