SALLA – Stories from the Middle of Nowhere, Episode 2 – Matti Luukinen: The Master Builder

Episode 2 – Matti Luukinen: The Master Builder

Some stories are carried through words. Others are carried through what we leave behind.

In Episode 2 of SALLA – Stories from the Middle of Nowhere, the journey turns to my father, Matti Luukinen — accordion builder, tuner and craftsman.

His workshop was a world of its own.

Accordions were built, repaired and tuned. Musicians came and went. Coffee was shared, stories were told, and as a child, I watched this world from close by.

Matti's craftsmanship became known far beyond Salla. Instruments arrived at his workshop from across Finland and the Nordic countries, and his work earned respect among fellow accordion builders and musicians.

He had learned the demanding craft of accordion tuning from master tuner Aki Lievonen — knowledge passed from one craftsman to another.

Matti died in 2007 before he could fulfil a promise to pass that knowledge on once more.

But craftsmanship has a way of continuing.

Years later, I would find myself at a workbench of my own, building accordions and becoming part of another extraordinary journey.

This is the story of a craftsman, a workshop, and a legacy that did not disappear when the tools fell silent.

A documentary about Matti's work as an accordion builder, repairer and teacher, originally broadcast by Yle TV1 in 1997:

Matti Luukinen – harmonikan tekijä ja korjaaja | YouTube

Written, Narrated & Produced by
Aaro Luukinen

A Documentary Series from
Lähtökohta Podcast

Intro Music
"Way Back Home" — Simon Herody

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Watch Matti LuukinenCredits