Bluegrass musician John Reischman has mastered the art of the mandolin, a small stringed instrument with a round back and a unique quality, which he says evolves the more it’s played.

Plucking away as he talked, he explained that when he brought this particular instrument out of the case it sounded a bit “sleepy,” but after a half hour of playing “it seems like it’s come alive and sounds more responsive.”

The Grammy-award winning musician remembers hearing the band, The Dillards, play