about The driving force behind a single thread is John Pascuzzi, a multi-instrumentalist with a passion for odd, unique, and uncommon musical instruments. He composes and plays the music, and is supported at times by fellow musicians when playing in live settings. The igil (see sidebar) is the primary instrument used in most songs. It is played with the deepest respect to the people of Tuva, especially its musicians, who are the creators and custodians of the instrument, and who gave its haunting sound to the world. Other instruments may also weave their way into the music, including bass and drums, and elements of didgeridoo, acoustic guitar, Hang Drum, Waterphone, and anything else that makes noise, as long as it fits the song. History I began banging on an old piano at the age of two and either sounded like I had a bit of potential or I sounded terrible–either way, my parents decided I needed lessons, so off I went! I took up the trumpet in grade school, because it was louder and I could annoy them with it. I've also played the guitar for 20 years, and the didgeridoo for over 10 years, and dabble in a number of other musical instruments and noisemakers. Sometime in the mid-1990s I developed a long distance friendship with a multi-instrumentalist and instrument collector from Tasmania, who had hundreds of obscure and rare instruments. This opened my eyes up to the countless musical instruments I'd never heard of, and also that any item could be used to make music. He once told me, "When I get through with you, you'll never be able to look at anything ever again, without thinking, at least once, what you can do to make music with it". Some years ago, I heard the sound of the igil for the first time, being played live by a Tuvan musical group. I was intrigued by their unique style of singing, but was fascinated and moved by the ethereal, emotional and melancholy sound of the igil. I could not believe that that sound came out of what looked like such a simple instrument. It was something I just had to learn to play, and after a long search I was able to obtain my first igil. For me, it has been the toughest instrument I've ever learned to play, and the most satisfying, though there is still much to learn. now and the future During the process of learning to play the igil, I learned the basics of the Tuvan traditional style of playing from watching the masters and also getting a lesson from one of them while they were on a tour in the US. I wrote a couple simple songs and then wondered if I could find a way to incorporate the instrument into my own style of music. After some time, I began finding my own way with the instrument and the music, and this is its beginning...