POPLAR BLUFF, MO-- Luke Medley is a master of the Bluegrass bass fiddle. He not only plays them, he makes them too. He's an architect of sorts, still working to design and build the perfect bass ...

Back and forth, their bows glide across violin strings; hands noodle over fingerboards. But for all the effort, the students can't quite keep the rhythm. "I can tell we've had two weeks off. That was ...