From the extended continuing isolation, the music and my will to progress continues. I use the word banjo in this title purposefully having been drawn toward its sound yet again. I obtained a Deering Basic banjo probably in, or near 1990. It was made in 1978, coming to me, via my former sister-in-law. At that time I had a desire to play a banjo, but had never touched one prior. I fooled around with the instrument for a while but could not make sense of it. That 5th string continually disrupted what I consider the “normal” progression of musical notes raising pitch toward the bottom of the set of strings, with stringed instruments, and woodwinds for that matter, thus its case began collecting dust on the shelf. Occasionally I would attempt, in a less than whole hearted way, only to put it back on the shelf. In earlier life, I had also attempted to learn to finger pick guitar to experience the same kind of result. My ignorance at that time combined with a stubborn will that disallowed the necessary time and methodology to learn finger picking stood in my way. It is difficult to overcome what one will disallow. This condition remained for too many years.
One of my former musician friends and myself had been jamming one evening, it must have been 2002 or near when the condition of my mindset was introduced to finger picking in a constructive way. In our session, we were goofing with what seemed an odd but attractive chord structure that led to a collaboratively created musical composition. We gave it a name, Nomber Juan. This friend was finger-picking a pattern on guitar, I was simply playing my normal way, strumming and or picking out a lead progression with this tune we’d created. Days later, I asked him to show me how to do that picking pattern. He sent me a chart/tab showing the picking pattern with finger numbers included. I fooled with that for some days, but again the personal resistance to take and allow enough determined time in practice got in my way, yet again. The difference in this instance being the chart/tab was in my possession and stored within my computer system.
More years followed, same results with my ways intact and dominant. The condition changed sometime after writing a song in 2010, Aspen Tree. This composition as I was playing it proved very difficult, flat picking, but at the time I pushed on employing the methodology I knew. By this time I was working with another musician in our group Tea & Eye, where I introduced the song for us to work up. My flat-picking style continued until, as a group we took a hiatus. During this period, I found the will to play this song by employing a finger picking style, this time I spent the necessary expenditure of time to practice the pattern methodology, learning to use opposing fingers (separate hands) independently. This was a formidable task for this brain to overcome. There after with a new determination I began what seems a lengthy period of learning and appreciating this long fought personal battle for finger-picking.
Another year or two passed, the banjo remained on the shelf, but I’d met and performed with another musician who plays a banjo seemingly quite well. One day he came over for a visit and I showed him my banjo. It wasn’t long there after, when he said, the banjo was horrible, how it is set up is awful, followed by will you allow me to take it apart and try to fix it. I said yes, and soon there after, I was finding necessary tools to accommodate his exploration. I was rather surprised, having never ventured into the construction of a banjo or how they are put together. It is so straight forward, if one knows some basic techniques of stringed instrument set-up. At that time, I had recently been doing my own research and learning of these techniques for my electric guitars. Well within an hour or so, the banjo was apart, then reconstructed by a person knowing how. The instrument had been taken apart, sometime before I had obtained it, but wrongly put back together. When we had finished the setup of the banjo was vastly improved, yet not perfect, and knowingly so. Available time constraints disallowed further adjustments. But witnessing the process allowed my understanding to adjust it further. Soon there after, I did just that. It was vastly improved but again the 5th string offered the mental conundrum.
I then began to increase my desire to play this instrument. It is a relatively good one for my needs. Now with a basic understanding that I can overcome learning the instrument, I went to the internet to find a tutorial for learning. This presented another display of my ignorance, having had no previous exposure other than my own stumblings, I’d not realized the differing methods of playing styles that are associated with banjos. I began by trying the claw-hammer method. It is pretty strange, kind of foreign to any personal expectation. Simultaneously, I introduced myself to the three finger picking method. I began the process of learning both methods, a little at a time, remaining unsure as to what kind of results either would offer. I only knew for sure, how much I am attracted to the sound of a well played banjo. I was just beginning to get some kind of feel for the instrument that made sense, that could lead to knowing it and incorporating it into my music. It was during this time frame when my finger problem hit like a hammer stopping all of my music.
Now it is 2022, a new year and the finger is returning to function gradually and with this hope that it can/will fully recover, I renew a focus toward the banjo. These past two years have offered more than its hardship in isolation, it also allowed a furthering of my abilities in finger-picking. Obtaining the dobro under the conditions of those days provided the need to further utilize finger-picking. That period furthered my abilities therein. I wish it were effortless at this point yet effort remains a requirement. But I have turned the corner having decided to utilize the three fingered approach/style for banjo. It was but last week that I opened the banjo case again really, where as I started anew. I went back to the bookmarks of banjo tutorials, stored in the computer. I first when to the claw-hammer approach, then directly to the three fingered approach. Previously I recall watching an old Bela Fleck demonstration video recorded long ago, although I hadn’t stored its link. Being non-germane to the topic, over the years I have had a growing appreciation for Bela Fleck’s contribution to music, both with his unique talent and his outreaching collaborative displays of music and cooperation. With this in mind, I had bookmarked a YouTube search, back in those days while looking for banjo tutorials. Seeing this last week, I opened the link of a somewhat recent demonstration by Bela on his method of playing. It was then that I realized that the three fingered method he demonstrated in this video as the style I will learn. Since that day last week, I have been practicing this methodology daily for multiple hours. Maybe it shall stick?
Now that the finger is coming back into use, greatly improving the possibilities and quality of recording my music, in listening to some current projects, I realized that the banjo playing there in could have a delightful result. This is the means of my inspiration to rekindle the idea of knowing how to play the banjo. I believe it is a good fit for some of my songs. There in the similar story as told before comes into play, I lack compadres, willing to fill the roll. Yet with determination, I may overcome.
And now to further the aside topic, Bela Fleck. One evening in this past week, having reached past two hours of banjo practice, I decided to put the instrument down. After closing its case I returned to the computer, with the YouTube video still loaded in the browser window. Looking through the numerous listings on the right side there in, I saw another Bela Fleck thing. It is titled Bela Fleck -Throw Down Your Heart (2008) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJt6jn0xT8A I then clicked the link to become engrossed in a wondrous film that stunned me in wonderment. I recommend that, if you the reader are, one whom loves music and its harmonious potentials, watch this video. It shall make a pleasing mark on your conscious mind.
