Absolutely love this thread: I picked up the tenor banjo about 6 months ago. I have never been a theory player. There are several reasons for this, but they're all peripheral. I agree that theory does not stifle your creative impulse or mastery, nor does it enhance these qualities on its own. You can read, write and say words; it doesn't make you a poet.

Now, back to learning banjo: The whole story for me is utility. In songwriting and guitar, there are natural leaps my ear is able to make. It's natural for me at this point. Banjo is a different story all together. I sit with fiddlers and the few other pickers in my area and go with ears and eyes and faith. When I return home, I open the books and try to match things up for my fingers to rememeber. Utility. It's just that simple.