bonnie, where is this all coming from?

when we adults start playing a new instrument, we learn so much in the first year. the next year can feel like a plateau, or worse, that we feel like we're going backwards sometimes.... the truth is, we are growing into the stage of learning what it is to refine what we've already learned. we're refining technique, refining arrangements, refining syles. our ears can hear better now what the players around us are doing, and we judge ourselves more severely as a result.

at the same time, we know by this time whether we feel a passion for the instrument, or if it was all a fleeting dream. we might be ready to step up to a better quality instrument, one that we can grow into more. perhaps the one we have is holding us back, or frustrating us. maybe we need to find new sources for songs and tunes. maybe we're ready to start writing our own.

it's the right time to listen to feedback. i've heard people say, and i agree with them, bonnie, that the banjo seems so natural to you, that it's a good fit. people have told me that about the harp. that kind of feedback stays in the back of my mind and helps energize me when i'm still learning hand positions and scale patterns and left hand patterns. i think having someone tell me that an particular instrument 'fits' me, is more important than having someone tell me that they think what i just played sounded good. the first comment is more grounding, the second is more subjective.

i think you know what it takes to be a good player. i think rick's given you great tools. jamming? be sure you can hear yourself in the crowd. 2 hours a day? it depends what you do with the time. 10 minutes, or 8 hours.....just fill that room with the most glorious sounds you can produce, and it just doesn't get any better than that!

~black walnut