Being one of the great unwashed (musically,) I tend to see the value of just "doin' it" in folk music. Like everyone else, I see things through my own experience. One of the distinguishing factors is whether you want to be a solo musician, or play with others. Most of my life, I performed alone, so it didn't make any difference what key I was playing in, or if I knew the notes on the strings. To this day, when someone wants to tune to me when I'm playing banjo and asks for a particular note, I say, "tell me where it is, and it's all yours." The joy of approaching music that way is that every instrument is just sitting there with tunes to be played if you figure out how to get them out of there. I took just enough lessons to learn the basic picking patterns, and then just figured out what else I wanted to know, myself. When I want to play a diminished chord (I think that's what they're called) I hear the notes in my head and it's just a matter of figuring out a configuration for my fingers that doesn't require a contortionist to play it. I never wanted to sound like anyone else, or copy anyone else, or read music, and I more or less achieved my goals. My approach to computers, instruments and life has been pretty much, "hmmm, I wonder what happens when you do this?" Is that more soulful than being a truly trained musician? I don't think so. Training gives you tools that I don't have. I could do more if I'd been more ambitious. As long as you make music yours, the more tools you have, the more fun you can have. I don't buy into the noble, primitive musician stuff at all. Or that you will lose your soulfulness if you get more musical training. I listen to someone like Rick Fielding, as an example, and I think he just uses what he's learned and is able to express ideas I never could.

Singing in a gospel quartet has been a whole new experience for me, and when people come up after hearing us and compliment us on our harmonies, they often ask, who works out the arrangement? We all laugh (politely.) I usually say, when I'm singing harmony and I'm singing the same harmony as Frankie, either he has to go up, or I have to go down. If he goes up and runs into Derrick and Derrick can't go up any higher, then I go down and try not to run into Joe. It's as simple as saying,"Hey you, get offa my line." Does that make us more soulful? Not particularly. We're just untrained musicians, and happy with what we're doing.

The thing that I love about folk music is that you don't have to have music theory, or know what note you're playing you can't do that, if your playing in a band, or trying to make a living being a side man. But, if there's an instrument leaning against the wall over in the corner you can just reach over and say to yourself, "Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if I do this...?"

Jerry