I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!

Subject: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: GUEST,Francisco
Date: 03 Apr 03 - 11:28 PM

Ok, so over a year ago I had bought my first banjo. But due to school, lack of time and yes, even work, I ended up putting it away for a long time. I recently have found why I first fell in love with it.

I have been looking at Uncle ben's sight and it is great. I know its real basic for most of you out there but even Cripple Creek would be a really cool song to play.I mean, as long as I like it, and I like most all banjo songs, I will learn to, or try to learn to play them.

Anywho, guess its never too late to start up again. Even if it is a year late I still got time. After all, I'm only 23...lol

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 12:37 AM

I like your spirit! You have some very good times ahead.

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 06:58 AM

and the chance to be the but of a million banjo jokes :)

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 09:03 AM

Plunkity-plunk!

No "buts" about it!

And I'm sure that Uncle Ben's "sight" is a site for sore fingers!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: kendall
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 09:13 AM

Old Maine saying "It's impossible to be pissed off while playing a banjo."

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: wilco
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 09:14 AM

At some point in time, an older banjo player will try to introduce you
to BJR. Be very careful with this (or any other) kind of BJR. What you have is a disease; and, it IS TREATABLE. It is related to brain chemistry. And, I can say, from personal experience, that there is always hope. At age 23, you have your whole life in front of you, and you can live a good, productive life, despite the affliction of a banjo. Look for an older mentor, who is in recovery with BJR (Banjo Recovery). I would offer my help, but I am still not able to sleep without my banjo. I gotta go, it's looking at me very funny......

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 09:15 AM

Sorry for your find. Pity. My condolences to all around you.

Spaw

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 09:28 AM

In 2000, at Maryland Banjo Academy (of sainted memory), one of the classes was called something like "Jazzing up solos with phrasing".

The activity of the class was to pick a tune everybody knew at some level, and in G tuning, two measures at a time, go around the room. The class picked Cripple Creek. Each person was to (and did) propose some different way to play (or maybe even just to suggest) the tune of just those two measures, using whatever devices could be devised. So slides, hammer-ons, pulloffs, rubato (although in the folk context we didn't use that word), repetition of notes, skipping of notes were used--any way imaginable to vary the playing of those two measures. Then we moved to the next two measures, and so through the song.

It became clear that Cripple Creek, far from being a mere simple tune for raw beginners, is a box of jewels!   

We then went to Angeline the Baker and did that one in double C tuning, with similar eye-opening results.

The teacher (and, more's the pity, I can't cudgel his name out of my aging braincells right now) said something like: "When we first start to play banjo, we're exposed to the 'simplest' of tunes, and struggle through them using our very limited understanding and almost nonexistent skills. Then we go on to something else, maybe a little more complicated, armed with a little higher-level understanding and skills, and we don't go back to what we look at as 'that baby tune' (in this case Cripple Creek). Cripple Creek, with a reasonable degree of skill and imagination, is a GOOD tune, and don't look down on it! It's worthy of the attention of the best players. And so is every other tune."

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 10:55 AM

Francisco,

Check out
http://www.wvculture.org/stringband/index.html

See you there.

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 11:28 AM

I go with the Charlie Brown strip that says that everybody should be issued a banjo at birth. No more wars, disastrous love affairs, bad hair cuts. Don't worry about najo jokes. You could be tempted to play a bodhran. A bodhran, after all, is just a neck-less stringless banjo.

Banjos iz fun!!!

Jerry

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: black walnut
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 11:43 AM

Falling in love with an instrument is like falling into sinking sand. You're lost now, man.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Leadfingers
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 11:56 AM

One banjo is mere affection. TRUE love is when you own Seven totally
different banjos.5 string resonator,5 string open back,short scale tenor,Ukulele banjo,mandoline banjo,& string open back and Banjola.
BANJOS RULE !!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 11:57 AM

dulcimers are better by far...

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Steve-o
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 12:20 PM

Kendall, the banjo player in my group would have responded, "However, it is possible to be pissed ON when you're playing the banjo". He's the witty member.

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: SINSULL
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 04:47 PM

Banjo players are sexier, no matter what tune they are playing.

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: rangeroger
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 09:15 PM

Back in 1969, I was on board ship, while in the Navy,stationed in long Beach. I had weekend duty and was putzing about sick bay, bored, as there were very few crew on board. I had the radio tuned to KMET and was cruising when a song came on that floored me.

Started with a solo banjo played through an echoplex. This was prior to the advent of digital delay. The banjo player did some strange things with his playing and gradually picked up the beat. Soon a guitar and bass were added and the song ended up with one of the most blazing acoustic versions of "Cripple Creek" that I have ever heard.

Thus was I introduced to David Lindley and the group Kaleidoscope. The song is simply titled "Banjo", and is on "The Incredible Kaleidoscope" album (also on CD).

rr

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: rangeroger
Date: 04 Apr 03 - 10:16 PM

Correction. There isn't a bass on "Banjo". Just a very good guitar player!

Had to listen to it again because of this thread.

rr

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Gurney
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 05:15 AM

So glad you found it!

WAS MY TAP WRENCH WITH IT? I've some new faucets to fit and I can't find it anywhere.....

Subject: RE: I FOUND MY BANJO!!!!!
From: Ely
Date: 05 Apr 03 - 08:27 PM

Guest, whoever you are, Appalachian dulcimers and banjos can be really good friends. I've learned many of my best dulcimer tunes from banjo-players. Fiddlers and mandolin-ists always expect too much of me and cannot accomodate drones, but banjos and dulcimers are peas in a pod when it comes to choice of music.