04/22/07 - my first blog entry - anetc99's Blog

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04/22/07 - my first blog entry

Posted by anetc99 on Sunday, April 22, 2007

okay, so this is my first blog entry regarding my banjo beginnings.

originally, i had taught myself some chords on the acoustic guitar. it's one of the few things i did learn during my first (and only) semester of college, way long ago.

i've never graduated much from there (no pun intended) and because i didn't, i eventually lost interest in it. it bothered me that i could never play what was in my head, which was mostly notes rather than strums, and i never felt like i could justify lessons for myself.

a few years ago, a friend of mine lent me her banjo and beginner's book that she had so i could see if i liked it. i did. one of the things i liked most was that the music (or in my case, sounds) were made by individual notes more than by strumming. i also noticed that it was easier for me to learn to play than the guitar.

i enjoy the sound of the banjo. i have a thing for instruments anyways (my first love was the piano, then the violin, the drums, the trumpet, the hurdy gurdy, etc...) but one thing about a banjo that i noticed is that even playing slower or sadder songs, the tone has an innate... hopefulness to it. or, as another friend once said, "it's like you just can't be unhappy while playing a banjo". it seems that idea has stuck with me all these years.

so recently, in a fit of 'damn the torpedoes' mode, i went and got one for myself. in fact, in researching where to get one, what to look for, etc, i stumbled onto this site. thank you to the folks who offered their experiences because it did help me quite a bit in my eventual choice.

this last friday, i finally got the mastercraft player deluxe starter package from the banjo hut. and since friday nite, i've been learning and practicing rolls with, um, mixed results. i'm doing my best to take it easy on myself and my learning curve, but i'm not often known for patience.

regardless, that's where i'm at today, still getting acquainted with my banjo and rolls.

a few things i've noticed:
- i seem to play the I M fingers on the side so in order to not have the metal picks 'squeak' i tend to wear them more to the side than on the fleshy part of the fingers.

- keeping the ring and pinky fingers where they are supposed to be is more challenging that it seems. sometimes they rest there naturally, other times i have to focus. i have to say, one very helpful piece of info i got from one of the free lessons on this site is the idea of using a piece of carpet tape on the drum for where the R P fingers are suppose to rest. thank you!

- although one is suppose to play closer to the bridge, i'm noticing on my banjo that i get more tone and volume playing somewhat closer towards the neck.

that's it for now. working my fingers on the keyboard doesn't really help with the fingerboard, though it can be easy for me to think that way.

2 comments on “04/22/07 - my first blog entry”

stanger Says:
Monday, April 23, 2007 @2:32:22 AM

Welcome to theHangout, Anet! Don't sweat the details. Play wherever it sounds best to you on the head, and let everything else be as comfortable as possible. If your ring finger wants to come up, let it- happens to lots of folks. Have fun! regards, Mike Stanger