Closet Picker Comes Out of Basement

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Posted by Mr. Disco on Friday, April 18, 2008

Yeah, there was a lesson to be learned. The church choir was my free singing training. -- Can't beat it.

Director: "And Mr. Disco, what part do you sing? -- Tenor or bass?

Disco: "I dunno. -- Never sung before, Ma'am."

-- And later...

Director: Does anyone play banjo?

Disco: [after first seeing no competition] I play banjo Ma'am.

-- So I woodshed that piece. I'm reading bass clef vocals and treble clef for banjo (no tablature). I work out out the melody line, a counter melody back-up with the piano, and finally some simple bluegrass "twiddle."

I am now at my first rehearsal as the church lead banjo player. Piano hits his notes I hit mine, and there's no missing that this piano player has played in tune with the whole choir all night long and just won't play in tune with my banjo. -- And I let him know about it, too. Hey, if I'm going to bother to play my banjo in tune for God, this piano player's got some real nerve not playing in tune with me.

-- Seems that over time my banjo tuning had progressed perfectly in tune with itself about a whole tone up from being tuned to the piano. -- So I tune up with the piano and read the piano part parallel and pretty straight and Ms. Director says, "We'll have to get you doing that banjo strumming thing." She meant Scruggs "twiddle..."

... And no problem, I'd worked out all sorts of nice Scruggsy twiddle. The choir appauds. I make the cut.

-- And next time I leave the basement, I'll pull out the tuner to tune up and try not to make the piano player feel so bad. I tune my banjo with my Korg tm-40 metronome and tuner, and I start playing and sure enough the piano player is flat again. -- And I remember that my old piano is tned a quarter-step flat because the tuner is easing it back to tune slowly. But Piano Man assures me this piano is not flat. -- But then he picks up my Korg tuner and low and behold I have the tuner a nickel or a dime high from A-440 and he adjusts it back down. I didn't even know it was adjustable.

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