A place for former and current students of Fiddlin Al to post videos of their progress, share comments and ask questions.

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Banjo lessons - a journey

From MoPac fan on 1/3/2014 10:37:51 AM

A little more than five years ago I met Al for the first time.  I had owned my banjo for over a decade, but several years of that had seen the banjo relegated to the case in the closet and rarely pulled out and played.

I had a couple of teachers before Al.  Ric Scoles was my first real teacher and he is a good picker.  Steve Stadler was my second teacher at the Bluegrass Parlor in Tampa and then Dave Maynard at Port's Music where I bought my Gibson RB-3 in 1994.  

All these guys were good teachers, but I was such a rank amateur and had no real skills on the banjo.  I wanted to fly, but I couldn't even crawl yet.  

So when I met Al, I had just turned 50 and made a decision to really learn the banjo before it was too late.  I found Al on the Banjo Hangout and we met and I played Cripple Creek for him, or about 15 seconds of my version of CC.  I found out that I didn't know what I thought I did, and what I did know was nothing.  I  really was starting from scratch with 10 years of experience.

I never intended to take five years of lessons.  I thought I would take a couple of refresher courses and get right back up to speed, which I never was up to speed to start with.

I still feel like a rank beginner, but when I look at what it is I'm actually playing now, and the progress I'm finally making, I realize that for me learning the banjo is like driving up a steep mountain road with switchbacks.  You can look up and see where you're wanting to get to, but there is no easy path to get there.  You have to just  concentrate on the road in front of you.  keep you eyes on the road or you go over the edge and crash.  Keep on moving forward and every once in a while look over the edge and you can see the road below where you  already been.  Way down there at the bottom is that early version of Cripple Creek.  And all the switchbacks below.  

I'm really pleased with Al as a teacher.  He has taught me solid Scruggs fundamentals. I've been told by pro pickers that what Al is teaching is the good stuff.  The right stuff.  Solid timing and technique.  I can't wait to see what 2014 unveils and I am committed to really make this the year I make some leaps and bounds in my banjo picking.  Hopefully, I won't get to close to the edge and go over.  

Thanks Al.

3 Comments
	MoPac fan says: 1/3/2014 10:41:03 AM And every time I think I see the top Al smiled real big and pulls out something entirely new. I've been working on stuff in C major. Woweee! I was just getting comfortable with G. This is fun! And now I have some new D-tuners to play with too. Yee haw. I hope I don't hit an icy patch in that mountain road.
	fiddlin_Al says: 1/3/2014 4:30:17 PM Thank you, Randy!
	thelongcarabine says: 1/5/2014 4:44:41 PM Lots of resonance with that post Mo, although I'm not as far up the mountain and with a much less impressive banjo. A challenging road ahead but you know you will get the support you need, but looking back you know you have definitely travelled, sometimes stopping at places you didn't even now were on the route.
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