Playing Since: 2009
Experience Level: Novice
Interests:
[Jamming] [Socializing]
Occupation: biomedical (mechanical) engineer
Gender: Female
Age: 45
My Instruments:
Rover RB-45
Gibson Mastertone RB-250 (1994)
Nechville Cascade Phantom (2010)
Nechville Cascade Meteor (electric banjo)
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
earl scruggs, punch brothers, crooked still, steep canyon rangers, joy kills sorrow, cedar flats, bluegrass regulators, great northern planes, water tower bucket boys... I'd love to learn more about your fav bluegrass bands!!
Classified Rating: not rated
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 3/12/2010
Last Visit 6/3/2020
Let's see, how can I go about holding your interest dear reader? Perhaps I should tell you the hilarious story of how I came to know and love the banjo.
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I didn't know my grandfather well because we always lived many states away but I did know that he was a beekeeper and a musical chap. My mom told me that he could pick up any instrument and play but banjo was his main interest.
<p>
At least that's the information my memory served up over the years, that my grandpa was a banjo player.
<p>
Fast forward many years later, and several years after his passing, to me, living in San Francisco and a decidedly not country/western/bluegrass kinda gal. My good friend and fellow engineer invited me to watch his bluegrass band play in a bar downtown. I had no interest whatsoever but I went anyway with a big group from work.
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So that night I watched several bands play, all of them bluegrass, all of them amazing!! I had no idea that this is what bluegrass was and, needless to say, I was hooked!
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Fast-forward several years later, we had moved up to Portland and my neighbor invited me to a local event in Lake Oswego that was some sort of banjo presentation. The gentleman giving the talk had around 30 banjos on display from his collection, some very, very old and some not. He talked about the history of the banjo and played songs in different styles on various banjos. Needless to say, I was hooked again!
<p>
So... fast-forward about three years later (yes, it took me that long to actually take up the banjo) and I finally started checking out Craigslist for an inexpensive banjo of my own. I bought my nice little Rover RB-45, found a great teacher and started lessons.
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A few months later my mom came up to visit us in Portland. I was so excited to show her my new banjo in honor of my grandpa and play her a few tunes.
<p>
"Look at my banjo Mom, it's just like Grandpa!" I told her excitedly.
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"What?" she replied, "Your Grandpa played the MANDOLIN!!"
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So, that's my story of how I came to love the banjo, on a completely mistaken premise and incorrect childhood memory. OH WELL!!
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Incidentally, the next time my Dad came up to visit I pulled out my beautiful banjo to play him a tune and he quickly stopped me saying, "I don't like hillbilly music."
<p>
D'oh!
