Same here. I might occasionally sit in somewhere but I am dyslexic and do not follow well. That being said, I just noodle around and if there is someone can sync with me, that is wonderful. Need to go real slow to pick up a tune and no group I have been sitting with can go THAT slow to suit my learning curve.
Just glad to have the ability to make sounds that I and others occasionally like.

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Originally posted by lazlototh

Same here. I might occasionally sit in somewhere but I am dyslexic and do not follow well. That being said, I just noodle around and if there is someone can sync with me, that is wonderful. Need to go real slow to pick up a tune and no group I have been sitting with can go THAT slow to suit my learning curve.
Just glad to have the ability to make sounds that I and others occasionally like.

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Bingo.....

A friend once told me, "If you enjoy your own music, that is enough. If anyone else does too, that's a bonus." banjered

YouTube is a great band. BBT (bluegrass backing tracks) has several levels of speeds, and never complains…

But, but, but ya gotta be cognizant that some of those "other people" might not know what they're talking about.  [Ask me how I know.]

Fwiw, my wife doesn't leave the room when I play(?)/sing and occasionally she'll suggest I do it louder, so I figure that counts for something [and as a teenager she played in her town's marching band ... so chances are pretty good that she knows more about music than I do].

I suppose some will have an "explanation," [anal retentive?] but generally I don't tell a player that he's/she's good/great ... instead, IF I'm moved to do so, I'll comment re. how much I liked it.  Part of my "explanation" stems from hearing  MCs at [circle/performance/coffee-house type] jams say "That was great!" or some such pronouncement, apparently/obviously/??  from habit after every performance, [although they run the gamut .... pretty bad >> pretty good. IMNSHumbleO, of course.  ]

I’ve played ukulele since I was 12; guitar since age 14; banjo since I’m 48. Also play mountain dulcimer, penny whistle and low whistle. I’m 69 now. Used to play with people when I was younger but not so much anymore. But it’s all really just for personal enjoyment. Guess that’s why I’m still playing when others stopped years ago.

I've been one of the lucky ones. I've played in pickup bands and had a band of my own that stayed together for several years. I was able to go to festivals and take part in jams.

All that is gone now and I just play by myself. There isn't any bluegrass in this area any more and I can't travel like I did when Dave was alive. I do, however, have Band in a Box and I can practice and/or just play and sing along with it whenever I want. That's enough for me now.

I’ve been one of the lucky ones as well, still playing with the same folks I started with, several decades ago, and the band we started almost 24 years ago. At almost 66, I’m the youngest, and we have no idea how long we’ll keep going. We are definitely slowing down. Mostly church and senior community these days. No more late nights at the bars.

Many years ago I was going to do a second gig at a restaurant. The young and naive owner showed me his written promotion of me, " Tom can really belt out an Irish song and last time he played he was appreciated by MUCH of his audience." I went into uncontrolled laughter at his faint praise endorsement. I was laughing so hard while the owner was clueless as to what I was laughing at which only added fuel to the laughter fire. I was on the verge of passing out and the owner and I were both concerned that it might go medical, but still I could not stop laughing. One of the funniest damn things in my life! banjered

I don’t play banjo by myself for enjoyment, really,,, it’s just a psychological tic that I have ;-) that keeps me practicing every day. I do play fingerstyle guitar for my own enjoyment though, it’s a fuller sound - with banjo I like playing with other musicians.

I am very lucky to live within 10 miles of 20-30 good musicians and had the fortune to grow up in a very musical home with musical relatives in and around a very small village.
My grandmother played pump organ,piano,accordion,electric guitar and sang beautiful melodies and various harmonies and "taught" her children how to play (on my Dad's side).
My mother grew up in Tenants Harbor (5 miles up the road) and she and her sister took very good piano lessons from a local lady who taught many kids how to play around here.

There is such power and comfort in being surrounded by other talented musicians.
It just becomes part of you.A daily experience.
I always just took it for granted.

That's ^^ a good one alright, Tom.   

At one of the stops on our regular (?) festival circuit, there's  a "coffee house jam" on the Fri. evening before the "real" festivalling starts on Saturday.   Monty _______ is one of the regular [guitar] players .... pretty sure that goes for a lot of the other get-togethers in the area as well.  At the end the jam one year, the MC thanked the usual suspects: " .... the organizers, the town, the dancers, those who donated/prepared the food, the spectators, the musicians... and you too Monty."

Ah yes, thanking the musicians, AND, Monty. I resemble that remark........HA! banjered

Some of us are seasoned enough to remember “Garden Party” by Rick Nelson. The refrain goes,

“But it's all right now, I've learned my lesson well
You see, you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself.”

youtu.be/OukwGBpnuXE?is=AFXdXH8Aa435eG14

Playing music for me, guitar and banjo, is a social thing. I do play at home by myself most every day that I'm not out playing with someone else and find it relaxing, but I really do like getting out and playing music with my friends. It is pretty much my social life, I would be a hermit if not for it. Most of my friends are musicians. Jamming and being in a band are my leisure activities. I wouldnt say that makes me a "good" banjo player or guitar player. I'm a good enough banjo and guitar player. It isn't competition, it is just what I do and who I am.

If someone tells me, "that was good," it doesnt really mean I'm a good banjo player, it simply means that I happened to do something good. It very well could have been an accident. I don't let it go to my head.

I understand that a lot of people are not social creatures, and that's okay. That they would rather their playing is a solitary activity. We are each on our own journey through life. One does not make us better than another. It is just how we fulfill our needs.

I quit drinking in '97 and don't go to bars unless to play a gig.
My social life is my music.

When someone tells me I'm a good banjo player I just figure they liked what they heard.
Nice to get a compliment from time to time.
It helps me to feel I'm doing something right and I always thank them and tell them how much I appreciate the compliment.

i had a couple of folks tell me that what i played sounded like the song we were singing.... they said some banjo players sound like they are playing a different tune from what the singers are.
they understood my playing ,,,,, that made me feel good too and like i was doing my job.