An Ear Opener!

I decided to record myself playing a couple tunes on the old 5-string - Gotta Travel On and Cumberland Gap. The initial reason for doing this was so I could hear how my banjo sounds to others, in terms of tone and sound quality. I actually thought I was sounding pretty good on these tunes, but that was before I recorded myself! Now, I know better, and my ears have been opened. I didn't realize just how poorly I play!

I figure if I sound pathetic on tunes that I actually thought I was sounding good on, it must be downright painful for people to listen to the tunes that I know I'm not doing very well on.

There are two ways to use this experience. I could be pessimistic, and let this discovery consume me, which is what I would normally do. I always knew I wasn't quite on par with Earl Scruggs, but I was a little disappointed, nonetheless.

I could choose to go the optimistic route this time around, which is what I think I'll do. I'm going to use the recordings as learning tools to point out my weak points, like poor timing, and incomplete sounding slides and pull-offs. According to the recordings, I need a lot of work in a lot of areas. Rather than dwell on the problems in a negative way, I'll try to correct them through focused practice sessions.

Another disappointing experience - I guess life is full of them!