I Am Sooooo Guilty!

Eight of us gathered at the home of Ed and Becky Betts for a jam last night; Matt Hayes on fiddle, Kenny Innis on mandolin, Clay Johnson on Dobro, Deek McCluskey on guitar, Harvey Arbo on banjo, Glen Vautour on upright bass, Ed Betts on guitar and me on second banjo.

I had a good time at the jam but I broke a rule. You see, on occasion frequently I complain about the noise level at jams. Last night I was part of the problem rather than the solution. I was thinking about the jam this morning and came to the realization that I am sooooo guilty. Guilty, guilty, guilty!

I was a good boy at first. Since we already had one banjo I decided not to play much. When I did play, I made sure I was non-obtrusive. After sitting out for several tunes I started adding my banjo into the mix, again very softly at first. But now that I've had time to reflect on the evening, I realize I was stomping all over Harvey's playing. There were a couple tunes where I just plain took over. I'm sorry about that Harvey, it wasn't intentional - I just got caught up in the moment. It can happen. I think "dang me, dang me, they ought to take a rope and hang me" would be fitting lines right about now.

Overall though, I think the night went pretty well and I enjoyed myself. It was good having a couple new members for a change, Glen and Deek. I don't remember getting any dirty looks from Harvey even though they would have been well earned. On a couple of occasions I actually received the nod of approval from him; I think that happened when I threw in my newly learned Sammy Shelor lick on New Love.

We tried to play Third Shift At The Mill last night, a David Parmley & Continental Divide song. I came to the realization there are some tunes that just can't be done in a jam situation unless everyone in attendance knows the tune - this would be one of those. I think we've tried this song on three occasions now, with the same result each time. Time for a little practice boys! Groundhog is another tune that requires some knowledge beforehand, although we didn't try that one last night. Some tunes are very easy to jam along with even if you've never heard them before, while others are not.

I'm sorry for making a little too much banjo noise last night. Somebody needs to put me in my place!

The Importance of Transcribing and Learning Solos Note-for-Note

If it was important to Ron Block, Jim Mills and Ron Stewart, then I don't see why it wouldn't be important to me as well. I'm talking about the study methods these great players used while learning how to play 5-string banjo, that cornerstone instrument of Bluegrass music.

I have been criticized a great many times for wanting to play something exactly the way it was recorded on a CD. I've run out of fingers and toes trying to keep track. I am open to constructive criticism, but this particular criticism is something I have never understood. I have always asked "what is so wrong with it?" One frequent response I get is "you're setting yourself up for failure" and another common response I hear from people is "I like to put a little of myself in there."

Ron Stewart studied every lick that Earl Scruggs and J. D. Crowe ever played on a banjo and yet, I have very little trouble being able to tell when Ron Stewart is playing. After learning all he could from these two masters of the 5-string banjo, Ron went on to add his own variations and techniques. Studying the masters did not hurt Ron one little bit.

Jim Mills studied Earl Scruggs' music and techniques in great detail. Despite the amount of time Jim put in learning as much as he could about Earl's playing, Jim Mills has one of the most distinct sounds I've ever had the pleasure of hearing as it relates to traditional style banjo playing. I can tell Jim's playing a hundred miles away.

On his web site, Ron Block just posted (Oct 21, 2007) an article titled The Importance of Transcribing and Learning Solos Note-for-Note and says "there is incredible value in transcribing and learning things note for note - especially from people like Scruggs or Crowe." Ron also discusses the importance of experimenting with one's own sounds.

The point here is simply that Ron Stewart, Jim Mills and Ron Block all studied what the masters before them had done and for the very same reasons, I study the techniques of my musical heroes as well. Is there anything wrong with that? I say if it helped these three great banjo players get to the level they are at today, then I sure don't see how it could hurt me. I really can't understand why people get on my case about this particular issue!

I didn't even have to read any articles or hear from these people in order to know this would be a logical step toward learning how to play a banjo. The logic is simple. I don't know how to play a banjo and these guys do. Furthermore, these guys are producing sounds that I just can't get enough of; therefore the logical choice would be to learn as much about these folks and their playing as I can. I want to make the same kinds of sounds with my banjo that these guys are making with theirs.

I'm not worried about sounding too much like any of the people I'm studying. And even if I could, that day is a long, long way off. There will always only be one Earl Scruggs, one J. D. Crowe and one each of Ron Stewart, Ron Block and Jim Mills. My style, if there is one, will come automatically as I try to integrate a combination of all I've heard. Actually, I'm already developing my own style; on occasion I add something that I never hear from any of the pros I've mentioned. And no, I'm not talking about the mistakes I make.

If you are an aspiring Bluegrass musician and you find yourself not producing the "grassy" sounds you are after, I highly recommend you start paying more attention to the sounds of your chosen instrument (or vocalist) when listening to your favourite CD's. You might want to get a little more curious too, and ask yourself "how are they getting that sound?" You might just as well learn from someone that already knows what they're doing.

In addition to becoming a bit more curious while listening to your favourite CD's, take advantage of the unprecedented amount of fantastic instructional material available by way of the internet, books and DVD's; much of it is taught by the very pros we listen to every day. Other tools are available as well, such as software capable of slowing down, speeding up or changing the key of a song in real time. One such piece of software is called Transcribe! which is available from Seventh String Software. I find this tool to be invaluable and certainly worth the $50.00 I paid for it.

I've tried to point out that when it comes to learning how to play an instrument, I'm not all that different from some of our favourite Bluegrass musicians. Now that you know the viewpoint from some of the pros, maybe my method for learning will seem more relevant to you. At the very least, you are now more aware of the reason I find it so important to get as close to the original recording as I possibly can. It is not necessarily because I want to sound exactly like Jim Mills or whoever, it's what I'm learning along the way that counts most.

You'll have to come up with a very compelling reason to get me to change my approach on this topic. By the way, for the record, I wouldn't mind sounding like Jim Mills on the banjo. Now, get off my case and go practice!