Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

A lot of things have transpired since my last blog in October of 2008! I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll just touch on a few of the highlights. Maybe I'll just work backward toward last October and perhaps some things will pop into my head as I type. So, starting with the most recent events...

In terms of banjo practice, the past month has been exceptional for me. This is rare indeed, as I usually have what I would deem "a good session" only once a month or so, with the remaining practice sessions resulting in a lot of frustration, usually inducing thoughts of selling both of my banjos.

This leads me into telling you about my new practice routine. On December 31, 2008 I came to the startling conclusion that one of the reasons I wasn't progressing with the banjo was because I was no longer putting any time or effort into it.

Somehow, I had become the upright bass player at the private jam sessions I attend. It just seemed the natural thing to do since we already have someone that can actually play the banjo, since I can't play one, and since we didn't have a bass player. These facts, coupled with the idea that I hadn't been showing much progress on the banjo anyway, lead to a loss of interest in the banjo for a short while. It had been a few months since I had last played the banjo.

I enjoy playing the acoustic bass, but the 5-string banjo is what I really want to become proficient at if at all possible. With that in mind, my intention is to continue playing the bass at the jam sessions, but certainly start playing more banjo when opportunities arise. No one has ever told me I couldn't play the banjo at the jams, in fact, it has been quite the opposite and I get nothing but encouragement from the rest of the group; it has been my own lack of ability that has kept me from playing.

So, back to my new practice regimen. I mentioned earlier this idea occurred on December 31 [2008] but I'd like to point out that it's not a New Year's Resolution; it's a resolution that just so happened on New Year's Eve. Do you see the difference?

The regimen simply consists of writing out a weekly lesson plan and keeping a running journal of what I actually did during the practice, how the practice went, what excuses I had for a poor practice and so on.

By way of example, a weekly lesson plan might look something like this:

Sunday
Practice Foggy Mountain Breakdown roll for 20 minutes with metronome at 150 bpm. Try to increase bpm to 160. Practice moving from F-chord shape to D-chord shape using metronome. Practice tune Poor Ellen Smith.

Monday
Practice forward roll for 20 minutes with metronome. Give thumb a good workout by ensuring thumb makes it down to 2nd string on each new measure. Learn chord positions on neck. Practice tune Poor Ellen Smith.

Tuesday
Practice up-the-neck In The Mood licks for 30 minutes. Practice tunes Girl From West Virginia and Alice's Waltz.

... and so on.

I have to say the plan is working out quite well so far. The weekly lesson plan keeps me focused on what I need to work on and the journal allows me to review what I've actually done, and more importantly, I look forward to writing in it which makes me want to practice more. It's a little head game. I hate head games!

So what else has happened in the past few months that might be worth mentioning? On December 20 and 21, 2008 the Bluegrass Widow interviewed several of our Bluegrass friends including Ed & Becky Betts, Harvey Arbo, Larry & Carlotta Walsh, Kenny Innis, Clay Johnson and Mike Scott. Angela Curran was interviewed in mid January, 2009. The interviews are destined to appear on a DVD project that I'm working on. Perhaps the audio from the interviews will be posted on the Bluegrass Widow's blog if the interviewees don't mind. We'll seek their approval before posting, but that may be something to look forward to in the near future.

On December 13, 2008 Helen and I hosted a Bluegrass Christmas party at our home. It began with a wonderful meal, included some witty games that Helen came up with, and as luck would have it, ended with a Bluegrass jam (complete with Bluegrass Christmas songs) that lasted until about midnight. At first, I thought the idea of playing games was a bit lame, but I'm both thankful and glad Helen took the time to think of them because they proved to be a lot of fun; everyone had a great time with them!

In mid November 2008, Ed & Becky invited a large crew to their cottage for a weekend of jamming, and that's exactly what we did; we literally jammed all weekend long, stopping only long enough to eat. I guess we slept a little too, but not much.

Before we departed on Sunday, Larry Walsh introduced us to an old song (new to us) called Seek Ye Out The Old Path. I had been learning some of the backup work to a tune called Do You Call That Religion? and thought "hey, I bet that backup work would fit real well in this song" and it sure enough did. I thought we did a pretty decent job on the tune, but oddly enough, we've never been able to perform it anywhere nearly as well as we did on that Sunday morning in mid November. Not even close!

That pretty much sums up what's been going on around here for the past few months. Lots of jamming and little work around the house getting done.

A note about the image at the top of this article:

My son Hunter does play guitar, but doesn't particularly care for Bluegrass music. My wife Helen, also known as the Bluegrass Widow, has only played a few notes on the upright bass. My daughter Mallory had my banjo in her hands one other time, but not for long.

Hunter says this is a photo of the Bluegrass family I wish I had. While none of my family members are actually in a Bluegrass band, they sure look like they could play the parts, don't you think?

Click on the image to view a larger version of the same.