Matt's Banjo Journey: A 2020 Snapshot

“Why do you want a banjo for Christmas when you said you won't even have time to play it until we are on the road next summer?”, Jane asked me. It was a reasonable question. I don't know if I gave a reasonable answer.

It was fall of 2018. We had so much going on we could barely keep up – selling our house, full time jobs, outfitting our truck, getting everything ready to depart on our big trip in May of the following year. But I had decided to learn how to play banjo in retirement and I was very excited about it.

I hate to admit it, but as I have aged and attained a higher income, I have lost all will power to delay gratification. So once I decided to buy a banjo, I was not going to wait, Jane's valid point not withstanding. My best defense was “I plan to play banjo for the rest of my life. Getting the banjo a couple months early won't make a difference.” It had the twisted logic usually reserved for psychiatrist's couches. Fortunately, Jane either had more important things to worry about or just chose to accommodate my dysfunction.

Thus, my musical journey began! Jane bought me a Deering Goodtime 5-string banjo for Christmas. Then, as planned, I didn't touch it for five months. I didn't totally ignore learning however. I bought the quintessential bluegrass banjo instruction book. Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo collected dust next to the banjo.

Once underway on our adventure, I began incorporating near daily banjo practice into our routine. It was going to take dedicated, daily practice for years to become a capable player. I was willing to put in the work. It would have been nice though if I could have made any sense of Earl Scruggs' book. It seemed to me that there was something that I was missing. (I've come to learn that I'm not the only one. Sorry Earl!)

I struggled for a couple-a-three months before seeking help on the internet. I came across a book that explained to me how the melody of the song and all the other notes that you play on the banjo work together. When I just started learning and was playing slowly, it was very difficult for me to tell I was even playing a song. My playing sounded like a mess and it was disheartening.

But Bluegrass Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus! Came to my rescue (As you can tell by the title, I was desperate for help.) The approach in the book was basically to learn the melody and then start progressively layering on the bluegrass rolls. It was tons of help and I started actually playing a couple songs – I saw some light at the end of the tunnel for the first time. But eventually I struggled again.

By November of 2019, we were visiting my sister and her husband in Maine. I had been making some progress but felt I needed more of a structured program. I considered connecting up with an instructor when we were back in Kansas City. I could get lessons with the hope that we could continue virtually when we hit the road again.

But as fate would have it, as I was watching an instructional video on the Deering Banjo website, I was introduced to Tony Trischka. His video on the Deering site led me Artistworks, the web platform where Tony gives lessons. I immediately recognized that this could be what I was looking for.

Artistworks provides a platform for musical instruction of all sorts – banjo, guitar, voice, even ukulele (which Wolf is now taking!). The site provides world-class instruction and the remote student-teacher interaction is the greatest value. Via “video exchanges” the student submits the song from the latest lesson. The instructor reviews the submission and provides detailed video feedback. The program works well but the best part without a doubt is Tony.

Tony Trischka is arguably one of the top five banjo players/songwriters of all time. He has been teaching with Artistworks for over a decade and has amassed a massive amount of lessons and resources on the site.

I could give many details about the site but suffice it to say that it is working well for me, especially as a remote student. Tony's program is progressive and comprehensive and his feedback never fails to inspire. And just when I thought he couldn't get any cooler, I found out he performed and composed with the Violent Femmes!

Enough background, let's get to the snapshot...

It is end of September 2020. I have been learning banjo for 15 months and have been taking the Artistworks course for about 10 months. Here's a snapshot of my progress to date:

Playing

Beginner

Chords, several different rolls, hammer-ons, slides, starting some melodic style. Top speed 350 notes/min. Primarily bluegrass with one exception shown in the video below. Decent timing with okay level of automaticity in several songs. Still a few bum notes here and there. I know ten songs.

Improvising

Novice

Is there a class below novice?

Jamming

Novice

Started playing with two local friends – a guitar player and a singer. We meet every couple weeks. I find it quite challenging.

Ear

Novice

This is going to take some work for a long time. It is a new focus area for me.

Music Knowledge

Beginner to Intermediate

I've learned a lot about scales and chords with some practical application.

Banjo Knowledge

Beginner to Intermediate

I've read up on how a banjo makes sound, how to make adjustments, and how to build a banjo. I've adjusted head tension, bridge location. Long term goal is to build my own banjo.

Singing

Novice

Like a deeply buried bulb, this heretofore uncultivated skill is just starting to sprout the slightest tendril reaching ever upward toward the glorious light of day.

Playing Sample

This is my last video submitted to Tony…

Conclusion

So after a year and change of dedicated playing, I'm probably right where I should expect to be. The biggest progress I've made is in realizing the vast expanse of knowledge and skill that will challenge me for decades to come. I am encouraged and excited by this challenge. I view it without fear but with excitement and energy that will carry my further down the road on my musical journey, one note at a time.