Category Archives: Philosophical Ramblings

Why is the Banjo so Mysterious?

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

I must declare here: the banjo is a throughly fascinating thing.  Whether playing Bluegrass, Old-Time, Folk, Jazz, or any other genre, it has a certain fascination, even a mystery, about it. And not only in sound, but in looks as … Continue reading →

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Life’s a banjo!

Posted on November 23, 2012 by

One of the main things I strive for in blogging is to complement what students learn in actual lessons. Sources for banjo lessons are plentiful these days, so I try to present a different perspective. One that you don’t get … Continue reading →

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The Banjo 50 Years from Now

Posted on January 10, 2010 by

We’re so used to technology these days. Many of us make our living from some part of it. Even if you don’t earn a living at it, you know how to use Facebook, cellphones, iPods and so on and so … Continue reading →

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A New Year, A New Perspective

Posted on January 1, 2010 by

I almost never make new years’ resolutions. I figure if I want to do something, just go ahead and do it when you see that it really needs doing. But I do see the logic in it. The start of a … Continue reading →

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Melodics and Soul

Posted on December 16, 2009 by

If you are a banjoist, you’re probably aware of the melodic style of 5-string banjo playing, whereby you are playing primarily melody notes, as opposed to fewer melody notes surrounded by ‘filler’ notes, as in Scruggs style. This style of … Continue reading →

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Heilmeier's Catechism

Posted on December 4, 2009 by

Here’s something I read in the Huntsville Times recently that I’d like to share with you. It starts with Lisa Porter, the director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA – sounds a little like DARPA; the name of the … Continue reading →

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The Purpose of Reading Music

Posted on November 10, 2009 by

By and large, banjoists nowadays use tablature rather than musical notation in order to convey what’s going on on the fretboard. This hasn’t always been the case, but since the advent of bluegrass, and the inclusion of the banjo into … Continue reading →

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Inspiration vs Influence

Posted on November 1, 2009 by

I’ve always used these two terms rather interchangeably. Saying that someone has been an inspiration, and thus has influenced my playing. Come to think of it though, they aren’t really the same. If someone is an inspiration, they don’t necessarily … Continue reading →

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Seven Facts About Inspiration

Posted on October 27, 2009 by

1 – Teachers should provide it for students. Some of it, at least. And remember too, the old saying about leading horses to water; it certainly applies here. We get inspiration from many different sources and our instructor should be … Continue reading →

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Music: A Cure for Modern Day Complexity

Posted on October 22, 2009 by

Go check your email. Can’t do it? Maybe the SMTP server is down. Call ’em up and find out. Search for their number and find it if you’re lucky. Go through the voicemail maze and finally leave a message in … Continue reading →

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