Pickin' and grinnin' fun

The past year and a half Terry and I have been working on a new hobby….bluegrass music. We have both fallen in love with it. It all started simply enough when our neighbors gave Terry a banjo. It needed some work like fixing where the neck meets the body of the banjo where a small shim had been placed along with a new head (banjo heads are a lot like drum heads) and new strings. After doing the repairs he has talked about becoming a luthier, a person who repairs string instruments, after he retires from what he does now. He finished all the work and then began learning how to pick some songs. In learning any instrument the main thing is practicing the same note, timing, and phrasing over and over. Even though being somewhat of a musician myself and knowing the importance of practice, the repetition can be somewhat irritating. This is where being hard of hearing can be kind of a blessing in disguise. Tune out time (turn off the hearing aids) for a little while so they can do what they must do to improve their skills. You also get the opportunity to congratulate and encourage as things get better and better. Terry is really getting pretty good with his picking. Guess it’s listening to all the bluegrass CD’s while he’s working. However, it is always interesting to find out what he is listening to as I walk by his office during the days he works at home. It isn’t always bluegrass. Sometimes it is country, classic rock, or on occasion classical.
Terry was given the banjo in about October or November a couple of years ago. We fairly shortly began discussing an acoustic instrument for me. I knew my hands are too small for a regular size guitar. It wasn’t until later I found out you can get smaller sizes. With my hearing the violin, better known in the bluegrass world as the fiddle, would be pretty difficult. So the mandolin seemed like a good choice. We began to research various makes and styles along with prices. Like most things you can spend as much as you would like on your instrument. Prices ranged from under $100 to the limited edition, hand made “Ricky Skaggs” signature model made by Gibson priced at 20 to 25 thousand dollars. Even knowing Mr. Skaggs himself had tested the instrument before being released for sale the price was more than I would expect to part with. Unless I suddenly become really, really wealthy or a great professional player. I hadn’t really known a particular model had been settled on until Terry came home one night with an odd shaped box from a really great store in Lansing, MI, Elderly Instruments. It is a very nice instrument, particularly to start with. It has a cool model name, Rover, so I am completely satisfied. It's sure easier to haul around than a piano or organ!! I opened it up and my adventure into a new form of music began.
It has been interesting learning to read a different type of music than I am used to from knowing piano and organ or clarinet in my younger days. Also learning the mandolin can be the instrument keeping time for the group while playing chords. You don’t always have a bass in the group. We have also met great people through the local bluegrass association. They are very encouraging and helpful with their advice. I have finally gotten brave enough to do a little actual picking at the slow jams. Being a large group it can be a little difficult for me to pick up on various things but I try my best and I am slowly getting better. I prefer smaller groups where you can really hear each other. I have also enjoyed the workshops at the two festivals held by the association during the year at our local youth fairgrounds. I have enjoyed the most catching up with a couple of friends of ours who have their own band and go around making music. We have sat in with them a few times and had a lot of fun. My favorite times have been when we have appeared with them at our local Veterans Facility. This is a place where people who have bravely served our country can live when no longer able to live at home. They are always an appreciative audience and we enjoy getting to talk to some of them to get to know them better.
Right now my skills are fairly simple but I work hard to improve. I have to remind myself that it all takes time and the main thing is having fun while you learn.