Skip to main content

New Year, New Design: The Penny Tour

After I launched my last post, I decided on a whim to redesign the blog site. Do you like it? I do. I hope you do. If you don't ... sorry?

You may have noticed that some things have changed or moved around a bit, so I figured I'd give you a quick tour.

The newest addition that you will find is a link to subscribe to my blog by email. Look up in the righthand corner for the word "Subscribe," next to the "Search" and menu links. Click the link, and a screen will pop up for you to enter your email address. Voila! Now, new posts will show up in your inbox. Someone asked me about a subscription option a few months ago, and I finally figured out how to add it.

Next is a feature that was part of the last design, but maybe you didn't know what it was, and that's the menu. Again, in the upper right corner, you'll find three horizontal lines, which you are just supposed to know are for the menu. If you click that, a sidebar will appear with a bunch of stuff you might be interested in checking out, like my profile, archives, links to my banjo-related freelance writing and other stuff. Let's run through the menu options.

You have to scroll down to see everything. At the very top is my profile. You get a quick snippet about me, and then you can click "Visit Profile" to see some other information about me that hasn't been updated in a very, very long, long time. You can find my first blog that was all about when I used to be a marathon runner. It's really not worth clicking the link. Just keep scrolling down.

Next you'll see another fairly new addition, a quick contact form. If you want to write me a love letter or hate mail, send me a tip or suggest a topic for future blog posts, then this is an easy way to do it. Enter your name, email and message and hit "send." Easy, peasy. Please don't actually send me hate mail.

Finally, further down, you'll find the Archive and Labels dropdown menus, where can easily find past posts or look up common topics. Below that is a place to like the Glory-Beaming Banjo Facebook page. A little lower is the link to some freelance articles I've written that are related to the banjo. Lower still, you'll find some links to other likeminded blogs to check out. At the very bottom is the Mark Twain quote that gave name to this blog site.

I hope you enjoy the new layout. It seemed like a new year merited a new look.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ultimate Banjo Joke Compendium

This post is dedicated to my friend Joel Specht. Ever since the Olitsky & Moskovitz concert last month, my son has been obsessed with banjo jokes. During one of the MANY tuning breaks, they asked the crowd to fill the time by telling their favorite quips about the old five-string. Joel told many that night. I've been trying to remember them, along with best ones I've heard over the years for when my son asks again, so I thought I'd make this list. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and an onion? Answer: Nobody cries when you cut up a banjo. Question: How do you know if the floor is level? Answer: The banjo player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth. Question: What's the difference between a banjo and trampoline? Answer: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline. Question: What's the definition of perfect pitch? Answer: When you can throw a banjo into a dumpster without hitting the sides. Question: How do yo...

Clawhammer Picks and You: A Review

Clawhammer picks are a useful tool for increasing volume or to overcome fingernail challenges, such as broken, too short or weak nails. There are all sorts of commercial and homemade solutions available for banjo players, but it can be difficult to decide which options to choose. Thankfully, I've already done some of the work for you. Just to be clear, I prefer my natural fingernail for frailing. However, there was a time when I experimented with regularly using a pick, and there are instances now where I find that a pick is necessary. Today, I'll take you through the five options I've tried. These are all available online at prices ranging from about $1 to $13. Reversed/Reshaped Dunlop Pick ($0.75) This was the most common suggestion before other companies started addressing the gap in the clawhammer pick market. Take a bluegrass pick, flatten it out and wear it backwards. The problem is that it's hard to get the fit right. While Dunlop picks are cheap and r...

Summer Blockbusters: Top 10 Banjo Movies

We’re nearing the end of the summer movie season, which this year has included blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War , Solo: A Star Wars Story , Incredibles 2 and other movies, including some that weren’t produced by Disney. However, none of these films showcases a banjo in any way. It's not like the banjo hasn't been featured on the silver screen throughout film history. The five-string has starred in numerous movies, sometimes in its proper context as a musical instrument and other times as a comedic prop. Whether making a cameo or starring in the hands of the main character, it's well past time to present my Top 10 Banjo Blockbusters: O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, this movie sucked me into the realm of old-time , bluegrass and country music in general. The banjo is featured in a number of songs on the soundtrack and shows up on screen a few times throughout the movie. Top Banjo Moment: Delmar picks the banjo b...