Welcome to the new decade. As is usually the case, we start the year off with a statement of goals and purpose to carry us through to December. Last year ended pretty strong, finding success in learning some old chestnuts on fiddle and singing with the banjo. I wanted to continue that theme for 2020, so my theme for this year is "Jam Favorites" on fiddle and "John Songs" on banjo.
Once again I'm hoping to increase my overall playing time. While I'm not sure how much more practice time I can wring out of my schedule, I'm hoping to reach those goals by finding a little more time to play with others, whether at local festivals, public old-time sessions or more intimate musical gatherings.
A big goal of mine is to play my banjo more in a group setting, as I'm worried my jam skills are withering away with so much focus on the fiddle.
A general goal is to record myself more often. This was a goal I set last year, but only managed to do once. To put a number on it, I'm aiming for once a quarter.
My 2020 Fiddle Tunes:
Hitting last year's goal of 200 hours (a personal best) was pretty tough, but I still wanted to strive to play a bit more this year. It may seem like a strange number, but I'm aiming for 209 hours* on fiddle in 2020. I'm hoping to add at least one local festival to my schedule and attend a couple more jams to reach this goal, as well as to continue improving my rhythm.
One maintenance item I'd like to get done this year is rehair my backup bow. I've been playing without a spare for more than a year. It's time to get that rectified.
My 2020 Banjo Songs:
Again, I have a maintenance goal. After botching my head replacement last year, I plan on fixing that at some point this year. Until then, I keep bracing for it to pop.
*In case you're asking, "Why these strange numbers?" As many of you know, I track my banjo and fiddle playing on a spreadsheet, and these totals would make my lifetime totals on each instrument round numbers.
A big goal of mine is to play my banjo more in a group setting, as I'm worried my jam skills are withering away with so much focus on the fiddle.
A general goal is to record myself more often. This was a goal I set last year, but only managed to do once. To put a number on it, I'm aiming for once a quarter.
FIDDLE
This month marks my seventh year learning fiddle. The tunes I've picked to learn this year are all tunes I encounter at local jams fairly often. I've tried to balance what keys the tunes are in, keeping in mind I prefer to limit myself to learning four tunes per year.My 2020 Fiddle Tunes:
- Julie Ann Johnson (D)
- Nail That Catfish to a Tree (G)
- Soldier's Joy (D)
- Waltz TBD
Hitting last year's goal of 200 hours (a personal best) was pretty tough, but I still wanted to strive to play a bit more this year. It may seem like a strange number, but I'm aiming for 209 hours* on fiddle in 2020. I'm hoping to add at least one local festival to my schedule and attend a couple more jams to reach this goal, as well as to continue improving my rhythm.
One maintenance item I'd like to get done this year is rehair my backup bow. I've been playing without a spare for more than a year. It's time to get that rectified.
BANJO
Learning to sing and play some songs last year was a difficult but rewarding challenge, and I want to continue that effort in 2020. I was trying to think of some common songs that I knew some of the lyrics of and figured I could pick out well enough of banjo, and the name John kept coming up.My 2020 Banjo Songs:
- John Hardy
- John Henry
- My Name is John Johanna
- Big Rock Candy Mountain
Again, I have a maintenance goal. After botching my head replacement last year, I plan on fixing that at some point this year. Until then, I keep bracing for it to pop.
BLOGGING
I know better than to aim for another record year. I just want to be more consistent with my posts. I'd also like to get another interview set up for 2020. As always, I appreciate you all hitching up your wagon and joining me on this journey. Stay tuned!*In case you're asking, "Why these strange numbers?" As many of you know, I track my banjo and fiddle playing on a spreadsheet, and these totals would make my lifetime totals on each instrument round numbers.
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