A Decade of Rambling: Celebrating 10 Years of the Glory-Beaming Banjo

Back in February 2011, I decided to start a blog. This is it. A decade later I'm still writing about my journey learning to play the banjo and exploring old-time music. That wouldn't have been possible without YOU, yes, you the one reading this very sentence. 

I started playing banjo in March 2008, fueled by my interest in such disparate artists as the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sixteen Horsepower, Old Crow Medicine Show, Earl Scruggs, the Avett Brothers, Great Lake Swimmers, Roscoe Holcomb and Chatham County Line. What I didn't know then was that all the banjo playing by those musicians was of a different style. I started with Scruggs' style, but started flounder. However, by the end of the year, I discovered clawhammer and found my path forward. 

That same year, I met my wife. 

Three years later, I decided to start this blog as a way to share what I had learned, banjo things I was interested in, interviews with various banjo luminaries and otherwise flex my creative writing muscles. One of my first interviews was with local banjo hero Mark Olitsky (read Part 1 and Part 2). 

That same year, I got married. 

At the start of 2013, I started playing the fiddle. My original intent was to gain a better understanding of old-time music as a means to further my banjo playing. I didn't realize how much attention this endeavor would require, and my banjo playing started to decline. 

That same year, my son was born. 

It's funny how these little musical milestones coincide with major life events. Now, eight years after starting the fiddle, my accumulated banjo and fiddle playing time are just about equal. My blogging has waxed and waned over the years, depending on various circumstances, and it's provided me the excuse to reach out to some of my banjo heroes, as well as the opportunity to start writing reviews for The Old-Time Herald. 

I'm truly grateful for those of you who read and comment on my posts. As Olitsky told me 10 years ago, this is community music, and you all are part of my community. Thank you to those of you who have stuck with me from the beginning and to those of you who may have just recently discovered my little corner of the internet. 

Now, let's pick some banjo.