Banjoversary: 15 Years of Five-String Foolishness

Today marks 15 years since I started my banjo journey. Sometime in late 2007, I got the idea that I might  like to play the banjo. Pretty much all the music I was listening to at the time had a five-string, whether it was indie rock, alt country, bluegrass or old-time. Although back then, I didn't know the difference between bluegrass and old-time or that there were so many different ways of playing this plunky instrument. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I wanted to take the leap. 

I try not to look back at my life with regrets, as I consider the mistakes I've made as opportunities to learn new lessons. That said, I did have one major regret. When I was in high school, I started to learn to play guitar. However, after a year or so, I gave it up. I can't help thinking how good I would be today if I had just stuck with it. 

The idea of playing music has always appealed to me, but I didn't want to make the same mistake I made with the guitar as a teenager. Being in my mid-20s, I thought I'd have more discipline and perseverance if I tried to learn the banjo.

With a decent tax return headed my way, I decided to order a Recording King Songster from an online music store. It was on this date in 2008 that my banjo arrived. 

Again, not knowing the difference between the different playing styles, I started with the only one I'd heard of: Scruggs style. I got a book and started picking my way through tunes like "Boil Them Cabbage Down," "Shady Grove" and "Worried Man Blues." I was awful, but I was having fun. 

But then I got distracted. 

A few months after I started learning the banjo, I met this girl. We're married now. 

My banjo mostly sat in its case for the rest of 2008 as I went a-courtin'. Even though I wasn't playing much, I continued to listen to a lot of different styles of banjo music. That's when I started to learn the distinction between bluegrass and old-time. That's when I learned about the myriad ways to play the banjo. That's when I learned about clawhammer style. 

As my New Year's resolution for 2009 and with the support of my bride-to-be, I rededicated myself to learning to play the banjo. Armed with Mike Seeger's Southern Banjo Styles DVDs and Ken Perlman's Clawhammer Style Banjo book, I pulled the resonator off my banjo and set upon my new course of study. Later that year, I attended my first banjo workshop with Mark Olitsky at the now-defunct Kent State Folk Festival. The next year I attended my first old-time jam. By the end of 2009, I got the banjo that I still play today. And the rest, as they say, is history!