June 11, 2006

Banjo Lesson

My first banjo lesson was a disaster. Well, I suppose it wasn't technically my first banjo lesson. Actually, I had been taking online banjo lessons for a good while, and honestly thought that I knew what I was doing. There was a website with videos of some guy strumming which you could download, and tabs which you could pick along to to your hearts content. I had my first banjo lesson online months ago, and although I was a bit of a slacker about the whole thing, only learning those songs and techniques that interested me, and ignoring the rest, still, I thought that I had started to get somewhere.

My first banjo lesson certainly smothered that illusion under a half ton of disappointment. I got there and tried to show off. He looked at me and I immediately missed a chord. This is my first instrument, and the first time I've ever played in front of someone else on it. I figured that it would be a piece of cake. I've never had any problem speaking publicly to a whole room full of a hundred people, so what should be so hard about a banjo lesson where it was only me and a teacher. The whole thing should be easy, right? Wrong. It was terrible.

What I don't understand is how I am ever going to learn anything from my banjo lessons if I can't even play in front of my teacher. I mean, I guess he is nice and accommodating, and besides that a hell of a banjo player. He showed me some great exercise which I could use and practice for my next banjo lesson, and that was definitely very helpful. Not to mention how much you gain just from having the opportunity to closely observe and work with a great player. But really, will I sound any different during my next banjo lesson?

If I can't play in front of him, how will he even know if I'm making any progress. For that matter, how will I even know if I've learned anything from one banjo lesson to the next. I mean, it just isn't possible to get feedback if I can't play in front of him. I've decided to start recording my own playing to play back to him. At first, it might be hard to play, knowing that I'm recording to show at my next banjo lesson, but eventually it will get easier.

Posted by KeyWestPublishing at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)