3 comments on “The Case for the “Plectrum-played” Banjo”
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Wonder if anyone currently playing a four string banjo has played a gig at a high school, or even elementary school perhaps for a band class. I first played the tenor in 7th grade. I wasn’t particularly good back then, but that exposure led me to pick it up again many years later. Not much use preaching to the choir…unless the choir is younger than 20 and curious about music. As always you got to go where the audience is, they rarely seek you out.
I played the banjo throughout my middle and high school years; my sister and I were perennial winners of the school talent show. When I was substitute teaching many years later, I would play my banjo for the elementary music classes. I had an opportunity to play for a local fifth-grade class this spring, and actually had a couple of kids say they would like to learn, so I plan to do a bunch more of that this year (fifth-grade is the magic year; they are still open-minded). The Saint Louis BandJos have had a lot of success with home-schooled kids, so I plan to explore that also. There has never been–and never will be–a shortage of potential players! Just gotta be in the right place at the right time, playing for the right age group.
I have most of my life with the 5 string banjo but in the beginning I started with a tenor. After attending the Arizona Banjo Blast a few years ago I heard many a player and jam session where the plectrum was clearly the instrument of choice. It piqued my interest so I got one. The transition from 5 string banjo C tuning to plectrum eased the chord learning process so many of the shapes could be identified…other were shapes you’d never see/play on a 5 string. In order to obtain some tabbed out arrangements of standards to expedite the learning process I contacted Don Van Palta a few years ago and purchased one of his solo books (very well done book by the way). Recently, I read in AllFrets magazine that he had produced a DVD of 700 (count ’em) songs all banjo tabs. The sad part is I can’t reach him so I am reaching out to various banjo players to see if either they have the DVD I’m referring to or the contact info for him. He lives somewhere in Texas.
Wonder if anyone currently playing a four string banjo has played a gig at a high school, or even elementary school perhaps for a band class. I first played the tenor in 7th grade. I wasn’t particularly good back then, but that exposure led me to pick it up again many years later. Not much use preaching to the choir…unless the choir is younger than 20 and curious about music. As always you got to go where the audience is, they rarely seek you out.
I played the banjo throughout my middle and high school years; my sister and I were perennial winners of the school talent show. When I was substitute teaching many years later, I would play my banjo for the elementary music classes. I had an opportunity to play for a local fifth-grade class this spring, and actually had a couple of kids say they would like to learn, so I plan to do a bunch more of that this year (fifth-grade is the magic year; they are still open-minded). The Saint Louis BandJos have had a lot of success with home-schooled kids, so I plan to explore that also. There has never been–and never will be–a shortage of potential players! Just gotta be in the right place at the right time, playing for the right age group.
I have most of my life with the 5 string banjo but in the beginning I started with a tenor. After attending the Arizona Banjo Blast a few years ago I heard many a player and jam session where the plectrum was clearly the instrument of choice. It piqued my interest so I got one. The transition from 5 string banjo C tuning to plectrum eased the chord learning process so many of the shapes could be identified…other were shapes you’d never see/play on a 5 string. In order to obtain some tabbed out arrangements of standards to expedite the learning process I contacted Don Van Palta a few years ago and purchased one of his solo books (very well done book by the way). Recently, I read in AllFrets magazine that he had produced a DVD of 700 (count ’em) songs all banjo tabs. The sad part is I can’t reach him so I am reaching out to various banjo players to see if either they have the DVD I’m referring to or the contact info for him. He lives somewhere in Texas.