A check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s ongoing plan to spend more time on his banjo than on TV. This post covers 8/30/2009 through 9/5/2009.
I've been trying to figure out a way to get my right hand third finger to be a solid foundation upon which I can play.
I saw a banjo player at RockyGrass who had a very well-anchored third finger. As he played, that third finger of his stayed planted and didn't budge. I asked him how he got his fingers to do that that.
He was glad I asked, because it was something he was very proud of.
He'd taken a little plastic foot and put it on his banjo head where he wanted his third finger to be planted. Then he played his banjo that way for a few months. At the end of that time, he said, he removed the little foot and played without it.
He said his right hand foundation has been solid ever since.
I've decided to try this myself.
I took a plastic foot (the kind you put under something to prevent it from sliding)...
...and cut a round hole in it...
...to create a crescent-shaped sticky foot...
...which I applied to my banjo...
...so I'd have a place to park my right hand third finger.
I'll try it for a few months and see what happens. Stay tuned.
Also in the last week:
- Went to the first-Tuesday-of-the-month jam at the Red Line Tap in Chicago.
Instruments:- Mandolin
- Tenor banjo
- Dobro
- Upright bass
- Harmonica
- Four 5-string banjos
- I'll Fly Away (G)
- Why Don't You Tell Me So? (G)
- Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (Bb)
- Wagon Wheel (A)
- Sweet Heaven (G)
- Shortenin' Bread (G)
- Foggy Mountain Top (G)
- Cumberland Gap (G)
- Dark Hollow (G)
- Rain and Snow (all G and F chords)
- Montana Cowboy (G)
- Little Joe (A)
- Wabash Cannonball (G)
I discovered that Shortenin' Bread works great as a solo for the bluegrass version of Cumberland Gap.
We decided we were going to work up Rocky Top for next month. - I pre-ordered the rerelease of Flatt & Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Banjo:
- I've really enjoyed Fifty Years Of Bluegrass Hits, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. This week I rounded out the collection by buying Vol. 3 and Vol. 4.
- Q: Is there anything cuter than a little kid playing J.R.'s sawed-off banjo?
A: No, there is not.
No comments:
Post a Comment