Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Fishing & Banjos

#1

I live in a great place for fishing. Pick your species. Salmon, walleye, bass, perch, lake trout, brook trout, browns & rainbows, as well as muskies, pike and assorted others that aren’t considered “sport” fish. Personally, I prefer prowling a trout stream with a fly rod. Which brings me to the “Four Stages of an Angler.”
First, all you want to do is catch a fish.
Second, you want to catch a lot of fish.
Third, you just want to catch one really big fish.
Fourth, you don’t care if you catch any fish or not. You simply enjoy spending time where fish live.

Lately I’ve been wondering if the same is true of learning the banjo.
First, I just wanted to learn how to do a roll.
Second, I wanted to learn a lot of licks.
Third, I wanted to really learn one great song.
Fourth, I don’t care if I learn another song. I just enjoy making sounds come out of my banjo. That means a lot of noodling and very little focus.
I guess I’ve “hit the wall.” As the fish say, “Dam!”

I figure if I’m lucky I have another 10 years left before I start screaming, “Wait, God! I’m not ready yet!” But that’s not my call. Maybe I better start getting ready today.
So I find myself wrestling with the question “Why do I want to get from the banjo? How should I devote my time for maximum enjoyment?”

It seems like a good question to mull over while I’m noodling.

I know several pickers here have said they “put it away for a while & then came back.” What brought you back?

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#2

Hey Joe! Where you going with that banjo in your hand?

I think you nailed it when you focused on enjoyment in your closing question. I don’t mean to disappoint, but I suspect that you (like me) are most likely too old at starting into banjo to reasonably expect to become a world-class banjo player. Here’s the great news… once I realized that, I started enjoying banjo (and other endeavors) all the more. Do I still try to improve? Of course! However, when thinking about tackling a song, I am not as worried about getting high end speed and lots of variations (which confuse my old brain). I’d rather learn something simpler and then use it, playing it with my wife or others. That’s not to say that you should do what I do. Just whatever YOU enjoy… do that!

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#3

What size do the salmon in your area get to be?

#4

Well, we have three kinds-Chinook (or King), Cohos & Atlantic.
The Atlantic population hasn’t really caught on, but the Chinooks & Coho are doing very well in Lake Ontario. On a good day you might get a 30 lb Chinook.
The Cohos usually top out at about 20 lbs, but there was a record catch of a 33 pounder!
But fishing for these are kinda boring IMHO. Sit on the boat, troll & wait (while getting boozed up.) On a trout stream, at least the scenery changes when you walk around the bend.
We also have great steelhead fishing. There is something electric about catching a 20 lb fish on at fly rod with a 10 lb tippet!

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#5

First, you do not disappoint. I know I don’t have enough time to be a world -class banjo player. So what? I’m still the best banjo player on my street!

There’s another phrase that’s been rolling around my mind. “Stop trying to copy others. Find your own song!” Now that’s interesting. I once heard a guy refuse to play “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” Not that he couldn’t play it, but if you want to hear it the way it’s supposed to be, go play Earl’s recording, because that’s Earl’s song.

So I’m toying with “my song.” I don’t know exactly what that is yet, but I can tell you it’s not a fast barn burner, it’s more melodic than driven & it’s probably not bluegrass. It’s banjo music!

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#6

Holy Moses, Joe. We really need to sit around a firepit to ruminate and have moments of introspection (I may or may not have used a thesaurus for that sentence). The banjo has become like an 'ol friend. We can go a few months without talking, but is always there when I need 'em. And we pick right back up where we left off. Did you ever hear about the guy sitting on the sidewalk playing his guitar? After noodling and hacking away for a awhile, he looks up and there is Tony Rice standing there with a smile. Tony says “yea man, sounding good, keep at it” (or something like that). Tony Rice didn’t want you to try and sound like him. He wanted to hear you and your song. I’m not sure I have a point here other than, you are where you need to be.

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#7

Do you know you just paraphrased St. Teresa of Avila? (died 1582)
“Trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.”

I think we could have a good time with a thesaurus & a fire as it burns to ashes with the rising sun.
More good news! I don’t sound a thing like Tony Rice! :grin:

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#8

So there I was, on a video conference with a customer and 9 other folks when I read this verbal grenade. I had to get creative real quick to cover up my outburst of laughter.

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#9

I used to have a job where I pretended like I was working but was really going down internet rabbit holes.
Keep up the good work!:grin:

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