Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

I just went insane today at the General Store, bought guitar and mando

Oh dear indeed. My uncle said pretty much the same thing. Although, I know he learned a couple songs on mandolin back in the day, so I have a feeling he will want to “borrow” my mando to see if can still play them. We’ll see.

I’m usually such a disciplined shopper. In fact, I really hate shopping in general. So yeah, I really splurged in the last couple of weeks and yet I can’t bring myself to buy a $140 capo. Go figure.

Cute video.

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@maggie.williams1 I’ve yet to meet a lady that’s a disciplined shopper, or indeed one that hate’s shopping. My wife, daughters and granddaughters can’t seem to walk past a shop without wanting to go in and buy something, anything.

Beats me what the attraction is, what’s more they hardly ever wear the things they buy. They just hang them in their closet and say I have nothing to wear. Sound familiar guys?

Sounds like some guys I am familiar with. I know one guy really well, uhm hmmm… cough, cough; that has instruments in about every room that isn’t a bathroom or a kitchen. I know another person (not me) that has a 3000 square foot shop with many, many duplicates of tools (like hundreds of the same size bits and dozens of drill drivers and torque wrenches). I know another guy (again, not me) who sold all his 401k and bought a few safes worth of guns. And yes, I knew a guy real well that was working minimum wage as a teen, saving all his money and collecting Nike shoes. We people are crazy.

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Thank you for your support of the store, @maggie.williams1! As far as learning, there’s not a tried and true method for multiple instruments, except to try and spend a little time each day on the instruments you want to learn, even it it’s 3-5 minutes.

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Well you’ve met one now Archie. I truly despise shopping. I try to do what I can on line. If I have go to a store, I go to get what I need only. No dawdling. I get in and get out as quickly as I can. I’ve got better things to be doing than wasting time shopping. This of course infuriates my six aunt’s who love it so.

I’m with you. It beats me what the attraction is.

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Darned auto-correct!

I can’t banana I did that! Lol

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I tilt my @BanjoBen cap to you, @maggie.williams1 I abandoned my wife in a shop 40 years ago after visiting 20 shops. She wanted a new winter coat but couldn’t make up her mind. So frustrated I took the kids back to the car and we waited an hour. When she finally got to the car she said she’d bought the first coat we looked at. The one I said looked great on her. Needless to say I have never been clothes shopping with her since.

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Cool those are good instruments that won’t break the bank (especially compared to your rk76 elite) maybe in two or three months you can do a progress report video

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Why not? Playing an instrument would be a better thing to do than read the newspaper :wink: :joy:

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Steve Martin did something like that to take his playing to the next level. When he was asked to record FMB with a group of elites, he made practicing the banjo extremely convenient for himself.

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Video??? I’m shy :flushed:

Oh I would so do that if I could afford it. Pretty tapped out now.

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Hi @maggie.williams1 Let me tell you a little secret, we are all kinda shy the first time we recorded ourselves. The fear is within and the longer you hold onto that fear the more difficult it will be for you in the end. Best to get it over and done with.

Think of it this way, your recording yourself in the privacy of your own home. You are the first person to view the video, your the person who decides whether to share it on not.

If your worried about making mistakes then don’t, every video I’ve posted to YouTube and here on the forum has a mistake. Even Earl Scruggs is know to have made mistakes on camera.

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Yeah, I know and you’re right. That all sounds good on the surface. I’m still shy.

But I’m working on it.

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Good. I look forward to seeing your first vid.

Have someone film you while your not looking :wink:

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I have a relevant picture, but it’s best I do not share it.

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Did you see Car Pool Karaoke with Paul McCartney?

He admitted to jamming in the bathroom for the acoustics - and that everything sounded so much better in there…

… and there you have it!

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Hi @anon8000755 I used to do that as a kid, back then I played harmonica and accordion. The girl next door used to sing all the Connie Frances songs in there bathroom. everyone passing by would stop to listen she was such a good singer. I don’t think she even realised folks could hear her. And before you ask, the bathroom was on an upper floor.:rofl:

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What a wonderful story @Archie - I think you know me by now… stories of pure inspiration (girl singing… and she was unaware of anybody bothering to noticed) - but then, they DID notice! Neither aware of the other. Seems poetic…

To the girl… just singing for singing sake. For her “fans”, perhaps a voice without a face… of perhaps they knew her… but because of her “singing venue” - they could only enjoy the sound, the voice, the singing.

I want to believe she sang for the rest of her life… and hopefully for others to appreciate… perhaps in a chorus or a church.

I am reminded of two of my favorite cinematic scenes…

  1. Shawshank Redemption - when Andy receives the albums for the prison library and he selects one record, locks himself in the Warden’s office, and breaks rules to broadcast over P.A. for the whole yard to enjoy… if only for a few, brief moments. The looks on the prisoners faces… remember?

  2. Saving Private Ryan… the “calm before the storm” scene just before the final battle… they listen to the French Record… parts of which were translated by the linguistic soldier. Each soldier reminiscing about their homes… their lives…

Of course, the amazing Deliverance scene also comes to mind too… having lost Burt so recently.

I am sure there are hundreds of other “musical moment stories” in cinema that others could name… and more importantly, in real life.

Sounds like another nice topic…

Thanks for the memory story, @Archie!!!

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