Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

The Spiral Discussion. STATUS: Attention Homeschooled - A poll/survey for you!

#1404

So I’ve always been into music. Ever since I was little, I’ve always been tapping, singing, humming, drumming, etc. I used to tell my parents that I was just catching lost radio waves in my head. :upside_down_face: My mom started me in piano lessons when I was 8, and I continued those for eight years. When I was 13, I finally got a guitar for my birthday and started by just playing chords to popular songs. Then a friend told me about Banjo Ben about a year later. We were already used to the bluegrass/gospel style because we’re friends with a lot of conservative large family bands. Because of that, I had already come to love that style of music. But starting on Banjo Ben was my first experience with actually playing bluegrass, and it instantly became my favorite. I don’t know a lot about bluegrass players or bands, and I’m still learning the ropes of flatpicking and jamming, but I love bluegrass music and the joy of playing a good song with friends, and I’m looking forward to learning more and getting better and better. Then, in 2019, God gave me a love for the violin, and I bought my first one the summer of 2020. Now I’m working on learning to play that beautiful instrument, both classically and fiddling. I can’t wait to see where God takes me with that!

Also, it has been neat to see my siblings come to love bluegrass as much as I do. They’ve now picked up banjo, mando, fiddle (another sister), harmonica, and a younger one has already declared his intentions to learn dobro. We’re all learning how to play our instruments, both separately and as a “band”, and it’s been quite fun all learning together!

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#1405

So i’ve always loved music. My dad played piano and accordian before i was even born and that was the first music i can remember. I remember a young man that came out of the Amish and lived with us for 7 years, he played the guitar and harmonica and that was my first memory of guitar. Move on a bit i was 6 years old and playing around on the piano. My sister was 12 years old and learning the piano and i wanted sooo bad to be able to play. I sat down and made my siblings ears bleed for the next hour and suddenly just like that a one note version of Jesus Loves Me came out. I was so pumped, it was the first time i ever had made music that made sense. About that time i really started noticing guitar. My uncle was probably around 20 years old then and he played guitar. I just idolized him. Looking back, i think he played kinda a Carter family style guitar and some finger picking that he came up with himself. My dad noticed my interest, and wanting to learn himself, bought a guitar off hi coworker for 80$. It was just an old black Johnson guitar ( It still hangs on the rack, kinda a sentimental thing) but i was insanely pumped. I started playing it whenever my uncle came over. I would sit beside him and strum away trying to play along with him ( no doubt driving him crazy the whole while) I still remember that first chord, it was an A chord. I was so scared i would forget it that i just played it over and over the next few days. The next day i begged dad to show me how to make some more chords so he sat at the computer and pulled up some chord charts. He showed how to read them and bang i was gone. I’ve always had the gift of learning music by ear so almost right away i was sitting there playing songs along with singers and loving every minute of it. I just figured out the boom chuck pattern but that was it. One day i had another break through. I firgured a simple 3 note walk from A to D. Again, i was so pumped. That day and the next week i was going at it putting little “Runs” as i called them from one chord to the other. I had never heard the tearm lick. When i was around 10 is when i heard Flatpicking guitar for the first time, although i didn;t even know it then. I had never even heard the term Bluegrass. One of my friends had actually gotten pretty good at it, and had gone right to the top with the local teacher. I remember hearing him and just being memerized and wishing i could play like him. Fast foward a bit, my cousin got a guitar and i started playing with him all the time. We both taught ourselves Carter Style guitar and Loved playing together. When i was 14, my best friends Matt and Josh who were twins each got themselves an instrument, Josh had guitar and Matt had banjo. I was so crazy about it i told my dad thats what i wanted to play. Those boys were the reason i am where i am today and they were the first time i remember hearing bluegrass. My 15th birthday my dad shocked me by buying me a cheap Washburn banjo from the local Store. The next day i sat down at the computer and started searching youtube for banjo tutorials. I found a few guys that sounded good but i still couldn’t pick out what they were doing. Then i found a forward roll tutorial. Yep, Banjo Ben. It was another lightbulb moment. That day right there i learned a simple version of I’ll Fly Away and Boil Dem Cabbage Down. My uncle was super excited to see me become musical and suprised me with this lifetime Goldpick Membership. Around that time i was getting frusterated with my banjo teacher since he really didn’t have a good method and i quit after 2 month, then going solid Banjo Ben. My banjo playing really took off but i found myself over and over watching the lesson previews for some of the guitar lessons. I remember being amazed by the Jed Clark lesson and The Lost Indian lesson. The first song that caught my fancy to learn was Lost Indian so away i went. I learned it within the first week at 75% speed. Since then it took off and i haven’t looked back since. The was probably a year and a half ago, maybe less since i really started flatpicking guitar. 4 Month ago i signed up with Bryans course at Artistworks and continue to progress. I’m loving every minute of it and spend a lot more time playing guitar than banjo. I feel God has blessed me with a musical talent and i am trying to better it and use it for his glory.

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#1406

When I was around 12 or so my family went away to the north to escape the war, and we stayed in this big mansion owned (and inhabited by) My dad’s mentor’s brother.
One day we were playing hide and seek inside, and I found a big standalone closet under a painter’s sheet that looked like a great hiding place. So I got in, being careful not to close it (any sensible person knows not to shut themselves into a strange closet) and discovered it to be full of fur coats. I pushed back a short way into the coats expecting to find the back wall of the closet, but instead I felt something prickly and something cold. I turned and looked and there was light! So, being a typically curious 12y/o I went towards it. I came out into a little clearing with strangely shaped trees, purple snow, and what appeared to be Lucy in the sky, with diamonds.
There were a few animate objects around, that seemed to maybe speak, so I asked one nearby where I was. He responded, “why, don’t you know? You’re in the lovely land of music!!” I said “huh, it’s colder than I expected…” He then offered to show me around. He took me up the Stairway to Heaven, and I stayed a few nights in the Hotel California (which was interestingly decorated with guns and roses. Also had both AC and DC wall sockets) He introduced me to the Mamas and the Papas, the leaders of the realm, of whom the most notable were Peter, Paul, and Mary. We then took a Mountain Highway to the Mountain’s Heart, where were the headquarters for the labor Union’s Station.
I had several more adventures Down by the Sally Gardens, at the Scarborough Fair, and Sitting on the Dock of the Bay Fishing in the Dark. But at last it was time, and before Going Home, we had a Final Countdown. Then I was back into the closet, in the spare room. I burst out to see where everyone was, but the house wasn’t there anymore, and I heard this creepy flashback voice saying “but when you return, I won’t be here” That’s strange, I thought. I don’t remember ever being told that, but it was in the creepy flashback voice, so I thought it must be true. So I started a chocolate factory. But I’m getting old now. I feel stretched thin. Like Chocolate pudding, scraped across too much Ham (butter scraped across too much bread?) So that’s why I’ve summoned you all. We must destroy the chocolate factory, or else hide it so that it may never fall into the hands of the unnamed one. But we know it cannot be unmade, save in the chocolate river, where it was forged. And hiding it is futile… So who will carry it 500 Miles, through the desert on a Horse with no Mane, knowing well that it is a virtual Highway to Hell, fraught with Highwaymen, Monkees, and even Beatles. You will have to Walk and not Run, and ignore the Stranger’s on the Shore. You will even have the opportunity to take many “easy ways” including (but not limited to) the Road to Columbus, the Road to Spencer, the Rocky Road to Dublin, and more. But you have to stay on the One Road. Any volunteers? The chocolate river is located on Rocky Top, which is just beyond and to the left of the Foggy Mountain Top.

So that’s how I accidentally got into music. A strange and frightful place, but quite worth visiting

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#1407

How about if we just stand in front of the factory and yell really loud “That ain’t no part o nothin”? Legend says that it will vaporize in a puff of Blue Smoke drifting over the Water.

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#1408

Then, we can dig a canal connecting the chocolate river to the Salt Creek. Volia, salted chocolate! But sadly not sea salt chocolate, because sea salt only comes from the salt salt sea, which I have just returned from.

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#1409

We just have to make sure that we don’t mistake the chocolate river for the Mississippi River, which runs deep and wide and I left my baby on the other side. But anyway she’s gone and I don’t worry now.

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#1410

Wow! That tops everyone else’s story for sure!

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#1411

When I was very 3 or 4 years old I saw someone playing guitar & singing on TV and knew I wanted to do that.

Had to wait until I was 9 to get guitar lessons Parents spent $60 for a guitar & 10 lessons for me. Because I’m left handed the teacher strung my guitar that way and although I worked very hard at it for the 10 weeks, at the end the instructor told my parents (in front of me) that some people just weren’t cut out to ever play music and I was one of those who would just never be able to play. That was a bit crushing to say the least…

After a few years, we were camping with another family and the kid closest to my age played guitar with his dad (had a band my parents went to listen to regularly) around the campfire. I mentioned how i wished I could do that, but also what my teacher had said. they told me to bring my guitar the camping the next week & I did.

While sitting in the camper with my buddy who was going to teach me something
he said “I know why you can’t play! Your holding the guitar backwards and the strings are on upside down!” Then we proceeded to break a string trying to change them around, so his Dad offered to take the guitar for a week and put strings on it.

The next weekend I spent pretty much in the camper with my buddy & my newly strung guitar learning how to strum along with I walk the line, Folsom Prison Blues, and The Tennessee Bird Walk.

My Uncle gave me a Banjo & Earl’s book, and introduced me to bluegrass at 15 by taking me to Bean Blossom for a week in 1975 . Been hooked since.

Mostly self taught up until about 10 years ago.

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#1412

Ya no kidding…To me that’s one thing you should NEVER say to anyone, especially a kid who’s dream is to play. Anyone can play if they have the mind to, some just get it eaiser than others.

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#1413

That’s an awesome story… it’s sad to think of the people who had a similar beginning to what you had, but never had the buddy in the camper who showed them the right way.

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#1414

cool tidbit…we are still friends today and live about 20 miles apart. Don’t run in the same circles, but have many common friends.

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#1415

Thank God, all i’ve had is a ton of encouragment, from my friends, family, and any teachers i ever had.

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#1416

I’ll second that.

I’ve had a couple really bad experiences being derided & laughed at by people around my own age at festivals in the past when we were younger also, but ended up years later being asked to play on stage with each of them…I wasn’t to be deterred either way. :wink:

My own detrimental experiences are probably the biggest reason I always try to take time to help or encourage others who want to play or improve.

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#1417

Amen to that! Even my family tolerates my musical obsession really well :joy:

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#1418

I can definitely see that in your kind encouragement here on the forum. Thanks for being that person who always has an uplifting comment!

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#1419

You forgot Lonesome Road. :wink:

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#1420

Okay, I think we need a new topic (but if someone wants to revive the old one that’s fine too). Since we all homeschool or used to homeschool, what did a “typical” (I say that very lightly :joy:) day look like for you? What subjects did you do? Your favorite? Least favorite?

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#1421

Hmm, kinda varied year to year, but usually just started doing classes (I always did Bible first for whatever reason) and took breaks and stuff. The breaks got, um, magnified once I started learning banjo. :joy:

Usually it was something like Bible, English, Math, Science, History. Once I started liking any class, my favorite was math, and then once I started failing Algebra, my favorites were English and History.

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#1422

I would get up, feed the animals, sit on my bed for a couple hours and do all my subjects, eat lunch, finish up school, and then goof off for the rest of the day :joy: I didn’t like any subjects, I always hated school haha. I was good at literature and math, but I still hated Algebra, even though I was pretty good at it. Literature was more tolerable, I love a good story. Most of them were kinda boring though. I’m very picky with books, but when I happen to find a good one I just read it like crazy until I’m finished, which is usually like one or two days :joy:

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#1423

Ah, so I’m not the only one… :joy:

I probably used to read like 1 book a year, but when I did I would stay up till 2:30 AM to finish it. :joy:

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