I thought I joined to learn to play the banjo. I’m still working on that.
But tonight I took part in my very first jam session with a bunch of strangers at a local fire hall. I even got up and led the group in “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms.”
No doubt it’s a copy written song and you won’t find the tabs on Ben’s site, but who cares? Ben’s been teaching me how to play the banjo, not just how to play songs. Learn to play the banjo and you can play any song you want!
Yes, I’ve been going to a Wernick “Let’s Jam” class, and that has taught me how to overcome my natural shyness about singing in public, but I never would have been there if Ben hadn’t taught me how to play a little bit of banjo music.
It was a novel experience for me. The guy who invited me is also a Beginner banjo player, but he’s been involved with music since grade school. Not me. I’ve only been doing it for three years.
So we went to the fire hall. I did not know what to expect, but I did not expect an audience. There were several rows of old people who were there for the music and us jammers were the main attraction! Probably a dozen pickers total, a mix of guitars, banjos, one harmonica, two fiddlers and one bass player. We played all kinds of music, from classic bluegrass to Beatles songs, show tunes, country-rock and Tin Pan Alley. But I knew how to play the right chords and pick out a melody or two. What was weird is the old geezers in the crowd enjoyed my banjo playing!
I thought I joined Banjo Ben’s to learn to play the banjo. What I found out tonight was I joined Banjo Ben’s so I could gather with like-minded people and share a really good time together.
Thanks, Ben. And thanks to all the Forum members who have helped me along the way!
This playing music is a lot of fun!
(Now I must learn "Man of Constant Sorrow"because one old lady thought my suspenders made me look like “the prison guy that sang that song in the movie.”
It took me a while to figure out that one! 
)
EDIT: One more thing. One of the banjo players there had a Stelling arch top banjo. He bought it in 1974, about the second year Geoff Stelling was making banjos. Amazing!
