Wow…sorry to hear this, but it’s such a blessing to have access to the technology for these multiple findings. All the best on your road to treatment and recovery!
What are y'all up to?
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Take care, I’m sure the Ortho docs will get you patched back up.
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Met with ortho today, pretty routine arthroscopic procedure to reattach my supraspinatus and clean up a couple things! Working on the timing but I think first part of July…I’ll be in a sling for 6 weeks.
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A new chapter at 78 going on 79.
So I just started learning to play the Tenor Banjo using @BanjoBen 's Mandolin Lessons. To be honest I already started playing Tenor Banjo about 6 years ago with the Online Academy of Irish Music but after working through the beginners section I set the tenor to one side and haven’t played the Tenor Banjo since before my surgery four and a half years ago
So calling all you Mandolin players out there wishing you could play the banjo. Well you can, all you need is a Irish Tenor Banjo tuning GDAE just four strings not eight.
My first lesson is Soldiers Joy. Wish me luck 
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Flat Pick. There is a lot of triplets in traditional Irish Jigs, Hornpipes and Reels. Many tunes are in 6/8 timing.
Compared to Scruggs, Melodic and Single String using picks I’d say the Tenor Banjo is much easier to play. Also the fretting is way simpler and the fingering seems much more natural.
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Congratulations on a new adventure. I played around with the Tenor banjo about ten years ago but I quickly lost interest (too many other hobbies) it is a very cool instrument. Buddy Watcher had a series of lessons on VHS tapes back in the day called, Banjo Pathways for both Tenor and Plectrum Banjo. They were really good, but are hard to find. I think they focused more on jazz/dixieland type playing too. Have fun and enjoy the journey.
-also, I think Tenor banjos are a lot cheaper than 5 strings😁
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Buddy Watcher is a brilliant banjo player but his style leans towards Dixieland and Jazz very similar to Eddie Peabody. Tuning is different too CGDA
As regards pricing you still have a similar price range all depends on your pocket book. I have a rare Hand Crafted banjo built by a British Luthier that I bought as a fixer upper on eBay. It cost me a couple of hundred pounds. I’d say it’s true value now compared to what is currently on the market value to be close on £2000.00 a great investment.
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Gotta love Eddie Peabody!
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Does this mean until July you just have to live with it in your current condition? That sounds rough!
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Yes, and try not to get injured further which could require more immediate surgery. I have to wait till camps are over, then I’m going to El Salvador in mid June and I can’t be in a sling…that puts me early July for surgery!
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Yikes- sorry about all that! We’ll continue to keep you in prayer 
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Today I am tackling @BanjoBen 's Mandolin lesson Fishers Hornpipe on the Tenor Banjo wish me luck
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During my downtime after surgery I’ll be having some friends create content for you Gold Pickers. Two of them will be Wayne & Kristen Benson. If there’s something in particular you’d like to see, let me know. We may be able to work it in!
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Hi @BanjoBen I’d love to see Katie Lou do a lesson on playing backup whilst singing. Few banjo players do both and I can’t recall ever seeing anyone teaching a lesson like that.
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Any content they create will be amazing. Just a few thoughts that popped into my mind….
-Blues banjo ( not bluesy licks, but rather strategy playing over common blues shuffle ) maybe reference songs like Milk Cow Blues or Mule Skinner Blues. Blues in G or E are common when playing with guitar folks.
-using partial chords for back up or improvisation.
-I always love the videos where players talk about their playing strategies, banjo set up, influences, etc…
-maybe a few “in the style of” lessons that focus on techniques of different players like J.D Crowe, Don Reno, etc…
I also second the idea of singing while playing.
Just throwing out ideas.
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I’ll put a third vote down for playing while singing!!! Also, I’d love to see some lessons on banjo backup for slower songs… we talked about it a bit during the forum hangout, and it was REALLY helpful, and I want to learn more about it!
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Hi @FIrebelly Chuck for Blues on the 5 string check out Heath Joyce in Melbourne Australia at https://pickinlessons.com/
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You have some pretty incredible friends and family Ben. I’d say that reflects well on you 
I am not saying you need to force it to happen, but if the opportunity jumps at you to have someone do something totally different like bass, dobro (I think you did one dobro lesson years ago), or fiddle, it might be an interesting change of pace.
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Thanks Archie, I will take a look!
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