New member saying hello

[Scott Johnson]

Hello to all, an introduction and some thank you's

I am a new banjo player and have been lurking here for a while enjoying the discussions and information on the site. I've been playing for a few months now, learning both stroke and clawhammer styles. It's great fun working through the Brigg's instructor and trying to remember how to read music from the Rice instructor. While my tab reading ability is poor at best, my note reading ability is abysmal. Middle school band was a long,long time ago.

I have to give a big thanks to Tim Twiss for doing all the You Tube videos from the various instructors and to Rob MacKillop for tabbing the Brigg's instructor, with notes no less.

As for me, I've been playing finger style guitar for over 40 years and this banjo thing takes me back to when I first started playing guitar, remembering that it wasn't easy, and while a lot of fun, it was some work also. It can be said that playing the banjo is not a natural act (let the jokes begin), but very few things are. It is a lot of fun, but also takes a little bit of work too.

My banjo is a wonderful Epiphone MB100 that I got at a sale for all of 40 dollars and have taken apart numerous times and refinished,strung with nylon strings, made a new tailpiece, and am having great fun experimenting with. When I get done playing around with this one I may try my hand at making a minstrel style banjo.

So there you have it. Have fun, and to all the people that contribute, Thanks

[Carl Anderton]

Glad to have our ranks swell with enthusiastic players, Scott.  You find lots of good advice in the lutherie department here, too.

[Strumelia]

Welcome Scott.  I too am a beginner stroke player. Lots of helpful folks here.

Nice dog!

[Scott Johnson]

  Thanks for the welcome.  Miss April is a blue heeler mix(australian cattle dog) who came from a working cattle ranch in southern Colorado.  Since there are no cows on the loose in Denver she has to be content herding the ducks and geese at the park.  I wonder how she'd do trying to herd a bunch of banjo players??

[Brian Glass]

I think you should start building that minstrel banjo sooner rather than later ;-)