In case you hadn’t noticed by now, I am a true-blue, died-in-the-wool, fully-certified banjo geek! I probably should have named my website/alter-ego The Banjo Geek instead of The Banjo Snob, but I’ll stay the course. As a geek, I thrill to the minutia that turns off so many other banjo players. I certainly don’t intend to impose my geeky will on others, but I’m afraid that’s how I may come across to some.
I see my role in the four-string banjo world to be one who calls this minutia to the attention of others (players and listeners) through my playing, writing, and teaching, whether they pay attention to it or not! I have gotten a lot of positive feedback for my “historical” approach to the banjo, so I guess I’m doing something right; music is just more interesting if it comes with a tiny bit of historical context. I guarantee that Emile Grimshaw and Harry Reser—and all the other Classic and Jazz Age greats—were very serious-minded and detail-oriented, and I believe we should be also. . .if we take the banjo at all seriously, that is.
The “pizza parlor revival” sing-along music that we baby-boomers grew up with and love has limited appeal to the younger generation (in my opinion), and without kids, how will we survive? I believe that—in addition to the “fun” aspect—we need to present the banjo as a serious, “geeky” instrument in order to attract the kind of youngsters (and experienced older musicians for that matter) who will take it seriously and move it forward. This serious side of the instrument (and the accompanying player skill development) was presented at the beginning—in both the Classic and Ragtime styles—and deserves to be revived.
This is where I get to the part that is hard for me to put into words without offending others; to offend is not my intention—to present the hard truth is. Yes, the banjo is a fun, social instrument, and the goals of “just having fun” and entertaining an audience are noble ones. I believe we also need to be honest with ourselves though, and especially to the players of the future.
I was raised in the banjo club world, and love the democratic, “let’s have fun” nature of it. I realize today though, that—being the serious-minded geek that I have become—I would have also benefited from an immersion in “serious” music, and the hard work that goes along with it. I am having to make up for lost time today to fulfill what I believe to be my “destiny.”
It is true that there is practically no financial reward for a banjo player today, and without that all-important incentive, there is little compelling reason to take it seriously (or for those potential players who might take it seriously to take it up in the first place)! The reason for this is two-fold: Musical tastes and the nature of professional playing have changed, leaving the four-string with few fans or wannabe players; and—as our numbers have decreased—there are naturally fewer skilled players getting in front of audiences, making the banjo attractive only to those who just want to have fun. Fun seems to be our only calling card today. There’s nothing wrong with fun, but I think there needs to be a balance.
In the last 30 years, how many serious-minded, talented kids have taken up the guitar so they could shred like Eddie Van Halen? A whole bunch more than who have taken up the banjo so they could smile and strum along to simple sing-along songs! What I’m saying here is that if there were more players of the Reser level playing today (the Eddie Van Halen of his day), and we could somehow get some mainstream publicity, there would be more wannabes!
I believe kids are attracted to virtuosity (“wow!”), and will rise to the level that is presented to them; they don’t yet know it’s “hard!” I am improving myself not just because I want to play better, but also because I dream of being that virtuosic inspiration to the younger generation—to present the banjo as an instrument to be virtuosic on.
The last thing I want to be in the banjo world is a wet blanket, but again, I believe it is my role to point these things out and offer potential solutions; those solutions start with us. I mean no harm, and I apologize if I have caused any; I just want people to think about the future of the banjo. I want the banjo to outlive me!
So I am writing “technical studies” for the plectrum banjo, and will soon start posting transcriptions of Harry Reser’s plectrum banjo recordings. I’m doing this for the kids of course, but if any of you older players are interested in real improvement, here you go! It’s working for me; my real improvement didn’t start until I hit 50! And you don’t even have to be a banjo geek like me to do it; just aim high and work hard.