Reinventing the Wheel

Sometimes—actually, most of the time—I am my own worst enemy! I am stubborn and lazy, and a terrible student: I was never very good at listening to teachers or doing as I’ve been told. “Come on, I dare you to teach me!” As a result, there are some serious gaps in my educational development. I’ve also always felt that I should be a much better musician, after 50 years of doing it! “I’ve always wanted to be a musician in the worst way. Well, I’ve succeeded!” Fortunately, the older I get, the more ways I find to break through these frustrating habits and actually learn. Because I’m getting older, the sense of urgency is increasing; learn now, or forever hold my peace.

Regarding my laziness: I “learned” how to play chord melody at the age of 12, and I quickly became really good at it without much effort. It’s been a major struggle to get beyond it ever since. Oh, to go back to that age with my current focus and discipline! Almost 50 years on, chord melody is still my default setting—the thing I fall back on when the going gets tough. It’s been really easy for me to look at something and say “oh, I’m not good enough for that! Does it require work and study? Forget it!” At least I can play chord melody, and maybe that’s as far as I’ll ever get on the banjo.

As you may or may not know, I am nearly two years into the process of writing a second volume to my Beyond Chord Melody plectrum banjo book. I am working steadily on it, and I now predict completion within the next 6 months. Life and roller-coaster motivational levels keep getting in the way! I also got a bit distracted with politics this last winter (who didn’t?); I apologize if I offended anyone. What else is Facebook good for?

I had a bit of an epiphany the other night: I realized that if I had spent my valuable time studying the jazz education materials already freely available instead of writing a new book, I may have already achieved my jazz improv goals. Aye, but that motivation thing rears its ugly head! In addition, I just have trouble learning from a book. The only time I’ve been any good at it has been when I’ve been paying for college classes (now that’s motivation!).

I discovered while writing my first book that I learn best when figuring out how to teach something. I guess I don’t consider myself worthy of learning something new, but given the chance to “splain it” to someone else, my own learning takes off. I’ll take motivation anywhere I can find it! Keeping in mind my own book-learning difficulties, I strive to make it interesting and logical.

Have I “reinvented the wheel?” Well, in some ways yes. Volume II (The Plectrum Banjo: A Modal Framework for Jazz) takes common everyday jazz knowledge and applies it specifically to the banjo. We Chord-Melody-oriented banjoists have some serious unlearning to do before we can truly change our playing! Nothing gets in the way of modern single-string jazz improv technique faster and more completely than a mental/physical dependence on chord shapes (“Chord Shape Dependence,” or CSD). Want to learn single string? Well then, get going on your scales, and put away those paint-by-number chord diagram (picture chord) song “arrangements!”

This book assumes that you are similarly afflicted with CSD, and/or that you are simply curious about how to develop sufficient single-string technique for jazz. “Just play your scales, man!” Well, there’s a bit more to it than that of course. Play your scales with a purpose in mind: that purpose is to be able to actually use your newfound skills/knowledge to play cool, jazzy licks. Lucky are the few who just “have it!” Heck, some who do don’t know the first thing about scales—but they sure make it seem like they do! Actually, I have found that most jazz musicians do know their scales/arpeggios/ et al forward, backward, and sideways. They got there through years of hard work and study.

Well, my goal is to be able to play like those lucky few, even though I apparently don’t have it. I’ve now reached the stage where I can convincingly “imitate” jazz improv. If you don’t have at least that, then what hope is there? I dreamt for decades of being able to “let it happen,” but I never took the time or effort (laziness) to make it happen. Part of it is that I didn’t even know where to start. I am offering my work as a viable place for you to do just that.

What I have actually reinvented is myself. The publication of the first volume ten years ago was the start of my real single-string adventure. Over the years, I have learned and played some worked-up solos which required some single-string work, but I never developed the ability or freedom to use the technique outside of the canned solos. I’m still working on that off-the-cuff ability actually, but at least now I can demonstrate it in a convincing way. I’m well aware that it is “canned jazz,” but you have to start somewhere!

I saw jazz improv as something that would just “happen,” if I “just had the right inspiration.” There are sure a lot of folks who claim that that’s all there is to jazz, and I believed them, which handily played into my laziness. “Just let it happen,” “play what you feel,” “tell a story.” Does this “advice” sound familiar? What about technique and knowledge? Might it be important to know how to play single notes in the first place, i.e.: picking and fingering technique, where to find the necessary notes, how to do that on a plectrum banjo? Um…maybe a little bit…ya’ think?

So, who—besides myself, obviously—am I writing this book for? I guess the best answer is that it’s for anyone who takes the time to open it up and work on it. Lots of books collect dust just fine sitting on the bookshelf. I mean, I appreciate anyone who buys it, regardless if you intend to open it up or just collect dust with it, don’t get me wrong! But:

Yes, it has taken a lot of work to write this thing! It is my “magnum opus,” whether you see it that way or not. I have compressed a lot of learning into these two years, all in an effort to write a book that will do the job—for you. Even if I never sell one though, it is already a “success” because of what I’ve learned in the process of writing it. I would have to say that it will take most folks as much or more work than I put into it to get the most out of it. It is not a “play-in-a-day” method book! It tells the honest truth! There are already plenty of “easy” methods out there; why add another? They only work for “easy” music! Music at the level of jazz improv is a lifetime endeavor, and requires commitment. The best I can hope for is that I have eased the way a bit and shortened your learning curve, simply by saying “do this; okay, now do that.”

Anyway, God willing and the creek don’t rise, you’ll have a chance to find out if it will work for you in about six months!