Back to the Basics

I am about to get into the picking season again and I am really looking forward to it.  I have been doing a lot of picking and woodshedding this spring, along with working on recording a CD that will likely be ready by the end of June.

As mentioned in my last post, from the end of July last year, I have an upgraded mandolin and have been working on that, along with my other instruments.

Most of my life, well my picking life, which is now over 40 years and is actually most of my life, I have said that there are many people who can play better than me, but there isn't anyone who enjoys it more.  In the past few years, it seems some of that joy has gone out of my music and that hurts inside.  I find that I am not smiling as much when I am performing, but I am really still enjoying performing and picking.  I have thought on this a lot in the past couple of years.  It seems some of this loss of joy happened after my stroke on Father's Day of 2009.  I was blessed that the stroke did not do more damage.  It did not affect my motor skills or my memory, but may have changed my attitude some.  I seem to have started concentrating more on trying to be perfect instrumentally than I have in having fun and conveying that fun to my audience.  That isn't all bad.  David Holt once said, "It has to be good music and good entertainment."

Which brings me to the title of this post.  In order to find the fun, I have been going back to the beginning and remembering those days when we would sit up all night picking, just because of the pure joy we found in playing stringed instruments.  And going back even farther, to the time when I was in college and was working on the basic chords and songs in my apt.  Songs of John Denver, Bob Dylan, Waylon and Willie, Jerry Jeff Walker, and many other bands and singer/songwriters.

So I have been picking my banjo and loosening my fingers back up.  Fate has a way of helping too.  I have a program booked for this Sunday, where the one asking was looking for a banjo picker.  So I will do the hour mostly on banjo and you cannot be sad while playing a banjo - Steve Martin.

The other thing I have done recently is to purchase a new electric guitar.  After about 40 years of only playing acoustic, I was a little surprised that I was even interested in doing this, esp. as I still love the sound of an acoustic guitar.  I am even more surprised that that little electric guitar and really increased my fun in playing again.  I am even looking at adding it with some specially selected songs into some of my programs.  So if you come see me this summer, you just might hear some songs from Jimmy Buffett, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Bob Dylan, Three Dog Night or others in the course of the show.

So, I am looking forward to the summer and fall and the chance to pick and perform for audiences.  Hope to see you down the road  at one of my shows.