Banjo Video 2: Sore Sore Banjo Playin Fingers

This weekend I believe I've put in a good four hours of banjo practicing.

First I learned a fancier version of the song from my first video which, by the way, is about boiling cabbage!(?)

I started learning the song Groundhog last night and here's where I've gotten with it so far.







Apparently in the olden days you first eat your groundhog then use his or her skin for a nice new banjo. The lyrics to the song include a delightful line about "grannie hopping on a cane" saying "I'm gonna eat that groundhog's brain." Charming!

Banjo Video 1: In Which I Make an Ass Out of Myself

If you read this post last week you know that I am on a quest to teach myself to play the banjo.

In an effort to hold myself accountable to the task at hand I will be torturing myself by filming videos of said banjo playing for the blog world to see.

For those of you who have been following Velvet Tangerine for a cool minute you may have noticed that I rarely (if ever?) post pictures of myself. In fact, I think the only picture of myself on the blog at all is the one in the sidebar! I went to photography school and was even a professional photographer for a few years, and yet... I am camera shy.

That all changes today.







Obviously I messed up a little in the beginning, but hey I've only been playing for 6 days! I only hope that nobody who happens upon my video on youtube thinks it was posted for all to be amazed by my mad skills. I'm mad all right... but skills? Only time will tell!

Banjo My Heart

About a week ago I hit a bit of luck and won a $300 gift code for AMAZON!  You probably don't know this about me, but I've been itching to learn how to play the banjo I got for Hanukkah last year, but without the means to pay for lessons.... well it's been slow going.  SO with the first part of my winnings I pimped my banjo!

The box showed up last night and contained a special folk instrument stand, a digital clip-on tuner, a sweet jacquard banjo strap, and a beginners teaching book that got rave reviews on Amazon.

Care to take a look?

^ here's me and Beulah.  yes, Beulah the Banjo. ^

^ Beulah sittin' pretty in my dining room ^

with her new strap on her new stand

the spider webs are Halloween decorations! 

 

^ close-up of the strap! ^

Levy's Leathers Hootenanny Jacquard Banjo Strap 

 

^ the stand!  not that you can see it too well... ^

Hercules Folk Instrument Stand 

 

^ and finally the book.  rave reviews, I swear! ^

Bluegrass Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus

I am resolved to learn at least one song by the end of the year.  In the spirit of this, I plan to subject myself to the humiliation of recording my banjo stylings for all to see on youtube, and posting the resulting videos right here on tha blawg.  That way (and if I don't end up failing miserably), I'll be able to look back at my first video in a year or so and say DAMN SHE SUCKED and hopefully follow that statement up with I'M SUCH A BANJO BALLER NOW!  Uhh yeah.  Here's hoping!