My banjo teacher used to call me “High Strung.” Some how, I don’t think that was a compliment. I’m always in such a hurry to finish up whatever we are working on and get to the next plateau that I don’t enjoy the moment.
I’m the same way with losing weight, mastering cycling, and my career. My eyes are on the mountain tops. The next gig, the next movie, the next song.
8 months with my leg in a boot has changed that. 8 months of sitting on my front porch overlooking the cove brought such incredible peace. No late night gigs, no rushing to finish projects around the house. no exhaustion. I just got to be.. 100% wholly me and no one else for 8 whole months.
I’m not sure I want to get back in the fray. The mania of striving and networking.
I want to build my garden at the Cove, write poetry, play my banjo on my front porch, go to church, take my time cooking fabulous meals, and spend time with friends. Maybe write my book and sling some jokes here and there when I feel like it.
Rebuilding a “suitable” web page that brings “results” doesn’t have the appeal it did a year ago.
Neither does being a star.
Or chairing yet another board at church.
Sounds crazy to me though.
Meeting Howard this weekend reaffirms that change.
Howard is a luthier. It can take him a year to make ONE violin. He has 10 more he wants to make. It took him a year to rebuild ONE clock from Germany. His father purchased a real log cabin for $20, took it down row by row, transported it back to his house and rebuilt it, row by row.
I’m guessing it took longer than a week.
How is it that at 48, I can still be in as big of a hurry to grow up as I was at eight?
Even musician’s get heckled. I just discovered these two and it seems they dropped off the planet about a year ago. All of their pages are dead, meaning no updates for a year. No clue what happened to them, but they seem fun. I always love women who can play banjo.
“There is music you never hear unless you play it yourself.” ― Marty Rubin
If I could sum up the feel that I go for when playing banjo, this picture would be it. It’s Neil Young, circa 1970’s playing sitting quietly under a tree.
People usually make fun of banjo. My thoughts are if Neil Young plays, it must be cool.
Having a broken leg has it’s advantages. I was so busy last year that practicing my banjo was usually an after thought. My teacher can probably attest to that. I’m pretty sure I annoyed the snot out of him many times by showing up without the songs memorized.
I’m presently on week 30 of my “12 week vacation” and I’ve found a lot of time to practice.
Go figure.
Today, I spend a whole lot of my day sitting and picking and learning and I love it.
I especially love the fact that I can pick up my banjo and create something that didn’t exist five minutes ago.
I am frequently at a loss for words that describe what it is I’m really aspiring to do with my banjo. Blue grass, folk, corny fun, Gospel, what? Bela Fleck is a magnificent composer. While I love all things banjo, the way this man brings out the depth and beauty of this instrument strikes me with pure awe. There is no style of music he cannot play be it bluegrass, new grass, jazz, Bach, or Celtic. If I achieve half his skill before I die, I shall die a fulfilled woman. I’ve never heard banjo played better than this.
This song was written by Peggy Seeger. This is Pete’s performance on banjo. When I think of banjo, I think of Pete Seeger style – boom ditty. I hope you enjoy.
Deana O'Hara - Speaker, Comedian, Writer 