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| The idea of FOB began to
germinate in May of 2002 when
Rosemarie, Leslie, Donna and Phil independently attended the Maryland
Banjo Academy. Three days of hundreds of banjos solidified our passion for
old time banjo and a desire to play the music. Some of us exchanged email
addresses to keep in touch and in the following two years began to
re-discover each other as we realized that many of us shared the same banjo
teacher, Brooke Parkhurst. We began to re-connect in real-time at outings to
Turtlehill Banjo Co. that our teacher Brooke organized. The final seed was
sown in January of 2004, when we heard that local banjo player, Cathy Fink,
was giving a nearby workshop. Leslie e-mailed Brooke's student mailing list
about the workshop and Rosemarie, Leslie, Michael, Ruth, Zoe and Phil showed
up. We had so much fun at the workshop that some of us decided to try to
meet on a regular basis to practice together and exchanged email addresses.
Barbara, another of Brooke’s students, offered her home for our first
practice session and on March 2004 FOB was born.
Besides our practice sessions, as our
group grew, we found that we had enough interested people to offer an
occasional workshop venue to banjo instructors, both local and not so local.
We eventually gained enough experience playing as a group to expand to
include other instruments. We initially accomplished this by
contacting local fiddler and teacher,
Andrea Hoag,
to inquire if she had fiddle students who were looking for an old time
practice group.
In the beginning of 2005, FOB was
"adopted" by some experienced old time musicians, who dropped by our
practice sessions and, with real old time spirit, gave us encouragement,
support and lots of tunes. With their support The FOB Slow Jam took
flight.
As time passed,
our Third Sunday Old Time Music Jam
got faster and we became a regular jam but we continue to be a jam where
players of all experience levels are welcome, where anyone can call a tune
and where no one is surprised if someone asks to slow it down a while or
asks for a tuning or tune name.
In 2007, to meet
the call to revive the original "Slow Jam" two of our newer members stepped
forward to create a new Beginner's Old Time
Jam, continuing our original mission to welcome and encourage all levels
of players.
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| To All
FOBers (anyone who has ever attended our jam or events) -- send us your "how
I got started in old time music" bio and we'll add it to the website.
Click here for contact info. |
Barbara: It all began when my father
made a banjo. I was in high school and I remember him soaking wood to
bend it into a circle, tanning the hide of a deer for the drum and worrying
over fret spacing on the fingerboard. I think he used the
Foxfire Book 3 for his
plan. He tried to learn to play, but gave up in frustration and
offered me the banjo for $2.00. I refused and he dropped his price to
$1.00. I again refused -- he said he would give me 10 cents to take it
off his hands. I took the dime and the banjo, but let twenty years
slip away until, by chance, I met
Brooke Parkhurst who teaches old-time banjo. In March of 2002,
after my second lesson, I was addicted. I now primarily play an
OME
Juniper, but I still pick up and play the banjo my father made. My
advice to new players is to never turn down a chance to play for or with
other people. You need to either get over being nervous or get used to
playing nervous. |
Donna: It was a rather convoluted
journey that drove me to the depths of banjo madness and it began with a
peach-colored electric guitar. Several years ago, my son Nathan bought
me a peach-colored Danelectro for Christmas. I was nibbling the
crumbs, trying to learn chords using one of his old guitars when he decided
I needed my own guitar. The Danelectro made a statement—-it gave me
permission to be a little crazy, to wear mismatched high-top Chucks, to play
the blues and study Shakespeare at the same time. From there it was a
slippery slope. For three years I went to Augusta for
Blues
Week. I didn’t play well, but I couldn’t get enough music—-blues,
Cajun, Gregorian chant, bluegrass—-I listened, I played, I danced, I would
have rolled in it like an obsessed hound dog if I could have. I had
heard old time string bands but never really focused on the banjo. Then, one
night at a friend’s house I heard
Lea
Coryell play clawhammer banjo. I was transfixed. Others were
talking, laughing, drinking beer, but as far as I was concerned Lea and I
(and Lea’s banjo) were alone in the room. The depth of emotion coming
from the solo banjo and the complexity of the sound—-sweet, mournful,
energetic—-had me hooked. So when I went to Augusta for my last Blues
Week, I bought a
Deering
Goodtime banjo. I could claim temporary insanity, but it has been
four years since I bought that banjo and I’m still insane. I’ve taken
lessons from Lea Coryell, went to
Maryland
Banjo Academy, and
Old Time
Week at Augusta for advanced banjo with
Mac Traynham. I also acquired a
Wildwood banjo
from Turtle Hill
Banjo Company. And now I’ve connected with the F~O~B group.
Such a sweet madness we share! |
 Jill:
I'm indebted to my Dad for bringing folk music into my life by taking me to
concerts in the Chicago Suburbs and getting involved with the
Plank
Road Folk Music Society when I was a kid. I started the banjo at
the age of 13, learning to frail from
Mark Dvorak.
Another of my banjo "mentors" was Paul Klonowski. He refused to call
himself a "teacher" but he showed me how to play St. Anne's Reel, Liberty,
Ragtime Annie and lots of other tunes. He also taught me the Three
Rules of Banjo Playing given to him by his own banjo mentor,
Don Buedel:
1) You must keep the rhythm
2) You must approximate the melody
3) There are no rules
He added that "the semantics is crucial; the phrase 'must approximate'
leaves a lot of room for artistic license, i.e., variations, harmonies, etc.
Also remember the comment quoted in Pete Seeger's banjo book: `There are no
notes to a banjo. You just play it.'"
I've continued playing it on and off over the years. Recently, I took
a class on American folk music at the
Smithsonian
with
Alan Jabbour where I was exposed through him to the tunes of
Henry Reed,
which I can't seem to learn fast enough. In May, I met Barbara at
Banjo Camp North
and the rest is history. I play a
Bart
Reiter banjo (that I got in lieu of an engagement ring!). I
occasionally play at
The New Deal Cafe open mic in Greenbelt and am always looking for a
chance to jam. |
Leslie: In
the 1970s & early 80s, I danced and partied to the sounds of old-time music
while living in West Virginia and Western Maryland. When I moved, back
to the city, to the DC area, I discovered the old-time community and was
inspired to play the banjo because of both the wonderful dance music I heard
every weekend and because of
Stephen Wade's
long-running Arena Stage production of Banjo Dancing. I signed
up for banjo lessons from, at that time local, banjo player,
Jim Hale.
I was using an old, Washburn banjo (thank you Bridget) and I played off and
on until Bridget and my borrowed banjo moved to Indiana. In
1994, I purchased my own banjo - a 1930s no-name, signed up for an
Augusta Heritage Arts Banjo Workshop in Elkins, WV, succumbed to banjo
madness and returned home looking for a banjo teacher and an easier-to-play
banjo. Happily, I found
Brooke Parkhurst to nurture my obsession and
Turtle Hill Banjo
Company, to acquire my
Mike Ramsey Bacon.
Maryland Banjo Academy was next, and there I met Rosemarie and Donna.
F~O~B followed and it has done wonders for my confidence. My advice
for beginners ~~ start a practice group! It's fun, I practice more now
and I feel less shy about playing in front of others, which is helping me
get over my chronic beginner-ism. I wish I had done this when I first
picked up a banjo... |
 Rosemarie:
I received my first banjo, a Castilla, in 1989 as a Christmas present from
my husband. At the time, I had a three-year-old, a full-time job and
no time for a life! The banjo languished until the
Maryland
Banjo Academy in May, 2002. I went to the MBA expecting to learn
bluegrass banjo, but once there I heard the sound that had attracted me to
the banjo in the first place — old-time! Talk about starting from
scratch—at the MBA, I asked some of the finest banjo players in the world to
help me tune my banjo so that I could sit in on their workshops!
I met Leslie there, who provided invaluable advice and moral support as I
started learning to play. I couldn’t find a nearby instructor for
old-time banjo, but a bluegrass banjo player at the local music store knew
the basic clawhammer strum and helped me to get started. Then I tackled Ken
Perlman’s excellent book,
Clawhammer Style Banjo.
My first open back banjo was a
Deering
Goodtime that lived up to its reputation for being a lot of banjo for
the money. I now play a gorgeous
OME Old-time Jubilee.
In addition to being great fun, the Group has provided focus for my playing.
Working alone, I would practice 20 songs badly rather than trying to play
any one song well. The Group motivates me to work on fewer songs and
to try to memorize and perfect them. And never underestimate the power
of a deadline! Without a teacher, my practices were open-ended and
sporadic. But a rigorous practice schedule is needed to keep up with
the others and be ready for our meetings. Advice to beginners: listen,
listen, listen to the music! Play it in your car, in your home, at the
beach… just get that old-time sound into your head! |
 Ruth:
I am a self-confessed left over 'folkie' from the 1960s. Addicted to
the guitar from the age of 12, I loved singing and performing around the DC
area [remember with folk music you don't have to be good....you just have to
be THERE]. I never lost my love of traditional music. My
Banjo Epiphany came a couple years ago when, after an extraordinarily bad
day a the office, I took out my revenge by going onto Ebay and buying a
banjo for $80. I also acquired a banjo teacher,
Brooke
Parkhurst, who enthusiastically promoted my growing banjo obsession.
I am enjoying a
Deering
Goodtime banjo and really benefiting from our group get-togethers and
workshops. Unlike others in the group, however, I am able to keep my
banjo addiction under control. Well......I could write lots more but I
need to go practice............... |
 Phil:
My descent into banjo madness was done on a whim. I spent the first
year in college as a music major and then switched to general science.
After college, I joined the rat race and was drawn very far away from music.
About twenty five years later, Maureen and I were in a music store where she
was purchasing her first folk instrument. While there, she asked,
"Well. What about you?" It was weird, but as my eyes ran over the
walls of musical instruments, I was pulled to the banjos. The salesman took
the time to go over the instruments and find what kind of banjo style I
would be interested in playing:
"Do you want to
play bluegrass?"
"No."
"Something more
rural? Crunchy?"
"Yeah."
"Do you have any
experience in playing another instrument?"
"Trombone."
"Don't worry.
It will come right over."
So . . . armed with a brand new beginner banjo and a teach yourself
book/video combo, I began my seamless transition from trombone to banjo.
I worked to get the left-hand/right-hand basics down as well as I could from
book learning and decided that I better get a teacher before I picked up any
really bad habits. Maureen came through again by finding
Brooke
Parkhurst. Brooke set me straight on the path to old-time
clawhammer banjonicity. My advice to a new old-time clawhammer
player -- my first banjo was a cheap bluegrass model, completely
inappropriate, not only for the music I wanted to play, but also difficult
for me to physically play. I can honestly say, this banjo held me
back. I can also say, it's my own darn fault for being too cheap to
lay out the $250-$300 for a good beginner old-time model. Although I
persevered and eventually bought myself a real nice old-time open-back
banjo, I can see where most beginners would just chuck the whole thing and
decide that playing banjo isn't worth the trouble. Don't allow a
cheap and inappropriate banjo to turn you away from clawhammer. Just
say, "No," to bluegrass banjos. If you are worried about money, buy
the cheapest open back banjo you can find. Compare the neck size and
"string spread" to the better open-back banjos. They should at least
be similar. |
 Michael:
I'm a brand new banjo player (and recovering classical flautist) who
discovered old-time music through listening to it at local folk concerts and
then attending a Cathy
Fink workshop with a borrowed banjo last January. As a new player,
I think the most important thing is to hear lots of old-time music and
listen particularly to the rhythm. It really helps to find a teacher
or a good book with a CD to play along with. I'm playing a
Deering
Goodtime that I'm really happy with as a beginner. |
 Marsha:
I cannot remember a time when I did not love music. Of all the myriad
interests that have entered (and departed) my life, none has served me so
well nor caused me so much joy, agony, frustration, anxiety, excitement,
elation and solace as music has.
My musical background is
pretty similar to that of the other FOB members. My family is musical.
My mother plays piano by ear, a talent I took for granted until I learned
how few people in the population have that ability! I have sung since
before I could talk. I played piano as a young girl, later guitar and
even later autoharp. Great instruments, all of them. But I
always loved blue grass music, and “one fine day,” I wanted to be able to
play some instrument in a blue grass band.
After 911, I realized
that (1) the world is an uncertain place; and (2) I was in my 50s and had
not fulfilled, in fact, had not even begun, my dream. I started taking
fiddle lessons with Andrea Hoag in summer 2002. I warned her not to
expect much from me, as I have a history of getting excited about learning
new things and then, when they turn out to be difficult, abandoning them.
Despite this unpromising beginning, she agreed to take me on!
At the time, I had not
heard of old time music. Now, I love it. I cannot hear and play
enough of it! It is an addiction from which I hope never to recover.
So here I am with these
warm and welcoming banjo players. Jamming with them, I already feel
like I am realizing my dream. |
 Paul:
A few years ago, I was admiring a bowed psaltery at a craft show table when
my mom decided to buy it for me as an early birthday present. In such
spontaneous moments are our lives changed. The psaltery led me to the
old time scene. Here was music meant for playing, not just listening.
I just had to learn how to make that propulsive melodic noise and my weapon
of choice turned out to be the banjo. I couldn't actually afford a
banjo at the time so I re-strung an old guitar and began to learn Seeger
up-picking. My enthusiasm was high but progress was slow. Things
changed on a summer vacation in West Virginia. By chance I saw a flyer
advertising a "garage sale" at Bob Smakula's house outside Elkins. I
convinced my wife (bless her) that it was time to buy a banjo. With a
new Deering Goodtime in the back seat we drove down to Elaine Diller's
MorningStar FolkArts store in Hillsboro in search of more WV cds. When
she heard about my purchase, Elaine called Dwight (fresh from teaching at
Augusta) in from the house to say hi. Dwight grabbed my banjo, settled
in a corner of the store and gave me a quick lesson in old time rhythm!
We loaded up on Dwight's recordings, thanked Elaine and drove on down
Rt.219. It was a good day. It took a while, but I finally
mastered the clawhammer stroke and started playing from tablature. So
how come I didn't sound anything like the tunes I was hearing on my cds?
I was trying so hard to get the right notes that I wasn't getting the notes
right. It took a couple of banjo workshops to understand how dynamics
and right hand rhythm make the music come alive. It was through one of
those workshops that I first met the F~O~B group and realized how important
it is to get out and play with others. The group offers me the
inspiration and camaraderie of the banjo-obsessed and it's also a monthly
reminder of how much fun playing old time music can be. |
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