“how does this thing work then?”
I decided I wanted to learn how to play the banjo after watching Sufjan Stevens perform in a bar in Glasgow. He managed to silence a drunk and rowdy crowd for a good two hours mostly by himself, some great songwriting and his banjo.
I guess I must have worn down the family on both sides of the Atlantic – maybe they thought I’d shut up about banjos and Sufjan because they all chipped in to buy me a banjo for my 30th birthday. So in January 2008 Mish and I found ourselves in NYC banjo shopping whilst visiting the Fawcetts. I was thrilled with my new purchase of a shiny Deering Goodtime, gig bag and hardcase (for the flight home).
As with most things in life when you have no idea of how they work a good place to start is Google. A quick search for “banjo tuition” threw up a Youtube video entitled: “Frailing Banjo Lesson One”. Bingo!
I sat down, watched, listened and started to learn to frail. Frailing is an old-time method of banjo playing that involves striking the strings in a downward motion. The instructor Patrick Costello, sat in front of a white painted banister, had a brilliant way of teaching that felt informal yet informative and before long I was searching out his videos and tutorials on the Internet. I discovered that Patrick had written two instruction books under the Creative Commons License i.e. free to download. Patrick and his father Pat (Dear Old Dad) also started to put “Folk Song of the Day” videos on Youtube.
I think I would have put the banjo to one side after a couple of months of strumming away aimlessly but with Patrick and Pat’s help I found myself learning a proper method and improving my skills.
I found myself tuning in every day then later checking out their blog. I’m sure I was driving Mish crazy with my incessant internet hogging and jangly banjo antics but before long the catch-phrase “How you doin’ folks” was commonly heard in the Broon dwelling. It’s part of the guys’ ethic to share folk music and they have a massive community of friends, students and supporters across the globe.
Surprise
Mish cannot keep a secret! So one night after work she was bursting to tell me what she had got me for my birthday. She had written to the Costellos and asked if we could visit them at their home in Crisfield, Maryland. They were kind enough to agree to this and yesterday we found ourselves on the road.
We borrowed Mr. Fawcett’s SUV and were in Crisfield in no time (well 5 hours actually…) We arrived and were warmly greeted by Patrick, Dear Old Dad and Miss Trudy. I’ve got to say it was strange to see these guys in the flesh as I’d been watching them on Youtube for months. It’s almost like meeting film stars or someone on TV. They were all really friendly, welcoming and charming. Mish kept Miss Trudy company whilst I got to jam with the boys. I was a bit nervous to start with but soon warmed up. They were very encouraging and enthusiastic about my playing and got me thinking about playing in public more and sharing folk music in the community back home. It was the biggest compliment to hear Patrick say “you’re not a banjo student. You’re a banjo player” Shucks!
The Costello’s have set up a music company and have recently designed and started supplying their own range of banjos. I got to try the S4 banjo which was fantastic. I’m starting to save for one of their Somerset Banjos as soon as I get home – they play fantastically, sound brilliant and are unpretentious.
A couple of hours later and we were on our way back to Little Egg Harbor, after a quick stop by the bay whilst Mish took photos and almost lost some fingers through frostbite. We rounded off the day with a massive sandwich from Wawa – a perfect way to finish a brilliant day.
