Reinhardt , Wes Montgomery , Charlie Parker , Itzak Pearlman , Antiono Carlos Jobim , etc . He convinced me that with a lot of hard work , I could take my talent and turn it into something truly special . During that time we would talk every week and I was always amazed that somebody like that would give so much of his time and guidance to me .
While I took everything Buddy said to heart , trying to find my own style and ‘ voice ’ on the tenor banjo has been a long learning curve which is still ongoing . I remember trying out some of my experimental ’ non-banjo ’ songs at a few banjo festivals and half the crowd either fell asleep or got up for a bathroom break ! I eventually learned a couple of things : The first being that if I would give the crowd enough fast banjo tunes , I could sneak a couple more obscure , musical ones . The second being that I could infuse things I was learning to make the ‘ banjo tunes ’ I did play more musical . I remember thinking to myself , ‘ Whether it be a fast and flashy tune , or slow and pretty , aren ' t both worthy of being played at high musical level ?’ I think it ' s easy to confuse the idea that playing slow and pretty tunes on the banjo automatically means that somebody is playing more musically .
I ' m also not much of an entertainer in the sense of telling a lot of jokes , doing sing-alongs and the like . While I really enjoy it when other banjo players entertain in that manner , anytime I try to do it my performance comes across as being forced and feels very uncomfortable to me . Still , I do love to entertain and please an audience … I just happen to do it through my music and the occasional playful banter with the other musicians on stage . That said , I believe that as I get older I will grow into the entertainer role . For example , I have gone back to my roots and started singing a tune or two ( and this time not in a soprano voice !)
Getting back to my early years … My aunt had given me a Fender electric bass when I was twelve and I was having a great time learning to play it in a rock and funk style . Buddy Wachter made the argument that bass players always have work so I heeded his suggestion that I learn to play double ( stand up ) bass and tried out for my high-school orchestra . While hearing bass lines came really easily to me , I couldn ’ t read music in the bass clef . To remedy this I befriended the principal bassist in the orchestra – getting him to write the names of each note above the note for each piece we played . When the conductor found out about our conspiracy he gave me a hard time in front of the orchestra and , although embarrassed , because of that incident my formal musical education really began !
I switched high schools during my sophomore year and the orchestra teacher there really pushed me to try out for the All-State Orchestra . In Texas , this is a huge deal with only a small number of bass spots open for the entire state . Although I thought it would be impossible for me to make one , I never liked to turn down a musical challenge . My family hired a well-known Houston area double bass instructor and I practiced for months . To my surprise I made orchestra and ended making much higher chairs during the remaining two years I was in high school . This was a huge accomplishment for me - and still one of my proudest musical achievements .
ALL FRETS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020 25