Tuning Story

So, Cody, who is now taking banjo, comes in for his lesson last night. I ask Bob Van to stay and play some guitar, so I can play banjo and Cody and I can trade breaks. Well, Bob and I haven’t been in tune for the whole hour of his lesson. My fault, not his.…

The Lights Come On!

As many of you know, breaking away from tab and starting to learn by ear is not easy. It’s scary (Can I really do this?) and it feels like you no longer have a safety net (What will I do if I mess up?). But, the payoff is BIG! You will actually learn to play…

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

Mark and Susan had lessons back-to-back today, so they jammed a little where their times overlapped. In the lull between songs we started talking about how no one ever seems to be satisfied with their performance. I told them about being at the Augusta Heritage Bluegrass Camp and how those amazing instructors would walk off…

Blogging Before Supper

Just got finished with my lessons for the day and am looking forward to supper! (No idea what it will be but there is some leftover bow tie pasta in the fridge....there is also some “deconstructed hamburger” which is sounding pretty good right now!)   We moved the last of Casey’s stuff into her house…

Jingle Bells

Okay, something short and banjo-ey.   I’m teaching Bob Mc tonight and I decide—totally out of the blue--to go over the chords to Jingle Bells. He’s not learning to play the song, I just wanted to do the chords because it’s Christmas and who wants to chord Jingle Bells in July? And the chorus of…

What We’re Doing Now

As you can see, I’m trying to follow through on my pre-New Year’s Rez to blog more! But, frankly, not a lot has happened since yesterday! We worked hard at Casey’s new abode, unloading boxes, putting stuff on shelves, putting together beds, and cleaning her freezer. (I cleaned the fridge the day before!) We also…

What We’ve Been Doing!

Here is a thought I had while I was driving Casey and Dalton from Nashville to Winchester on Friday: I have Grand-Mommy brain! Which is to say, I have plenty of energy to think about all things Casey and Dalton, but little energy to blog about banjos. So, I decided that in lieu of blogging…

Women of Bluegrass Calendar

Murphy and Casey are featured in this banjo-centric collection by photographer Darwin Davidson. Each month pictures a different player with her banjo. Casey is January, Murphy is May. We're not selling them through our site, but you can order them straight from the photographer for $20 each. DarwinDavidson.com (Click on pictures for full-size images)  …