"Can't just play arrangements: I guess that's why Segovia was such a flop and never made a career. The banjo has no limitations:  Every instrument has limitations. Every individual thing in this world has limitations. If that were not…"

"With little effort, and looking through the first copy of Carcassi I could find.  From the 1853 edition of Carcassi, Ditson, which predates any banjo method by two years: that is a description of the "Drum Slide" by a different…"

"I have a bit of piano training but not much."

"I am VERY aware of Farland. The thing is in my eyes 2 things were against him. 1.) You need to compose actual repertoire within the idiom you want to establish a canon for the instrument in if that makes sense and have those compositions played very…"

"Do you play any other musical instruments?"

"Nothing is stopping me. Other than my own tendency to overthink. I've got ideas, but I overthink how to actually go about developing them and as a result I finish very little. I'm currently working on a concert paraphrase called…"

"I never said it was an anomaly, sorry if it came across that way. I just remember someone who is very well read on the subject of Spanish guitar say that the first written instruction for dedillo tremolo came from a banjo tutor. SS Stewart's I…"

"I think your focus should be on developing your skills (both performing and composing), and not with the goal of standing out or "being original," which is a trap for any kind of creative work. Find what inspires you artistically and…"

"What Joel has written here is precisely exactly so. Much of classic banjo technique is derived from Spanish guitar. The world of Flamenco guitar is a subculture that happens to be in Spain.. The several things that are meant by "Spanish…"

"Then compose something, what is stopping you ? Good luck with gaining more respect for the banjo too, outside of this tiny group of banjo enthusiasts you may find that by and large in the wider world nobody cares very much. It is just a minority…"

"Let's focus on Bradbury since that is your current lesson.  With Bradbury (and pretty much all other music outside of a few SSS publications) "D. S." is as simple as flicking out the fingers over the strings, in order of pinky to…"

"Austin, you do know that Alfred Farland tried all this 'elevation of the banjo' stuff around the turn of the 19th century, and 'nearly killed the banjo stone dead' as someone (could have been Van Eps or Ossman) said, as a result.…"

"It says to strike with the ball of the thumb near the bridge. How exactly is that executed? "

"I agree that Britain probably had contact with that tradition potentially, but I'm talking about the early American School of banjo playing."

"England was well in touch with Spanish guitar playing in the early 20th century. Just pick a random copy of BMG magazine and have a look and see for yourself.  And Flamenco music happens to use the rasp technique but it is but one type of…"

"IDK. I've always wanted to be a composer, and I think the banjo deserves more respect than it gets. I think I just want to play my own music and I thought a fresh sound would be what was needed to make myself stand out as a musician in that…"