Carl Anderton's Posts - Classic-Banjo2024-03-29T10:16:05ZCarl Andertonhttps://classic-banjo.ning.com/profile/CarlAndertonhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/65198580?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://classic-banjo.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=2fmyi8j6whflr&xn_auth=noI was misled.tag:classic-banjo.ning.com,2009-03-30:2667446:BlogPost:26022009-03-30T21:30:00.000ZCarl Andertonhttps://classic-banjo.ning.com/profile/CarlAnderton
I was misled. That is a quote for Stephen King's "The Stand," I can't remember exactly where or from whom, but some guy had just been whacked by the devil and his last words were "I was misled..."<br />
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I spent the bulk of my years in the banjo world playing exclusively in the bluegrass style. And I enjoyed it immensely, no doubt about it. I used to read everything I could get my hands on about Earl Scruggs and the development of <b><i>the</i></b> banjo style. Everything I read told me the sameā¦
I was misled. That is a quote for Stephen King's "The Stand," I can't remember exactly where or from whom, but some guy had just been whacked by the devil and his last words were "I was misled..."<br />
<br />
I spent the bulk of my years in the banjo world playing exclusively in the bluegrass style. And I enjoyed it immensely, no doubt about it. I used to read everything I could get my hands on about Earl Scruggs and the development of <b><i>the</i></b> banjo style. Everything I read told me the same basic story...banjo playing clunked along throughout history until Earl made the smooth, fast, flowing bluegrass style a reality. 1945 is when the banjo became a truly exciting instrument, according to that version of banjo history.<br />
<br />
The truth is, the five-string banjo had been a really kick-ass instrument from the beginning. And by the time of the "classic" era, it had developed to a point where it knew no limits. It's repertiore was as varied as the hues of the rainbow. In fact, it was actually <b><i>more</i></b> important to American (and European) culture than it is in the modern era.<br />
<br />
I'm ranting here, I know, but I guess I'm just sorry I didn't appreciate to true scope of the banjo until now.