madison deluxe

For my birthday, Ben helped me pay for a banjo. This is the first real musical instrument I've ever owned--and my first real attempt at learning to play.

It all came together rather suddenly. While I had been thinking about this instrument for a while, I decided that it was absolutely the thing I wanted to learn how to play after my discovery of a band called Mumford & Sons. I told Ben that I wanted to get one and he said to wait, that he would buy me one for my birthday. We had no idea how much we would have to spend, where we would get one, what kind to get. I also had no idea who was going to teach me.

One morning at Mott's, I asked Noah Maxner (whom I was working with) if he knew anyone who could teach me the banjo. His whole family is deeply involved with music on the Island, so it seemed feasible. What I was not expecting was that Noah's own dad, Steve Maxner, was a banjo player and could possibly give me lessons. This was really excellent news because I already knew Steve--Ben and I have spent a lot of time at the Maxner house since last summer because we milk goats there.

So suddenly I had, not a banjo instructor, but a banjo mentor. Right away Steve gave us the advice that anyone considering learning a new instrument should heed: do not buy something cheap. I did this once with a guitar and it almost turned me away from learning music for good because the thing was a piece of shit that could not stay in tune. I held onto it for several years always thinking I would learn how to play eventually, with each attempt ending in frustration and crushing self-doubt because I assumed I was just bad at it.

So, Steve not only agreed to teach me, free of charge under the condition that I work hard, but he helped us choose the instrument.

Another piece of Steve's advice, which really just follows the first thing, is that to succeed in learning an instrument, you must love it--not just love making music, but love the instrument itself.



And I do. This banjo looks and sounds incredible.

Already this learning process is tremendously frustrating. Progress is slow, and it is difficult to commit practicing every single day. And there are all kinds of physical hurts--my fingers, neck, and shoulders all have their protests. But above all that is an intense feeling of pride. For years I've whined about wishing I could play an instrument. So many people make those kind of idle wishes without ever acting on them. But now, instead of wishing, I'm doing. Nothing can beat that.