There was a recent thread on Banjo Hangout that I think deserves some extra discussion. The BHO folks were talking about how good and important it is for musicians, when they are learning music, to play music with other people. And they’re exactly right.
Murphy says over and over on our tapes, “Find someone to pick with!” — it doesn’t have to be someone who plays exactly your own kind of music. Maybe they play gospel. Maybe they play old-time country. Maybe they’re folkies. But there’s not much that will help your music more than FINDING SOME PEOPLE TO PICK WITH.
In the case of Murphy’s local students, they have a group called “Murphy’s Misfits,” and they’ve gotten together for several years to jam and perform at nursing homes places like that. They’ve all benefited a lot in being able to learn their music really well, play solidly, keep time, conquer their fear of being in a group, play standing up, and get used to performing in front of people.
I learned to play at amazing weekend-long picking parties when I was in college (studying was not an option). So to me, there was never a difference between playing music by myself and picking with others. I had this opportunity not because of anything I did, or any special musical ability (the parties started when I’d only been playing two weeks), but instead it was just good luck in being introduced to those people early on, and it was a terrific musical education. And 40 years later, some of those people are still my best friends.
Here’s a snapshot taken at one of those parties a long time ago. You can see what sedate, sober young guys we were (Chuck Lamb, Wyndell Merritt, John Hedgecoth, Mike Johnson, and Red):
A few years later, when I was moving around the country in the Air Force, I found places where it was difficult to unearth the local pickers. But after living several months in a new place and asking around, I usually started running across the bluegrass and old-time-country pickers who lived there. And it was worth it. There’s no way to have as much fun learning your music as FINDING SOME PEOPLE TO PICK WITH!