David Heiller
Learning new things
isn’t easy, but it sure can be fun.
I bet watching
students learn is one of the greatest reward for teachers. Watching your
children learn is great too.
Our son is picking people’s brains these days about rifles. He’s
learning a lot. He’s reading about motorcycles. He’s excited about them, and
expanding his knowledge.
Our daughter is practicing her one act play parts, and getting better
day by day. Her singing is getting better too because she is practicing her
songs for voice lessons. She’s learning a lot, improving too, and it’s fun for
her. The key word is fun.
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| Malika and David playing at the Askov Fair. |
These days, playing the banjo is my favorite learning activity,
although when I call it a learning activity it doesn’t sound very fun. But it
is.
My wife, Cindy, bought me two banjo instructional videos for
Christmas. When Ι have a spare hour, I put a video tape in, and learn a song, or try
to.
The teacher, plays
it through slowly, and breaks it down into parts. She’s a good teacher, very
patient. And if you don’t get it, you can rewind the tape until you get it
again. It’s a perfect way to learn something like the banjo, better than a
face-to-face lesson in many ways.
I feel like I’m making progress on the banjo thanks to the tape. It’s
hard. It doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does for some people.
But I’m learning new things. It’s exciting and fun. I wouldn’t be
doing it if it weren’t fun.
I've been playing
the banjo for about 22 years. I’m not “all that good,” although some people
would disagree.
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| Stringing the banjo and the baby... |
For example, last
summer I was playing the banjo at my mother’s house, and some kids who were riding
by on their bicycles stopped and listened. Nothing will stop a kid in his or
her tracks like live music. They thought I was pretty good. As they were
leaving, one of them said, “You’re the best banjo player I ever heard.”
That prompted another of the kids to wax eloquent and say, “Yeah, you’re
the best banjo player Ι ever heard.”
The kids were about eight years old, and I doubt very much if they
ever heard anyone play the banjo before. It was pretty funny.
Sometimes my playing ability bothers me, because after 22 years, I
should be really good on the old five-string, and I’m not. The insecure,
competitive side of me thinks that.
On the other hand, a banjo teacher I had in college told me that if Ι practiced six hours a day for a year straight, I would be a good
player. That’s what it will take, he said.
I didn’t have that kind of time in college, and that was before I was
married with two kids and a job and commitments galore. I sure don’t have that
kind of time now. Most of my practicing gets done late at night, when the kids
are in bed and the house has settled down, and my brain is shutting down.
Cindy is patient with me. She shuts the bedroom door to get her
sleep. Quite often Noah will call down for his bedroom to say that he can’t sleep
with me playing. I respect that, and I quit playing then. I’ve heard it more
than once in my life.
Not having enough time to pursue the finer things in life can be frustrating.
But I usually keep in it perspective.
Here’s a quote I read recently that I like from a banjo player, Ian
Perry; in a magazine called Banjo Newsletter.
“Playing music should be an expression of your feelings and the
person you are inside. It’s too easy to be tempted by flashy licks a the opportunity
to impress people with what you see as your incredible talent and ability. But the
banjo isn’t a competitive sport (or at least it shouldn't be!) And you may find
that if you think too much about technique or trying be a better banjo player
than someone else, you will be missing the best of what playing music has to offer.”
That sums up my feeling about learning it doesn’t apply just to the
banjo. I bet it applies to your job or hobby too.
Have fun, and keep learning. That’s the key to the big picture in
whatever you do.
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