Banjo Players are Picky

A few months ago, I saw a girl on the downtown A train carrying a banjo.

I was intrigued.

A banjo?

In New York City?!?

She had headphones on but I got her attention and mouthed the words "Is that a banjo?", while pointing to what was obviously a banjo at her feet.

Well, she couldn't have been nicer!

She told me she was taking lessons at The Jalopy Theater and School of Music, a place in Brooklyn that offers bluegrass and folk concerts, as well as lessons in guitar, fiddle, mandolin, ukelele...

And (of course) banjo.

I told my dad this story ("You really can find anything in New York City!"), and was happily surprised when, months later, I opened my Christmas present and it was...

A banjo!

I had my first class last night, and while I'm clearly no prodigy, it was a lot of fun and the people are really nice.

And, as Steve Martin once said...

"The banjo is such a happy instrument--you can't play a sad song on the banjo - it always comes out so cheerful."