About a month ago, while watching a documentary I think was called Folk America on BBC4, I decided I’d actually follow up on something I’ve considered on and off for quite some time – learn to play the banjo. While I was still in the cooling off stage prior to ordering (the week or so from idea to actually spending duckets in order not to end up with one of those things you ask yourself why you bought), the Bean recommended I read Guitar Man for inspiration (reviewed by the Bean in 2006).
Guitar Man is the autobiographical account of music journalist Will Hodgkinson learning the guitar, with a central theme of learning to play the eccentric folk guitarist Davey Graham’s “Anji”, a blues-folk piece Hodgkinson (and apparently many others) consider especially challenging. In a nutshell, a guitar classic. I couldn’t readily find a Davey Graham’s rendition, but I did find an interpretation by another well-known guitarist, Bert Jansch, who, incidentially, is also featured in Guitar Man alongside Graham.
If you’ve never listened to “Anji” (or, in the case of the Jansch version, “Angie”), give yourself a treat. My understanding is all of that finger action is one acoustic guitar. The complex melody and rhythm must be maintained by the artist him or herself. Hence, the challenge, especially for a beginner like Hodgkinson.
And for the truly curious, here’s a recording of Hodgkinson playing “Anji” after six months of learning the guitar.
As for my own banjo adventure, well, it’s only just begun. I still need to get into the groove of regular practice. Once I do, I imagine I’ll be sharing my progress with the folks hangin’ out in 100b.
Filed under: Classics, Music, Some Other Stuff Tagged: | Country, Davey Graham
