Letting Go

Hi folks:

About 6 months ago osteoarthritis came on like gang busters and ended my banjo picking days for good. So much for retirement plan No. 1 ... an itinerant banjo picker adding 5-string in the studio to someone's CD, and playing in my own country band. I loved the banjo and worked at it seriously for 13 years. I think knowing that there was nothing I could do about it made it much easier than it might have been although it was [banned term] depressing for a while.
Fortunately I like Celtic, blues and of course the greatest form of music ever conceived ... ROCK & ROLL , so I've taken up the slide guitar, blues harp and penny whistle. Originally it was just the blues harp and penny whistle, but once a string man always a string man, and a bottle-neck and flat-pick don't get arthritis ... HA HA!, take that genetics! I got myself a second hand Fender Strat, and when Elaine is at work, I rattle the windows and scare the neighbours cats!
My first attempt at something serious on the slide. Actually this very simple tune can show you PLENTY about the logic of slide guitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Xu4t8ntcg

For those of you out there who are guitar pickers this is in open D tuning, which conveniently mirrors the 5-string banjo ... a good thing as my left hand kinda already knows what to do. I was always a finger picker, so at first the flat pick was like playing with a roof shingle, but slowly I'm getting it under control.

Here's a bit of whistle and harp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBlkLfHfqPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4wHtYNi84I

Lots of catching up to do on OBC Connect.

Cheers,
Ian
...slide guitar player for "LeDuke Whitey and the Fairlanes"

Sorry to hear of the osteoarthritis Ian, good that your still at though. Love the simple haunting melody of celtic music especially pipes, whistles are good too.Thanks for the tunes, enjoyed them. John.

john wrote:

Sorry to hear of the osteoarthritis Ian, good that your still at though. Love the simple haunting melody of celtic music especially pipes, whistles are good too.Thanks for the tunes, enjoyed them. John.

Thanks John ... glad you enjoyed I love the pipes as well.

Ian, the following may or may not help your arthritis....

I've had gradually worsening osteoarthritis in my knees for many years. Recently in a second hand shop I came upon a book called Foods That Fight Pain, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foods-That-Fight-Pain-Revolutionary/dp/0553812378 It had a fair amount of evidence that arthritis was SOMETIMES (my emphasis) caused by food intolerances. It recommended going on an elimination diet for a month, then adding in foods one by one to see what happened.

Well, it worked for me - but a bit, not completely. After the month my knees were considerably better than when I started, but not cured. Now, if I stay off eggs, oranges, bananas, and some milk products, they're not too bad, but are made temporarily worse by any of those. But, as you'll probably agree, less pain is better than more pain. And it's only food after all!

You may, like me, be fed up with hearing about miracle cures which don't work. In which case feel free to ignore this. But you may also think it's worth a try.

Hi Ian,
I was shocked and saddened to hear of your osteoarthritis. A real bummer.
It seemed so unfair. I know that`s a nonsensical statement but, that`s the
reaction I had.
I myself have recently retired and have pulled out my guitars out in readiness
to get down to having some real `me time` with them. I know I would be so
down if I could not get to play them. We all get over things thank God but what
a downer nevertheless. There`s just something about those stringed instruments
.
I`d like to add a couple of links you may like to check out re treating the osteo.
I know there are plenty of false trails about but, it may be worth a look.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023045_arthritis_pain_tea.html

http://www.celadrinforjoints.co.uk/

https://www.agorahealthbooks.com/p/How_to_Fight_Arthritis_and_Win.htm?osCsid=gnjieu5bjbpm6b6f653rooh3q6

I really hope you can find something that at the very least eases the condition
.

On a more cheerful note, I played your new music and was much cheered up.
When you said "Slide Guitar", I though Yeah, that`s it ! That`s the answer.
I love slide guitar. I`m logging this in my brain in case I get the same problem.

From what I`ve seen, I reckon you`ll do just fine with it. I hate to admit it
to you but, I prefer slide to banjo. Just a preference.

If you don`t mind, I`m just going to add a link to my favourite slide player...
Chris Rea playing ` Nothing to fear`.
He had a serious life threatening illness not long ago but thankfully pulled
through.

Anyway Ian, I hope the future works out well for you and you manage to keep
playing. I`ll be watching out for you.

Best wishes to you,

Stan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x4C5YLBxtU

Stan Giko wrote:

Hi Ian,
I was shocked and saddened to hear of your osteoarthritis. A real bummer.
It seemed so unfair. I know that`s a nonsensical statement but, that`s the
reaction I had.
I myself have recently retired and have pulled out my guitars out in readiness
to get down to having some real `me time` with them. I know I would be so
down if I could not get to play them. We all get over things thank God but what
a downer nevertheless. There`s just something about those stringed instruments
.
I`d like to add a couple of links you may like to check out re treating the osteo.
I know there are plenty of false trails about but, it may be worth a look.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023045_arthritis_pain_tea.html

http://www.celadrinforjoints.co.uk/

https://www.agorahealthbooks.com/p/How_to_Fight_Arthritis_and_Win.htm?osCsid=gnjieu5bjbpm6b6f653rooh3q6

I really hope you can find something that at the very least eases the condition
.

On a more cheerful note, I played your new music and was much cheered up.
When you said "Slide Guitar", I though Yeah, that`s it ! That`s the answer.
I love slide guitar. I`m logging this in my brain in case I get the same problem.

From what I`ve seen, I reckon you`ll do just fine with it. I hate to admit it
to you but, I prefer slide to banjo. Just a preference.

If you don`t mind, I`m just going to add a link to my favourite slide player...
Chris Rea playing ` Nothing to fear`.
He had a serious life threatening illness not long ago but thankfully pulled
through.

Anyway Ian, I hope the future works out well for you and you manage to keep
playing. I`ll be watching out for you.

Best wishes to you,

Stan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x4C5YLBxtU

Thanks Stan ... that's very kind. I have a couple of Chris Rea CD's; he's a great player. I'm also listening to Ry Cooder, Roy Rogers, and Derek Trucks ... lots to learn, but it will get there.

I have tried many remedies, dietary and otherwise and none has had the slightest effect ... cést la vie

Real shame about no good news on the remedies Ian. No doubt you`ll keep
your ear to the ground going forward.
Ry Cooder......say no more !
Thank God for the Guitar I say.

Keep well Ian.

Stan.

Sad, sad news Ian, but great music. I know what you mean about trying everything for arthritis, like Jimyo my knees have given me gyp for the last few years and nothing seems to really help except keeping moving. If I stop for a few days I seize up and then its hell getting back going again. So keep that great sound on the slide guitar going, and perhaps like me say an occasional prayer to the Great God Placebo!

Many years ago I had a jazz saxophonist friend called Joe Harriot. One of the all time great alto-sax players, but little understood then and now mainly forgotten except by aficionados. When I knew him he was always stony broke and 'borrowing' a ten bob note (50p) but his music kept him going even when he developed throat cancer. I'm told that he played right through to the end, though by that time I was at Shasta. Your music is plainly in your soul and I hope it can help you adapt to changed circumstances and blow away the black dogs of depression as it did for him.

Ian, sometimes arthritis in the fingers comes and goes, so don't put away your banjo forever. In the meantime, slide guitar is one of my favorites. Your Amazing Grace is amazing!

mstrathern wrote:

Sad, sad news Ian, but great music. I know what you mean about trying everything for arthritis, like Jimyo my knees have given me gyp for the last few years and nothing seems to really help except keeping moving. If I stop for a few days I seize up and then its hell getting back going again. So keep that great sound on the slide guitar going, and perhaps like me say an occasional prayer to the Great God Placebo!

Many years ago I had a jazz saxophonist friend called Joe Harriot. One of the all time great alto-sax players, but little understood then and now mainly forgotten except by aficionados. When I knew him he was always stony broke and 'borrowing' a ten bob note (50p) but his music kept him going even when he developed throat cancer. I'm told that he played right through to the end, though by that time I was at Shasta. Your music is plainly in your soul and I hope it can help you adapt to changed circumstances and blow away the black dogs of depression as it did for him.

Thanks my friend. You know, I was depressed for a while, and then I took myself off medication (it was nice to come home from the planet Tralfamadore) and started playing rock & roll as LOUD & BAD**S as I could ... and having the odd glass of single malt, and the occasional cigar ... and I feel a lot better. Playing the 5-string banjo is a very precise thing. You're moving your picking fingers short distances, usually at high speed. Most banjo pickers don't move a lot when they're ripping into it ... lots of concentration and precision required. Rock & Roll however and the blues as well, are total body experiences, and because of the nature of the sound, you've got a lot more leeway to play wrong notes and get away with it ... which is actually liberating.

Anyway ... regarding Joe Harriot, I found this on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESrCOUz-1y4

Sorry for the long blather,
Ian

Carol wrote:

Ian, sometimes arthritis in the fingers comes and goes, so don't put away your banjo forever. In the meantime, slide guitar is one of my favorites. Your Amazing Grace is amazing!

Thank you so much Carol, I'm glad you enjoyed the arrangement. It was a really good choice ... it's a beautiful tune but it also revealed a lot about the logic of slide guitar to me. I wasn't expecting that, it just happened all by itself. I'm headed on down to the delta now for some Muddy Waters and Leadbelly, and maybe some bluegrass as well.

Cheers,
Ian