Picking and grinning since 1983!
Banjos. Bluegrass. Jam sessions. Playing in front of an audience. Love it all, and I'm thrilled to bring you this website about my banjo endeavors. My name is Paul Pope, better known as Banjo Paul. I live in Kentwood, Michigan, and I'm a banjo teacher and banjo performer and banjo blogger. I'm a self-employed father of 5. I love little warm puppies and long walks on the....oh, wait. Sorry. That last part is my cheesy dating service profile. Scratch that.
I've been playing the banjo for a long time. Growing up in contemporary Grand Rapids, Michigan, meant that my early love of the banjo relegated me to the fringe of society. How I longed to be in the south, in the hotbed of bluegrass, where I might fit in with the other stringed instrument pickers. Instead I had to develop my love of banjo and acoustic roots music on my own, firm in the knowledge that it was shielding me against popularity and protecting me from the danger of pretty girls showing an interest in me. My mom thanks you, banjo.
I was born with the heart of a teacher, which led me to begin teaching banjo and trying to instill my love of the art form in others. I've been teaching for over 20 years, and I have the distinction of being almost the only banjo teacher for miles and miles and miles around. *...cue the coyote howl and the tumbleweed blowing across the scene...* In fact, I'm finding banjo teachers to be so rare and far between that I'm even teaching people online, as far away as Spain! If you need tips, pointers, advice, or help, please look me up. I'm glad to assist you with your banjo. If you need money or help moving your couch, sorry but this number has been disconnected.
I have 5 beautiful children that I'm extremely proud of. They promise to be good and I promise not to force them to play the banjo, and it all works out pretty well that way. I try to tell my sons that a banjo will treat them so much better than those cheerleaders, and it'll be far less fickle. They aren't buying it.
Along with teaching banjo, I'm a self-employed web designer. Been doing that since 2005; first as a hobby, but over time I've built it into a vocation. Being self-employed gives me the freedom to fully explore my banjo passion, and I love it!
Banjo is fun. Banjo is rewarding. I'd love to get to know you and talk banjo!
I feel fortunate to have had the experiences that I have with my banjo. It's been my constant friend and companion, and it has enriched my life in more ways than I have space to share. Perhaps one of the best side-effects of having taken up the banjo is that I get the honor of meeting you. I get to pass on some advice and knowledge, or perhaps I get to pick up some pointers from you. I play at a high level, I've achieved a lot, but I have a long way to go and I value your experiences and your abilities. It isn't tough to find someone who has achieved more than me and can teach me a few things. Maybe even teach me a lot of things!
Please consider dropping me a line, leaving a comment on a blog post, or even calling me. Let's get together and talk banjo. Let's trade licks. Lemme show you a new technique. You can show me just how Earl did *fill in the blank* technique. We can pass some banjo jokes back and forth. I think we can have fun together. Can't wait to hear from you.
Banjo Paul
Performer. Blogger. Teacher.
It's a fast-paced, thrilling, dangerous life, that of being a banjo player. Kings and Queens seek my counsel. Rogue spy agencies call on me to carry out their plans. Women? I have no time for women. I'm married to the banjo. She can be a cruel mistress, one that drives me to take chances. Yet I can't quit her; she's all I kow. My picking fingers often write checks that my body just can't cash. Yes, friend, this life isn't for sissies or the faint of heart or for anyone with a weak constitution. But it's all I know. And perhaps if I keep telling myself that this is why the girls aren't clamoring for my attention, maybe someday I'll believe it.
