Banjo maker and master Greg Deering has concluded his Australian tour and I asked Ryan Kerr from the Musician’s Pro Shop in Brisbane to tell us about the Queensland workshop. Here’s what he wrote:
Legendary banjo maker Greg Deering presented an informative seminar to 35 enthusiastic banjo players at Musician’s Pro Shop in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley last Friday.
Travelling all the way from the USA for a whirlwind tour of Australia, taking in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide he concluded the series of workshops in Brisbane.
Greg opened with the history of his involvement with banjos, including the creation of the Deering Banjo company, the acquisition of Vega banjos and their soon to be reached milestone of 50,000 banjos crafted.
He delighted the crowd with his stories whilst stopping briefly to answer questions along the way. Greg continued with some practical advice including which picks to use, tightening, breaking and replacing of banjo heads, banjo strings plus much more.
After a short intermission, Greg showed how to put a banjo back together (after previously pulling it to pieces!). Upon completion of this, he then opened up the floor to the many attendees who brought their banjos with them, giving these instruments a once over and making small tweaks where needed. Many players then got together with their instruments to create one of the largest banjo jams we have ever seen.
From all of us at Musician’s Pro Shop, we would like to thank Greg Deering, John Mascaro of Zenith Music and all the banjo enthusiasts who attended on the night. An enjoyable time was had by all with even the most experienced players learning something new.
Submitted Ryan Kerr, Manager, Musicians Pro Shop – Qld.
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