MY INTENTIONS

The banjo mandolin has been lying around in cupboards for nearly two years, and I've really wanted just to set things right by restoring it and learning to play this instrument that somebody had the audacity to throw away. It almost seems like the universe smiles on you when you repair something that wouldn't otherwise have had a hope. So on top of just being a great way to reward myself and to enjoy my holidays, perhaps restoring and learning to play this banjo mandolin will be a sort of karmic exercise that inspires others.

It was absolutely heartwarming to stumble across a related internet blog from Sweden entitled The Year of the Mandolin Banjo. The music loving author, Anna, set herself the goal of restoring and learning to play a battered old mandolin banjo, detailing her thoughts and progress along the way. I found her page only shortly after I committed to restoring my own instrument, and must admit that her writing has provided huge inspiration for the creation of this blog. Armed with a compatible instrument, I stand to benefit enormously from the considerations she has described and the resources she has already assembled. To the left is a picture of her mandolin banjo, as seen before her restorations begun.

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With this current blog I hope to describe my own thoughts and learning journey on the instrument, and continue to collect and make available resources that others might enjoy using. Let's really kick start an online renaissance for the banjo mandolin wohoo!