"I have just returned from attending my first MBA. This was one of the most memorable weekends of my life!! I met some old friends and made a bunch more. I was totally amazed at the easy availability of the banjo "gods" whom I have held in awe for so long, just to answer questions, and help with problems. Steve Huber tweaked and adjusted my banjo and it sounds fantastic. I sat at lunch and talked with Tony Trischka. Eddie Adcock was wandering around, and always available to answer questions or just chat. Tom Adams, Bill Evans, Bill Emerson - the list goes on and on. There were many, many choices offered, covering both Bluegrass and Clawhammer style techniques. The biggest problem was selecting which sessions to attend. Among the sessions I attended were up the neck for beginners with Murphy Henry, two sessions with Ross Nickerson involving improvisation and techniques for improving performance, problem solving with Andy Cushing, Crowe, Osborne and Scruggs techniques taught by Bill Evans and Steve Huber, advanced Scruggs style, taught by Bill Evans and Tom Adams, and finally, a Scruggs-style concert/jam after lunch on Sunday afternoon with Bill Keith, Dean Sapp, Mike Munford, and Tom Adams. I wish there had been more time to attend even more, although I will be listening to the tapes and processing the information gleaned from these sessions for a long, long time.
One of the best memories I'll take away from MBA, however, is squarely on point for the topic of this thread. It happened at about 2:00 AM
Sunday morning, after returning to Claggett from the Weinburg Center concert. After jamming with a guy named Sean from Scotland for a while, I wandered down the hall and stumbled upon a jam session in progress with Mark

Johnson, Mike Munford, and Walt Koken trading licks from the various styles and playing each other's songs. I sat and listened and was stunned!!! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!!!! I heard talk that there will be a one-day seminar, possibly next year, and another weekend-long event maybe in 2002. I'm signing up NOW !!!

-- Mike Nolan" <amnolan@flashcom.net>

Hi
I just returned from the MBA too. Unfortunately I missed the Friday night get together as I was at a place called the Mud Puddle watching George Wunderlich and friends put on a great minstrel show. As usual the weekend went by far too quickly. I found Zepp picking in the early hours of Sunday. He is just one fine banjo player. We all know he's a great fellow. I believe at one time or another over the weekend I met most ohe listers that were there. There are too many fine people, too much fine playing and far too many great memories to ever adequately mention. One family that should be mentioned and certainly not just for the MBA are the Nitchies. They open more doors, present more forums and simply do more things for more banjo players and lovers than anyone else. I know because I'm one of the people that has been at the receiving end of their endless kindness.

Cheers

-- Rik Barron

As a true beginner (10 weeks), attending MBA was an incredible experience. A huge "thanks" to the Nitchie's for putting on such a fine event. I'm already looking forward to the next MBA. I learned so much that it's probably going to take me until next year to incorporate it all! Murphy Henry's Introduction to Bluegrass and Suzanne Thomas's Introduction to Clawhammer were excellent. Andy Cushman's Problem Solving for Beginners also was excellent. And, meeting and talking with him throughout the weekend was great. Bill Keith's Playing by Ear stretched my understanding of the fretboard. IMHO, that man is a genius. What can I say about the concerts! Listening and talking to Tony Trischka on Sunday morning was a delight. And, I'll never forget playing for, listening to, and having a one-to-one lunch with Will Keyes. Finally, my mentoring session with Jack Hatfield went well, with him doing his job well by identifying a number of basic positioning errors, providing me with fretting tips and other well considered advice. And these are only the highlights. My only regret was that I live in Frederick and throughout the weekend I felt like I was a commuter student. Next time, I'm going to say goodbye to my wife and stay "on campus." Not only would I have learned more, but I would have felt less intimidated.

--Marc Weinberg
(For those of you at MBA, the only guy with a very shiny shaved head.)