Bluegrass Music: Coming Full Circle
An Interview with Randy Lanham, Education Director, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum
How do people learn to play bluegrass music, or any type of music for that matter? Is it handed down from generation to generation? Do they teach it in school? Private Lessons? Group Lessons? Jam Sessions? Or are today’s options for online lessons the best?
Why do people want to play an instrument? Socialization? Relaxation? Fun?
What is the best instrument to start with? Fiddle? Guitar? Mandolin? Bass? Banjo? Others?
If you ask Randy Lanham, Education Director at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, he says, “All of the above!” Randy started playing the fiddle when he was 11 years old. His grandfather, John Lanham, was a local fiddle player in Daviess County, Kentucky, and became an inspiration to his grandson. He said, “Forty years ago, learning an instrument was by the ‘sink or swim’ method! In most circles, the songs weren’t written; rather, it was all played by ear, watching, listening and learning. My mentor was my granddad and he taught me early on the importance of using a tape recorder to capture as much information as possible to take home and practice my skills. Gradually, I added more and more tunes to the jam sessions and was eventually able to share those tunes with other newcomers.” While this method may seem somewhat archaic, the elder Lanham didn’t even have recording as an option for learning the fiddle and the traditional songs he would share down the line.
Obviously, your granddad didn’t have recording equipment during his time…how did he learn to play?
“Granddad learned from his dad that was an old-time fiddler, and his granddad played too. Lots of jam sessions and square dances were available. Back then, it was their social hour. And everyone played by ear, passing the songs down from generation to generation. He would tell me all of the time ‘Randy, pass this music on, and help it to live on.’”
Once you learned the basics, what were the next steps for you?
“I started to learn more about playing the fiddle from my granddad and other local fiddlers, and they soon accepted me in their circle. They were patient, kind and forgiving of all the mistakes I made. They all made time to pull me aside and help me with tunes that had been passed down from generation to generation, setting the foundation for my learning and the framework for my mission in life.
“I had heard my granddad play my entire life. He and his buddies were always playing at events, for picnics and BBQs, for nursing homes and the residents who lived there, or just at someone’s home in a jam session. It looked like so much fun, and it looked easy! Granddad looked like he was having more fun than anyone else I knew…and everyone around him was having a good time too!
“I, too, wanted to have that much fun, so I asked Granddad if he would teach me to play. He just happened to have an extra fiddle he loaned me and gave me a few lessons. He said if I was serious about learning, he would give me that fiddle. After a few weeks of squeaky fiddle practice, I was ready to play my first song and ready to claim my fiddle. My first song… ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!’ My attempts were pitiful, but Granddad saw in my eyes how badly I wanted to play and how determined I was to give it all I had. He was so proud of me and gave me that fiddle on that day 40 years ago.”
How did that set the stage for Lanham’s musical journey?
“I soon met some musicians around my age, and we started a band, The Bluegrass Youngins. We were fairly good for our age, started gaining some traction as a band and were having a good time! I continued to play in other bluegrass bands into my teenage years, traveling more, seeing the country, meeting other people, and picking with other musicians. By the age of 19, I was in a band that won the Kentucky State Band Competition two years in a row, and I brought home the coveted Governor’s Cup as the Kentucky State Fiddle Champion. And less than 10 years after I started playing fiddle on a borrowed instrument, I moved to Nashville to be a professional musician.”
Lanham went on to become a much sought-after Nashville musician touring with country artists like Johnny Lee, Clay Walker, Wade Hayes, Tracy Lawrence; sitting in part time with Tanya Tucker; touring with George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, and appearing on numerous TV Shows and the Grand Ole Opry.
After 10 years of touring, he began experiencing health issues resulting in a hip replacement making touring and travel difficult, and he made the decision to move back home to Owensboro, Kentucky.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to make a living in music in Owensboro,” he said. Soon Lanham started teaching private lessons. “I felt sorry for my students,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but I did everything I could to become a better teacher to help my students get better.”
Before long, he was asked to join the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum on a part time basis as a “fill in” teaching fiddle classes, eventually becoming the full-time fiddle instructor, teaching Bluegrass in the Schools, organizing school assemblies and continuing private lessons.
Now 20 years later, Lanham has come full circle from student to professional musician to teacher and now a mentor himself. He has a passion to make music as simple as possible and has many aspiring musicians following his lead. As the Education Director for the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, he coordinates private and group lessons, Bluegrass in the Schools, Field Trips, School Assemblies, Group Tours and Outreach programs. And now the experience he gained throughout the course of his journey as a student, touring musician and teacher will be applied in the Bluegrass Music Academy Online Lessons program.
Bluegrass Music Academy Online Lessons
“Simple-Fast-Fun” is the slogan the Bluegrass Music Academy uses to describe the program. “We are not trying to compete with other online lesson programs, we want the lessons to be so simple anyone can do it.” Each lesson includes an audio track, tabs and chord charts, and a breakdown of each song line by line and part by part. Lanham said, “I believe people learn better when they take it one line or part at a time and drill those parts before moving on to the next. Trying to learn an entire song at once can be very hard and frustrating.”
It has a community feature where students can interact with other students as well as a feature to interact with the instructor. “I couldn’t be more excited to launch this site. It helps us reach more students and bring the world of bluegrass music to more people!” Lanham said. “It makes me sad to think about all the people that have tried to learn and gave up because it seemed too hard, or maybe they had a bad experience with a teacher that could not simplify it enough. Songs don’t have to be hard to be fun to play.”
Why did you feel adding online lessons to your repertoire of music lessons was needed?
“It gives more access. Students can learn at any time, from any location. Even if they are taking private or group lessons, the online option is a great enhancement to what they are doing. And, they can take the lesson over and over until they have it down!”
Do you recall a time you were happiest playing music?
“I’ve enjoyed every aspect of playing music…touring with the greats in country music, leading my own bands and teaching students. But I’ve never been happier than when I was that student early on, learning the very basics. I wasn’t good, I made all kinds of mistakes. It was wonderful! I wish I could encourage people to just try it. Find a class, take a lesson—private, group or online. It will bring more joy to yourself and others than you can ever imagine.”
Do you still find joy in playing music?
“Absolutely! Music has built the framework for my mission in life. The importance of sharing your talents rings true to me and that’s why I play music at nursing homes, charities such as church, and simply to make other people happy!”
Check out the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum Online Lessons Program at bluegrassmusicacademy.org
