I took the banjo to today’s sing around session and my first offering was Bad Moon Rising. That’s an easy one to join in with since the tune is well known and the chords are just G, C and D. I added just a little suspense by starting with a fragment of a banjo tune called Johnny Booker – the same chords but in a different arrangement – before hitting the recognisable opening line of John Fogerty’s song.

By the time my second chance had come around, I had switched seats to try out the Epiphone Les Paul Special bass that Kev brought along. Lochlain had started a song a little earlier with “Because it’s a hot summer’s afternoon…” so I repeated the same intro but launched into Diving Duck Blues with the bass-led intro riff from Taj Mahal’s 1970s recording. That’s also G, C and D but in a blues form.

On my final go, I picked up the banjo and offered “a song to show my versatility”. For this one, Honky Tonk Women, the chords are G, C, D … and A! It is quite a disreputable set of lyrics so I had no qualms about paying scant regard to the tune or scansion of the original!