How a Broken Banjo String Led to Slow Banjo in the Rain

One broken banjo string, three strings left and a new musical idea: the story behind Slow Banjo in the Rain and its million YouTube views.

Sometimes the best musical ideas begin when something goes wrong. That is exactly what happened when I was getting ready to record some new Slow Banjo music.

A string broke

I was tuning my banjo when a string suddenly broke. I had a choice: drive to the music shop for a replacement, or try to keep playing.

I decided to stay and see what I could create with the three strings I had left.

Three strings, a new idea

The limitation made me play differently. Instead of giving up on the recording, I began composing something unlike anything I had made before. The result was Slow Banjo in the Rain.

From a small accident to over a million views

Slow Banjo in the Rain later passed one million views on YouTube. It still makes me smile to think that it all started with a broken string.

Listen to the music that started with a broken banjo string! What began as a small accident became something special. Watch the original eight-hour video, now with over a million views:

Watch the original video: Slow rain and banjo 8 hours

I have also made a short video telling the story. Watch it here:

Watch my YouTube Short: How I Got 1 Million Views by Breaking a Banjo String

Perhaps that is the lesson: when something goes wrong, it can open the door to a completely new idea.