If you run, he will chase you

I haven't been writing in this thing because I have been playing my banjo instead. Basically I only have time in the day for sleeping, hanging out with people, and one other thing. Usually that one other thing is the computer. But this week it is banjo. I don't actually know of many musicians that play the banjo so I have been working on some easy sufjan songs. Like "It's Christmas! Lets be Glad!" which only has 2 chords until you get to the chorus, which is where I stop, and also "Seven Swans" which is nice and slow and features chords which are close together and not that hard. I think I have improved a litle bit. At any rate, I have memorized a lot of chords, which is a good start I guess, even if they sound like crap when I actually play them. Does anyone have advice about howto go about learning a string instrument? Do you just learn a bunch of songs and figure out chords and technique as you go along? Or do you learn chords and technique and then pick songs you know you can play? Do you learn theory first, or last? Do you learn to read sheet music or tabs? I have never taught myself an instument before so this is all new to me.

I think that playing music is probably one of the most frustrating things to do, but also one of the most rewarding when you finally get something right. I remember playing fast runs over and over and over again in marching band until my forearms burned and my hands cramped up and I had blisters between my fingers, sometimes because I was forced to but sometimes out of my own free will. Even then I would just keep getting it wrong over and over again until I felt like crying. The thing is that improvement in music is so painstakingly gradual that you rarely notice it has taken place at all unless you actually take a second to think about how badly you sucked before. But I just wish I could be really good at like 5 instuments RIGHT NOW. Sigh, why didn't I start sooner?