Moreso if it was him playing the banjo as he has become one of Northern Ireland’s foremost talents on the instrument.

The 28-year-old from Lurgan is one of the performers who will be appearing at the Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival.

The bumper event takes place at the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh this weekend, where Jonathan will be performing with Northern Exposure.

“I started when I was 13 years old,” he said.

“My dad gave me a banjo for my birthday and it began from there.”

As the third generation of players in his family, the skill which Jonathan’s dad had learned from his own father was passed on at a young age.

“I probably had messed about with one before then, though that’s the first memory I have of properly playing it.

“My dad taught me bluegrass and folk music, but he was always playing the banjo and I would follow him, it wasn’t like you were taking a lesson.”

Playing with his father was good experience for Jonathan as he joined Northern Exposure – the three-piece band which also features his dad and uncle – when he was 15.

“It’s so natural to be playing with your family,” he said, “a couple of hours practice gets us ready for a gig because we’re so used to each other.

“What we do is fairly laid back – we don’t write our own songs but give our own interpretations of classic songs.”

And Northern Exposure are regulars at the Appalachian and Bluegrass festival in Omagh, attending both as spectators and performers for the past 15 years.

“There’s a great atmosphere at it, with so many bands from lots of different places it’s just wall-to-wall music,” Jonathan said.

“And you don’t have to be a bluegrass fan to appreciate it, you have so many styles that there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”

While most people spend their teenage years rebelling against their parents, Jonathan spent his embracing his father’s love of bluegrass.

“I got into his type of music,” he said.

And, for him, learning the instrument was a worthwhile process.

“You spend a lot of time on it at the start then, the next thing you know, you’re playing a tune,” he said.

“It’s like any instrument, you have to practice it to get something out of it.”

Banjos start from a few hundred pounds up to several thousands for a top-of-the-range model.

“They can be very expensive, a pre-war Gibson can cost a lot of money,” Jonathan said.

“There is no limit to how much you can spend.”

But he said anyone who’s thinking of taking up the banjo, even on a modest budget, should go ahead.

“So many people are interested in it – it’s an instrument that gets people curious – and I would encourage them to give it a go.

“There are so many ways to learn – through DVDs and the internet – that you don’t even need a teacher to start, you can pick up the instrument yourself.”

Though he added that the best way to learn, or to practice your skills, is to be in the room with another player.