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BrianBanjos - Posted - 11/10/2009: 07:38:24
The struggles of we newbie and intermediate players are well documented. But I'm interested in what the advanced / pro players on the hangout are currently working on in order to advance their playing, whether learning new techniques, striving to improve perfect some aspect of their playing, or whatever you are doing to "take it to the next level" or maybe just some place different. What are some of the challenges you face in doing that? How are you overcoming those challenges? I thought it might be illuminating for less experienced or accomplished players to see that the journey never ends.
Happy Pickin'
Brian Daniels
Deering Goodtime II
Deering Deluxe
No-Name Asian Rat from dear old Dad
Seagull SWS Maritime
Tacoma DR-28 Herringbone
Edited by - BrianBanjos on 11/10/2009 07:39:06
Julio B - Posted - 11/10/2009: 08:40:25
tone, timing, and note precision/clarity.
~Julio
minstrelmike - Posted - 11/10/2009: 09:28:43
I work on learning new songs and developing additional improv fingerings, stuff I can do at speed that makes sense to me, i.e. builds on stuff I already do to extend it to new capabilities.
I mostly practice full 4-string chord fingerings to develop lefthand dexterity and speed and comprehension of the song or chord relationships.
Mike Moxcey
http://moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/index.html
NINJO - Posted - 11/10/2009: 09:33:56
I am sitting in with a nationally touring band around Christmas so I will be learning their songs and praying I can keep up.
The best picker is the one having the most fun.
steve davis - Posted - 11/10/2009: 09:40:53
I find my playing evolving on its own if I play every day.
Especially playing with others.
Laurence Diehl - Posted - 11/10/2009: 09:59:04
I am not pro but I am going to horn in on this topic anyway...
I am currently working on my composition skills - I don't know if there is a way to practice coming up with nice melodies, but I have found that I improve just by doing it a lot. With experience, you quickly recognize what is not going to work, and discard it early in the process. New techniques - I develop "as needed" - in other words, I don't work on techniques without already having some use for them. If I am working on some variations for a fiddle tune for instance, I may have to develop some pretty wacky LH/RH fingerings just to get the notes I am hearing. I have learned a lot of new chord voicings this year, just by attempting some new jazz tunes. Speed, accuracy, tone etc. - if I practice 30mins a day, I find I can stay at the level I'm at. If I want to improve on that, I need 1-2 hours a day practice. Overcoming the challenges is the same for all of us I think - it's practice, but it's a very "focussed" practice. You get more out of practising when you can really zero in on the problems quickly, and know how to correct it. I think the more challenged I feel, the more I enjoy the experience, but bear in mind that playing simple and soulfully is also a challenge - maybe one of the hardest!
Cheers,
Laurence
It takes a lot to laugh, but it takes a train to cry
Banjophobic - Posted - 11/10/2009: 10:56:47
Im currently working on 'finding time to work on things,haha. This year has been pretty hectic with gigs/lessons and the repair shop. My goal is to find time this winter to actually get back into a serious practice regimine....
axsis - Posted - 11/10/2009: 12:23:33
Brianbanjos......great idea for a thread. and John thanks for continuing LOTW's
Cheers!
Don
GHohwald - Posted - 11/10/2009: 12:31:34
quote:
Originally posted by BrianBanjos
The struggles of we newbie and intermediate players are well documented. But I'm interested in what the advanced / pro players on the hangout are currently working on in order to advance their playing, whether learning new techniques, striving to improve perfect some aspect of their playing, or whatever you are doing to "take it to the next level" or maybe just some place different. What are some of the challenges you face in doing that? How are you overcoming those challenges? I thought it might be illuminating for less experienced or accomplished players to see that the journey never ends.
Happy Pickin'
Brian Daniels
Deering Goodtime II
Deering Deluxe
No-Name Asian Rat from dear old Dad
Seagull SWS Maritime
Tacoma DR-28 Herringbone
Geoff Hohwald http://www.freebanjovideos.comhttp://www.5dollarbanjolessons.com
GHohwald - Posted - 11/10/2009: 12:43:05
When I work on the banjo I generally will work on one song for 2 or 3 months. I will learn a basic arrangement and then add new licks and techniques on a trial and error basis. I record these ideas and listen to them over and over.
The other thing is drills where I play the same lick or group of measures over and over and listen to the timing and the accent. Once again I record these over and over and listen back to them. I will also lay down a rhythm track on the guitar at whatever speed I feel is most useful. When learning a new piece the first track is slow in the 65 to 70 range and then is gradually increased as I improve.
The last thing I practice on are what ever songs the band I'm playing with is working on.
One thing I avoid is trying to learn and keep in practice on songs that might be called out in a jam session. I feel that learning lot's of songs that I seldom play distracts me from working on technique.
In the case of playing in a band and having to play a particular song, if given a few days or more notice I can go on the internet on Youtube or find the tablature and then apply the technique and repitition I've been working on to playing a pretty good break.
The main drawback to this approach is if I get in a jam where people are playing a lot of fiddle tunes, generally I have to sit out more than half of them.
on quote:
Originally posted by BrianBanjos
The struggles of we newbie and intermediate players are well documented. But I'm interested in what the advanced / pro players on the hangout are currently working on in order to advance their playing, whether learning new techniques, striving to improve perfect some aspect of their playing, or whatever you are doing to "take it to the next level" or maybe just some place different. What are some of the challenges you face in doing that? How are you overcoming those challenges? I thought it might be illuminating for less experienced or accomplished players to see that the journey never ends.
Happy Pickin'
Brian Daniels
Deering Goodtime II
Deering Deluxe
No-Name Asian Rat from dear old Dad
Seagull SWS Maritime
Tacoma DR-28 Herringbone
Geoff Hohwald http://www.freebanjovideos.comhttp://www.5dollarbanjolessons.com
5stringpicker2 - Posted - 11/10/2009: 18:23:17
New variations to the songs I already know and to learn one/two new songs a week.
"There Can Be Only Only!"
(I )===='----<::)
http://tinyurl.com/c263xk
bob chappell - Posted - 11/11/2009: 03:15:06
The three T's - Touch, Tone, & Timing.
Tom Robison - Posted - 11/11/2009: 06:17:15
Even after 30+ years I still listen to and pick up subtle nuances from Earl and J.D. Amazing Slower Downer is great! I also spend time each day working on the 3T's. Then in my spare time I work on some original tunes from my band.
Tom
--"Who knows...the way things are going all our banjos may soon be pre-war"--
http://www.simonpurebluegrass.com/
lethegoodtimesroll - Posted - 11/11/2009: 15:34:04
it seems simple after playing for awhile I tend to practice playing the melody..tone and timing playing different keys without a capo.....thats alot to do. of course with a Drum machine.....If I wasnt so lazy I would work major ,minor scales and modes.
maryzcox - Posted - 11/11/2009: 18:40:49
Drumming On the Edge Of Banjo CD
Afro/Caribbean drumming with celtic clawhammer/southern Frailing Banjo.
We've been working almost a year and a half on this sound and hope to have it by the end of the year.
I've been immersed in percussion and all kinds of different banjos. :)
www.maryzcox.com
If you suspect you need a new banjo--you do. Trust your musical instincts. If a banjo calls to you to buy it, don't fight destiny. It was meant to be. :)
http://banjoquest.blogspot.com
Field videos of banjoists, banjos, tunes, and banjos in locations you may or may not have seen or heard before :)
tubaphone1927 - Posted - 11/11/2009: 22:25:10
Tone, timing, and lots and lots of scales.
liljoe - Posted - 11/11/2009: 23:16:05
So John,,,what would you be practicing or brushing up on?
Just nobody special
RonBlock - Posted - 11/15/2009: 12:47:12
I've been working on speed on certain rolls, eliminating tension that tends to creep in as my speed increases.
Also, refreshing my memory on F&S My Little Girl in Tennessee, using the Amazing Slow Downer.
"A professional dedicates himself to mastering technique...a professional accepts no excuses...a professional is prepared...a professional reinvents himself." Steven Pressfield, The War of Art.
joemac - Posted - 11/15/2009: 12:58:19
Not a pro, but a long time player, i am working on single string style and major/minor jazz passages..its a long but happy chore!!!!!
joemac
3fingers - Posted - 11/16/2009: 15:36:25
I'm working on backup to really slow songs to try to fill the spaces without using the same old tired backup.
Craig
http://www.myspace.com/borrowedtyme2
Come along down to the barnyard lets have us a little banjer pickin
Jeremiah 6:16
Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8 10:9, 10:13, 1st John 5:10-13.
KI4PRK - Posted - 11/16/2009: 18:02:31
Timing, sounding different from other banjo pickers, and playing hard driving bluegrass banjo in many keys without a capo, including the "off" keys such as Ab, Eb, E, etc.
73, Brennen
Bill Monroe (to Don Reno): Where's your capo, Don?
Don (to Bill): Where's yours?
Aaron Thomas - Posted - 11/16/2009: 21:38:51
I've been really focusing on playing backup.. trying to really get a natural sense of when to come in and out with dynamics when to roll when to play chordal stuff.. when to play low when to play high.. when to play light and easy and when to dig in and pick with drive.. also working on playing a good solid melody with a lot of clearity .. working on tone and timing..
gdoc - Posted - 11/16/2009: 21:47:44
I too am not a pro but have been playing a very long time, and finely Aaron Thomas said the magic word for me....Dynamics..... I was told long ago that really makes the song, and it seems it's the last thing a person learns.
gdoc
Chris Quinn - Posted - 11/17/2009: 08:52:13
I am working on:
- getting the best separation I can between my notes
- tone & dynamics
- solidifying my backward rolls; particularly for up the neck back-up
- making the melody clear in every solo; not letting my improv-brain stomp on the song
I would add that part of the "What are you working on?" question should always include "What are you listening to in order to focus what you are working on?"
I am currently listening to Tom Adams' work with the bands he played banjo in to get an overview of how a master plays in/with different bands. Recordings and bands include: (The Johnson Mountain Boys, Lynn Morris, Blue Highway, James King [two Rounder recordings], Audie Blaylock, Michael Cleveland, Jesse Brock, as well as Tom's solo projects). Tom is very adaptable and his playing always makes sense to me.
Chris Quinn
www.foggyhogtownboys.com
Tom Hanway - Posted - 11/17/2009: 17:50:50
Today I was working on a Randy Newman tune on guitar, hahaha, called 'Political Science' - a very tongue-in-cheek song to sing, with lots of cool jazz changes. I'm thinking I'll pull it out an Irish session to get people talking about me behind my back. No such thing as bad press. Hahahaha.
I also worked on an old Trischka tab of 'Cherokee Shuffle', which I had gotten away from. Tony really knows how to tab tunes!
Then I tabbed a few jigs for Mel Bay's Irish & Celtic Session Tunes for 5-String Banjo: Best-Loved Jigs and Reels, which is scheduled to be out in 2011, and completed very soon. I've been backsliding on that one ... ooops!
Oh, I was going over 'Fireball Mail' up the neck, getting up on my nails and playing with decided accents and going over an old harmony break, to fit with Earl's, my own thing, sort of breaking the rules by hitting the first string with both the index and middle fingers in succession. But who cares, it's a harmony break.
Happy pickin,
Tom Hanway
Please visit me on MySpace for Amazon, iTunes and Mel Bay stores.
Please see my homepage for digitized releases via Universal.
Nobody has all the tunes, but everybody has a piece of the tradition.
Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy. - W. B. Yeats
Edited by - Tom Hanway on 11/17/2009 17:52:52
eagleisland - Posted - 11/17/2009: 17:59:02
I've been watching this thread with interest.
If I might, the answer, as I see it, is this: if you read through carefully, the advanced and pro players are working on the BASICS. The essentials. Tone. Timing.
Yes, the occasional song might be mentioned - but only in the context of making tone, timing and tasteful playing better. Notice that no one said "I'm working on getting faster." No one said that they were working on a specific arrangement, or learning a tab, or anything else specific to a song. They're working on the things that makes a banjo sound great in their own hands.
I dig it.
eagleisland
"I was halfway to Old Kentucky when the drugs began to kick in." - Hunter S. Monroe
Couchie - Posted - 11/17/2009: 20:12:01
I working on playing clawhammer up the neck, I know that its not commonplace to do so, but I like the sound of clawhammer played high up the neck.
Don.
O=='=(::}
http://www.doncouchie.com
The KIDD - Posted - 11/17/2009: 20:56:19
Thought Id weigh in..Good to talk about what your workin on. Keeps ya motivated to FINISH a project..Im workin some improv for Lil Rock and Fluxology. AND some harmony/counter-melody for Goodbye Liza Jane for an up comin arr.Ill post soon...I hope.. Theres an exp. on my home page..For some reason ,I cant post a direct link anymore?.(no address in the window like in the good ole days )
http://www.myspace.com/johnkuhnbluegrass
midnightcall72 - Posted - 11/18/2009: 05:04:05
i have started working with a metronome recently just to see how far off i was, surprisingly not very, most of the time i keep good timing, i figured since i didnt have people to play with that i would end up slowing down and speeding up alot, but aside from a few places here and there, on i think it is just good practice all around to do it. i have noone to play with so i work on wierd stuff for my own enjoyment, i have garageband so i record them and listen to them myself, i have some strange rock songs worked out bluegrass, like sweet child of mine although i realize i am not the first one to think of that song, it actually lends itself to bluegrass very well, i am working on melt with you by modern english
Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
God is good.
Edited by - midnightcall72 on 11/18/2009 06:47:56
bhrb75 - Posted - 11/18/2009: 08:35:21
Working on getting the best tone from my banjo, Pedal Steel kickoffs to Merle Haggard songs, Don Reno tunes, and the material my band plays, along with the weekly study of Foggy Mountain Banjo.
B.
"He lives so far back in there, they had to roll 'em Martha White biscuits in in a wheelbar."
mbirdmusic@aol.com - Posted - 11/18/2009: 08:58:12
I am always working on timing, good tone, good backup that advances the song, new techniques, ie., triplets, celtic stuff. Always working on theory and chord substitutions and new tunes! Partita No.3 for solo violin by Bach currently. I also take tunes I have played for years and use them as a vehicle to try new techniques and ideas. Also working on finding more time to practice. Hope this helps! Glenn
Glenn
androo - Posted - 11/18/2009: 09:26:30
1) Listening. Really listening to the players that inspire me.
2) High quality practice time.
3) I joined a band that does many tunes that don't have banjo parts so I need to construct my own parts. I've learned a lot about the neck due to this work.
4) I try to play in as many jams with high caliber musicians as possible.
5) Exploratory noodling! Some great "discoveries" come from noodling.
Andrew Conde
Banjo Monkey
getoutthere - Posted - 11/18/2009: 10:13:56
I have also been trying to focus on playing cleanly, tone and note separation, but am wondering if others practice specific techniques to do this? For example, Tony Trischka had explained that for note separation you need to lift your finger for each note, even if the finger position remains the same. I'm not explaining it as well as he did, but hopefully that makes sense?
I guess I am asking how do you specifically practice playing cleanly/note separation?
"Will play Banjo for food, will stop playing banjo for money."
Banjocoltrane - Posted - 11/18/2009: 17:42:07
quote:
Originally posted by BrianBanjos
What are some of the challenges you face in doing that? How are you overcoming those challenges? I thought it might be illuminating for less experienced or accomplished players to see that the journey never ends.
Banjowise I'm working on writing songs. Other than that, just concentrating on how to be a better banjo instructor. Devising new methods, attempting them with students, etc. Guitar/Music Wise I'm working on two jazz songs in all 12 keys. I recently transcribed a Wynton Marsalis solo. I'm working on incorporating the things I learned via transcription into my own playing, namely vocabulary and rhythmic conception. Challenges faced-keeping it all in my brain, learning it but not being able to implement it at a jam or onstage Solved by doing it over and over and over..............sooner or later the neurons will waive the white flag :)
Edited by - Banjocoltrane on 11/18/2009 17:45:21
steve davis - Posted - 11/18/2009: 18:26:24
I'm working out the finer points of Woodchopper's Reel with my
fiddler friend Lise from the Gaspe Peninsula.
She's working on another tune with me,but can't think of
the name of it right now.It's kind of fancy.
banjer5 - Posted - 11/18/2009: 19:59:17
I would echo the comment that Pete Wernick wrote on a booklet I purchased from him "pick it solid". I work constantly at picking really clean and making each note as clear as possible. As I get older it becomes more difficult but it fills my practice time.
Erbus - Posted - 11/18/2009: 20:30:53
Now I shouldn't even be posting on this thread cause I sure ain't no pro, very interesting read though. I've been slowing down tunes I've played a LOT and doin something similar to what you seasoned pickers are doing, trying to make EVERY note clean, workin on those parts where I just kinda flub through them.
I also really agree with the quality noodling time post, you just gotta do that, surprising what you come up with sometimes.
Westvon - Posted - 11/20/2009: 09:12:53
I continue to work on my Scruggs style playing with either a drum machine or metronome, this I must do always!! Since I picked up the guitar again, I've been transcribing Mixolydian and pentatonic scales for the banjo. I have been learning more about blues and jazz, and have started playing it on the banjo. I've also been transcribing some of Bach and Beethoven's music into banjo tablature. Finally, I have been working on an exercise that guitar players utilize for better dexterity and movement about the neck. It's called "spidering." Here is an example of an exercise I came up with for the banjo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4-----5------ 6------7---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3----- 4----- 5-------6 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2----- 3----4------5---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1-----2----3-----4--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T I T I T I T I T I T I T I T I
Try to keep the fingers close to the fingerboard and make the transitions from fret to fret clean and smooth. Sit down in front of a mirror as you practice to see how smoothly your fingers move. This exercise is great for banjo players to learn how to play cleaner notes. There seems (at least to me) to be a direct correlation between sloppy playing, and an undisciplined left hand.
JoeZ - Posted - 11/20/2009: 10:20:33
I'm working on improving my playing on all the material I already know. Learning new songs as needed, or for my own amusement, has never really been a chore.
BobbyC. - Posted - 11/20/2009: 10:42:29
I've been working on just learning new songs to mix things up a bit. I'm already finding new things I'm learning are creeping into the songs I already know, which is what I was hoping for.
I bought several of Alan Munde's DVD's and they are definately pushing me to new things. Playing songs in Keys other than G without a capo is my main focus right now.
If you really want a good workout, get Alan's Pro Series called Fiddle Tunes IV. I don't know if I'll ever be able to learn all the songs on it but I'll be a better player for trying.
Ben Clark has recently posted some great new intermediate/advanced lessons on youtube that are worth checking out.
arnie fleischer - Posted - 11/20/2009: 15:11:51
The spaces between the notes, as always, and developing my own single-string mid-neck and upper neck scale exercises.
Miguel - Posted - 11/20/2009: 18:13:12
I have been working on celtic tunes from tom hanway's book - also trying to figure out some from ron cody's CD of celtic tunes. It forces you to use your fingers in new ways, and it opens up your ears to some new sounds, so when you go back to straight blue grass it just seems to make you sound better.
RB5 - Posted - 11/20/2009: 21:15:18
I have been working on technique also but I also have been trying to record some of my songs to put in my sound post but I am having a hard time with the program I am using called Audacity. It's a free download and I am not sure if it's my computer that is not fast enough or it's just that I am not understanding the program well enough. But I will plug away at it until I get the thing working. The stuff I am really working on lately is single note to note technique running up and down the neck using scales to tie in chords and licks.It is quite challenging to do this in a flawless way.
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