nosepickerbob - Posted - 07/22/2016:  15:27:49

I originally posted 4 months into my banjo playing.

It's now been 7 months since I started playing.

Please let me know how my timing is and how my tone is.

These are all first takes.

Thanks for all the advice,

Nose.

Edited by - nosepickerbob on 07/22/2016 16:14:07

Foggy Mountain Breakdown	Nine Pound Hammer	The Ballad of Jed Clampett	Cumberland Gap
Shortnin' Bread

Bill Rogers - Posted - 07/22/2016:  17:05:20

You need to work on your right-hand timing.  If you can't find a solid guitarist to play with, try playing with a metronome or along with recordings.  And slow down the fast ones a bit.

kmwaters - Posted - 07/22/2016:  17:26:48

I second Bill's comments above. Overall you are doing great for the amount of time you are into banjo. Keep up the good work. The metronome is often overlooked and I don't know why. It is a great tool to get the feeling of evening out the tempo. Without it you will be speeding up then slowing down constantly throughout a song. I think this comes from certain little rolls being easier for us than others, so they are played more slowly.

firemx220 - Posted - 07/22/2016:  18:36:42

Try grass trax. They give you chord progression and the song at several different speeds. Just put in your instrument and it will eliminate that one from the band.

Blackjaxe47 - Posted - 07/22/2016:  21:24:40

At 7 months you are doing really well, however as Bill Rogers already mentioned you need to work on your timing. Accentuation of certain melody notes and the timing of them is critical in making the song sound right. Grass Trax is a perfect tool for helping you get into the proper timing of a song. I also think your too engrossed with speed, songs like Cumberland Gap are played at breakneck speed but others like Ballad of Jed Clampett should be slowed down.
Keep it up your doing really well for only 7 months, it shows you have drive and dedication and are putting in the practice time required....just need to fix that timing issue.

nosepickerbob - Posted - 07/22/2016:  21:34:59

Thanks for all the advice.

I'll continue to practice along with songs and focus on bringing out the melody and savoring notes

rather than over piling on them with too much speed.

Thanks alot guys,

Nose.

thisoldman - Posted - 07/23/2016:  08:58:37

First of all, I applaud you putting yourself out there on the forum for all to hear.  Some 19 months in to my Scruggs style journey, I am not confident enough to put anything out there to hear, much less comment on.  You obviously have more talent (even at your age) that I have (or may ever have), so it will be interesting to see how you are doing when you post the next time. You have obviously learned from reading the posts, as you write about bringing out the melody, savoring the notes and checking your speed -- good for you!  Still consider myself a beginner and I am thinking that clean picking, good tone, and solid timing are the things that separate the wannabes like me and those who have "arrived" as a banjo player.  And don't forget to pay attention to other aspects of learning, like music theory and playing good backup, as those are the things that separate the players from the musicians.

thisoldman - Posted - 07/23/2016:  10:04:49

One thing I forgot to mention is something somebody pointed out to me here early on in my banjo journey, the difference between songs and tunes.  I think of tunes as primarily instrumentals, like Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Fireball Mail, etc. Songs, on the other hand, are meant to be sung.  I play a easy version of Pig in a Pen, about half (or less) of the speed you are playing, as I am playing it at a pace that would be suitable for a singer.  I attended my first festival last summer and one of the things I took away from that experience was that most of the songs were played at a moderate pace because, well, the playing accompanied the singing.

LisaSimpson - Posted - 07/23/2016:  16:20:33

Other than the timing issue, which gets everyone the first year, it sounds promising. 

jeffnles1 - Posted - 07/25/2016:  20:10:40

I've been playing for just a little over a year and I can't play as well as you're doing after 7 months. On the other hand, I've played guitar for about 30 years so take this critique from a guitar player's point of view. What others said about timing is true. I would suggest rather strongly that you slow it down a little. It's easier to pick the melody and work on the timing if you're not running to a fire.

Keep it up brother, you're doing fine.

Jeff