my chihuahua sits and listens to me play my banjo. Some times he will howl like a wolf when I hit certain notes. I dont know if he's howling in delight or misery! :)

RV6;  that's a good story. Do you think the wider nut is helping to eliminate the string interference while cording? I like the term "experienced citizens"; actually I'm just an "old fart ".

Andy

Edited by - Winnieff on 02/26/2012 07:45:55

quote:

---

Originally posted by Winnieff

RV6;  that's a good story. Do you think the wider nut is helping to eliminate the string interference while cording?

Andy

---

Andy,  I do think it is helping.  The nut is only 1/8" wider and, spread over 4 strings, doesn't seem like it would really accomplish that much but I think it is.  I think the lighter strings help, as well.  The loaner banjo I used for a couple of weeks took a lot of pressure on the strings which may have contributed to the problem.

My main experience is with the loaner but, a week ago, I was in Denver and strummed three different banjos (lowest cost RK, Goodtime and Goldtone open backs) and all were easier for me to play.  The Morgan Monroe is the easiest of the bunch and, to me, sounded better than the three I tried in Denver (with possibly the exception of the Goodtime) but, you have to take my inexperience into account when I say this.

The strings on the Monroe are also farther apart on the head and there was a noticeable difference between it and the loaner.  I don't know if this will be a problem down the road if I buy another banjo.  I'll try my teacher's banjos after I gain more experience to see if it's a problem.  I imagine I could go to a narrower bridge at some point if needed to reduce spacing over the head.

RV6

I started last week  - and this is my first instrument.   I am a few years younger than you, two to be exact.    I like that video by Patrick Costello that you mentioned - Thanks

I play 5 string banjo and teach occasionally, and this topic caught my eye.

It's very cool to see this thread. Two years ago I taught for a while and a 71 year old man from Jonesville, SC called and started taking lessons from me. He was left-handed so I found him a left handed banjo and we started. He was probably one of the most enthusiast students I've ever had!

Unfortunately he had palsy develop in his hands which prevented him from really being able to pursue the banjo. But is was a great experience for him and me both. I learned more from him than he learned from me...

Best of luck to you and enjoy! That's the key to the whole thing!!

Edited by - banjoy on 02/27/2012 06:03:26

Well I've finally hit the 50 hrs. of practice. Still having fun (and isn't this what it's all about). Things are progressing just fine says my teacher but yesterdays hour with my teacher was a disaster as far as I was concerned. I couldn't work my hands and brain properly and when I was changing chords I had to stop playing and look at my fingers to make, for example, a C cord. This I found very disturbing. My teacher also noticed my stopping at every chord change so one of my lessons before I see him next week is to work on this. I can get through "Good Night Ladies" with the slides but still there is the problem with cord changes. More practice needed for sure, for this old fart !!

I practice in my room upstairs and when I'm finished I ask my wife if she can hear me playing say "Good Night Ladies". She says she can't hear any melody, only a bunch of notes so I recorded my playing and sure enough it sounds like a bunch of notes.

Stay tuned and again, hope my journey is not too boring.

Andy 

Andy,

Our experiences are very similar. I've been doing bum-di-ty practice, 4 chord changes and left hand finger exercises. I have "Banjo in the Hollow" memorized and I'm almost there with a simple version of "Cripple Creek" (but it does have slides, PO's and hammer ons).

I had my third lesson yesterday (a check to make sure I wasn't learning something wrong) and my teacher complimented me on my chord changes and accuracy but then said he'd never heard those songs played that way! He said they were interesting tunes but not "clawhammery". I had neglected to practice the frailing strokes and to carry it over to the tune. I must admit I find the frailing practice to get very boring and have a tendency to want to move on to something that sounds like music. My wife is gone for the week to visit the grandson's and I intend to do right hand practice until I get it right!

I'm enjoying the Morgan Monroe and my teacher was impressed when he played it. It sure sounds better when he plays! I think the 1/8" wider nut isn't much of a factor (and, I discovered the spacing on the bridge is standard). I think my fretting fingers are just getting trained.

Due to lack of proper "brain to ring and middle finger" signal's, I still have some adjacent string buzz when making a "C" chord on occasion. Even though I've been religiously doing my left hand therapy, my P.T. says those problem fingers may never be 100% but I think I'm making a bit of progress. I did find that, if I extend the tip of my middle finger over the edge of the fret board a bit that I didn't have string interference on the third string when making a "C" chord.

RV6 (Bob)

Well here we are 6 weeks and 67 hours into my journey. I've started learning "Cripple Creek" and have about 10 hours work on it. Finally got all the tablature memorized and can play through it comfortably although I'm only at about 80bpm. I found the slides, pull offs and hammer ons were fairly easy to learn and play. My worst habit is looking down at my left hand picking the strings ( I'm a lefty with a left handed banjo ). Still see my instructor once a week and I am enjoying the banjo.

Stay tuned;

Andy  

As a fellow lefty player just stick with it.  You sound like you're doing great.  I struggled with chords for quite a while, but did not have the benefit of an instructor.  I will be at it 3 years come the end of the summer, and I wish I had recorded some stuff at the very beginning, because it would be fun to see the growth in the last few years.

Enjoy your playing - that's the main thing.

Congratulations Andy, as they say you are never too old to learn and you have definately proved that, there will always be days when you feel that things have not gone right with regard to your playing technique so never let it worry you, we all have bad days.

You will be an inspiration to many other players who are not certain whether to take up the banjo or not because of their age. after reading your forum post it will make their decision easier. all the best regards Lee



 

Edited by - ragitty on 03/26/2012 06:42:21

Thanks to all for the kind and encouraging words.

Andy

I have just found this thread and read it all with growing interest.

It brought back memories of my first attempts at Clawhammer:  looking at your fingers whilst trying to form chords, fingers covering two strings instead of one, having a disaster when trying to play in front of the teacher even though you practiced for hours and it all still went wrong.

Your comments Andy are just what I could have written so it seems that our experiences are quite universal  when learning.

All I can say is that it eventually all comes right if you keep at it.

Good luck mate.

 C Nyal; thanks for your post and encouragement.  My little dauchsand, Winnie, won't sit with me when I practice any more. Is she trying to tell me something ? ha, ha.

Andy

Edited by - Winnieff on 03/27/2012 08:04:42

Hi Andy,
My dachshund, Jack is 13 and pretty much stone deaf now. He has spent his entire life at my feet (under my feet, right exactly where I need to put my foot next, etc) and now he just sleeps through the banjo.
I enjoyed reading of your journey and I hope the installments continue. Everyone goes through the same things you mention. My advice is when you encounter a block, like smooth chord changing trouble, just take on an "I don't care" attitude and after a while, I bet you notice that it is happening automatically.

Well I'm 2 months and 87 hours (I keep a log) of practice into my saga and am really disappointed with my meeting with my instructor. I hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks and during this time I really buckled down and was determined to show him that I could get through Cripple Creek. I practiced and practiced for 2 weeks and thought I had it pretty well down pat. So when I saw him yesterday and showed him how well I could play it, all hell brook loose and I stumbled and made an utter disaster of it; actually I was very embarrassed. How could I play this tune all the way through a couple of hours before and make such a mess of it a couple of hours later???? During our 1 hour session I couldn't even form a simple C cord without a struggle.  My instructor said I was being too hard on myself and to only look back 2 months ago and what I knew then (nothing) and to see how far I'd come since then.

So I'm at it again; practice, practice, practice.  

Stay tuned for my further musical adventures.

Andy

What a great thread.  You're a hero, Andy.

Although I find your observations interesting it may be that you are overly concerned with "practice" and "progress" and not concerned enough with just playing, for enjoyment. When you pick up your instrument just to play a tune and can enjoy it for your own pleasure, not for your teacher or your wife,,,,,, at that point progress may start speeding up.

I believe that at around 90 hours practice time you are not experienced enough to expect any great breakthrough..... Maybe at 500 hours When you pick up your instrument and without thinking bat out a tune, however simple.

I am a few years older than you,,,, have been playing since maybe 2005, am teaching myself,,, and have found learning is much slower (more difficult?) than it was in my 30s. I have other health issues which may slow me down but progress is still possible however gradual.

One of the benifits of age is the development of determination,,, which I never had as a young person and also patience.

Time for a diary entry; the occasion? - reached the 100 hr. practice session.

Well the journey is continuing. I'm working on "Blackberry Blossom" right now and have the A part memorized. Starting to feel like I'm accomplishing a lot . My fingers are no longer muting adjacent strings while playing the cords. My instructor gave me 2 more chords to learn; the F and the D. Now this is going to be a real challenge using  4 fingers !!!  Today I installed 3 spikes at the 7th, 9th and 10th frets; turned out to be no problem installing them. I still have my bad days practicing but I have some great days when everything seems to come together. I have yet to miss a day practicing since I started back in Feb.

Stay tuned

Andy

Hey I'm 72 and had my first banjo lesson a few weeks ago. I bought the instrument a few years back and dabbled on and off. Now I'm full bore. Like others, I took up music (sax) seriously at 66 after 3 years of health issues. No more health issues and I've since joined two community bands and am in a sax trio. Before you know it I'll be jammin' with my banjo and harmonica (took that up also after 65).

abarten;  that's great. 

Andy

Winnieff:

I find it interesting that when you first started wanting to play the banjo, you began with clawhammer style. Then you found a teacher who took you in a very different direction...... 3 finger style with rolls and multiple chords. Is this the direction you want to go, or are you just fine with the change?

When I first bought my banjo I thought clawhammer was the way I wanted to go and that's how I started this thread under the clawhammer forum. When I found my teacher we talked about which way to go and we both agreed to go the 3 finger method. I think now after 3 months that this was the correct method for me and I'm completely happy the way things are moving along. (Slowly but steadily). Wish I had started years ago.

Andy

Andy, I just started three months ago and I bet we have the same Mel Bay book - I couldn't find a teacher until last week and had my first lesson yesterday. He played some clawhammer and I actually liked it more than the three-finger style but I don't know if I can learn it as easily. I will check out that video. I also have a dachshund - two actually-- and they run upstairs when they ehar me pick up Josephine (my banjo). Isn't it funny how we have to find ways to practice so as not to bother people? How considerate we are. I will keep checknig in with you and it's never too late to learn. When older students come into my college courses and make jokes about being too old to learn, I always ask them to check their pulse. They look at me funny. I say, "Go ahead, check it." So they put their fingers on their wrist and then I say "As long as you have that pulse, it is not too late to learn." Same goes for me.