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Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/199104
Ukeridge - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:06:15
Hello, my BHO friends: I'm giving you the rare opportunity to completely shape how I spend time on my banjo for the next five years or so. I am the father of two girls (four-years-old and four-months old). As expected, my practice time has shrunk from at least an hour a day and often two to never more than an hour a day, sometimes none. It's infuriating, but there it is. A wiser man might put the instrument aside, but I just can't . . . I'm an addict.
I wondering which of the following you think is the most important to pursue. You should probably know where I am: Been playing for two years. I do play in a non-bluegrass band (though we do some banjo tunes: Earl's Breakdown, Flint Hill Special, etc), but it's not too taxing. Don't have time for jams right now, but certainly one of my goals is to be a competent player at one. Backup, improv, song knowledge, etc. I know the basics of theory from years of guitar playing. Learned the lead parts to maybe 100 tunes, many of which I've forgotten. I learn from tab as well as slowing tunes down, but I don't think I have a great ear for melody.
So, should I focus on:
1) Better learning the songs I know. That would include adding breaks (my own), trying to get them more solid, making sure I can play a good backup.
2) Just playing backup
3) Just trying to develop the ear so I can use the phrases I know to play songs spontaneously (but how to practice such a thing alone?)
4) Work on higher theory, fret board knowledge.
5) Better develop my (now paltry) melodic and/or single string playing
6) Just get my right hand as solid as can be
7) Learn more tunes
8) Anything else
Obviously the answer SHOULD be "all of the above." But since time is now a premium, efficiency is of the essence. Oh how I long to have hour upon hour for the banjo, to practice everything a thousand times over. But it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.
Thanks for the help!
Oh, I should add: I'm on the Tony Trischka site, but, of course, am having a tough time finding time to use it properly.
Edited by - Ukeridge on 02/09/2011 10:15:17
steve davis - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:13:06
Some formal lessons w/teacher either in person or on line.
Efficient focus.
steve davis - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:17:35
If you can't play every day,it's very tough to make progress.
banjoman56 - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:24:17
If you only want one answer, I would go with no. 3. Develop your ear. Listen to the songs you want to learn over and over till they become very familiar before attempting to play them and it should be much easier. Of course when you do have spare time you could work on other things, or better still try Steve's advice and get a good teacher .
archtop717 - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:27:27
Well, if I were your teacher, I would say all of the above. Don't worry about speed and work on playing clean and even. Jam, Jam and Jam some more. Get out there a play with others as much as possible, that is the key to your progress. Remember, don't care so much what others think about your playing, have fun. Get a teacher to make sure you are on the right path and have no bad habits that could get you down as you try to progress. KEEP PICKIN ! 
minstrelmike - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:36:28
I would work on learning tunes from scratch.
If you play regularly on your own, your skills won't deteriorate. And if you play in a band, they'll stay up-to-snuff.
I always recommend working thru fake books of real, every day songs everyone listens to, Hits of the 80s, Beatles, Grateful Dead, campfire tunes.
For your situation, I would start on children's songs. Pluck them out and get them working in simple banjo style and then make them more bluegrassy. There will be more learning encoded in that process than in anything else I can think of. Don't learn bluegrass tunes that somebody else has already arranged on the banjo. Do it yourself.
There is some sheet music/tab on this page for some simple tunes: moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/readm...ndex.html
and words and chords on this one: moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/songs/index.html
And as an extra bonus, here are some tips on playing music in schools. I got started when my kids were in pre-school and it's a blast. moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/shows/index.html
Slick Salmon - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:38:41
I don't know the correct answer, but faced with a similar crisis at a similar point in my development, I focused on #2.
GHohwald - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:39:57
I have gone for long periods with little time to play. When I do practice I will generally focus 50% of my playing on one song. Sitting onTop of The World and You Don't Know My Mind are 2 such examples. So I will play that song for 6 months to a year with 2 focal points:
1. Try different licks with the arrangement.
2. Work on the intros and specific licks to improve my timing and technique.
My feeling is that if you have good technique and timing that that you can learn songs as needed. So if you needed to learn 3 or 4 songs for a performance in 2 or 3 weeks you would just locate a good tab and memorize it. Playing 30 or 40 songs well is better than playing 100 or 200 with flaws.
Your playing is always judged on the song you just played. So if you only knew one song but could play it like Earl Scruggs people would think of you as a top notch banjo player. If you know 50 songs and they had issues, after playing only one of those songs you would be thought of as a banjo player with issues. Once you can play one song well it is now possible to work on playing a second song well using the same method of practice and so forth. Once you hit a high standard on one song it is possible to transfer that to a second song. If you learn new songs before mastering the old you will always be an average player.The other day I was riding along and thought.. Is there one lick that I can play as well as Earl Scruggs. ie if I took a recording of Earl and edited in a lick of my own and played it back would it have the same tone and timing as Earl? After thinking about it.
I 'm not sure if there are any licks that I play as well as Earl but in attempting to perfect one of Earl's licks my playing in general would improve.
quote:
Originally posted by Ukeridge
Hello, my BHO friends: I'm giving you the rare opportunity to completely shape how I spend time on my banjo for the next five years or so. I am the father of two girls (four-years-old and four-months old). As expected, my practice time has shrunk from at least an hour a day and often two to never more than an hour a day, sometimes none. It's infuriating, but there it is. A wiser man might put the instrument aside, but I just can't . . . I'm an addict.
I wondering which of the following you think is the most important to pursue. You should probably know where I am: Been playing for two years. I do play in a non-bluegrass band (though we do some banjo tunes: Earl's Breakdown, Flint Hill Special, etc), but it's not too taxing. Don't have time for jams right now, but certainly one of my goals is to be a competent player at one. Backup, improv, song knowledge, etc. I know the basics of theory from years of guitar playing. Learned the lead parts to maybe 100 tunes, many of which I've forgotten. I learn from tab as well as slowing tunes down, but I don't think I have a great ear for melody.
So, should I focus on:
1) Better learning the songs I know. That would include adding breaks (my own), trying to get them more solid, making sure I can play a good backup.
2) Just playing backup
3) Just trying to develop the ear so I can use the phrases I know to play songs spontaneously (but how to practice such a thing alone?)
4) Work on higher theory, fret board knowledge.
5) Better develop my (now paltry) melodic and/or single string playing
6) Just get my right hand as solid as can be
7) Learn more tunes
8) Anything else
Obviously the answer SHOULD be "all of the above." But since time is now a premium, efficiency is of the essence. Oh how I long to have hour upon hour for the banjo, to practice everything a thousand times over. But it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.
Thanks for the help!
Oh, I should add: I'm on the Tony Trischka site, but, of course, am having a tough time finding time to use it properly.
Edited by - GHohwald on 02/09/2011 10:41:38
Ukeridge - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:48:48
quote:
Originally posted by GHohwald
Your playing is always judged on the song you just played. So if you only knew one song but could play it like Earl Scruggs people would think of you as a top notch banjo player.
O.D. - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:51:50
I have a limited amount of time to practice as well.
I mostly try to work out tunes by ear.
I find the melody and try to work up arrangements.
I usually spend a bit of time on the familiar songs as well in an attempt to maintain right hand dexterity.
Good luck
Regards, O.D.
Ukeridge - Posted - 02/09/2011: 10:55:29
quote:
Originally posted by minstrelmike
And as an extra bonus, here are some tips on playing music in schools. I got started when my kids were in pre-school and it's a blast. moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/shows/index.html
gradelyduck - Posted - 02/09/2011: 11:00:44
In your position I would buy a couple of ukes for the girls and a pair of maracas. Perhaps your wife might like a parlour guitar or a tenor uke. When you pick up your 'jo let your family know they're welcome to join in. You'll get the chance to keep your hand in and encourage the family to play.
wb4yal - Posted - 02/09/2011: 11:38:15
I have limited time due to major obligations that keep me very busy. I would recommend 3,6,7 IMHO!
BanjoFlyboy - Posted - 02/09/2011: 12:44:36
Put those kids up for adoption, and get with the pick'n. Just kidding!
pcfive - Posted - 02/09/2011: 17:04:59
I think this is a good question because we all want to use our practice time efficiently, no matter how much time we have. I have about 2 hours a day for practice, and I spend most of it playing songs I already know well. My reasoning is that playing songs I know lets me focus my attention on tone and timing, rather than wondering what note to play next. When you are learning new songs, or practicing improvising, your attention is on playing the right notes.
There is an infinite amount to learn about the banjo and it's easy to go off on tangents. Those of us who are still in the early years have to focus on tone and timing, in my opinion. And the easiest most efficient way of doing that, for me, is playing songs I know.
At least half of the time I play with backup recordings, in order to focus on timing. And I also play without any backup in order to focus on tone (I can't hear the tone as well if I'm playing with a recording).
Besides that I jam several hours a week so I get experience with backup and improvising.
Anyone who does not play banjo would probably say I am spending a lot of time on this. But of course, we all know that no amount of time is too much when you are learning bluegrass banjo.
banjoak - Posted - 02/09/2011: 17:51:17
Much depends on what you want. Many of those things kind of come together, while consciously working on one thing you end up working on another.
Been there with young kids. I would suggest that not all the practice has to be with banjo in hand. The car, among other places, proves to be a great place to practice. Listening deeply to what's going on with the banjo on recordings and getting it in your head. Not just how the tunes go, but rhythm and articulation. You can also work on improvisation skills, making your own breaks and get them in your head. Many good banjo players can hear in their head the break they want to play. so just think of a song, and imagine or hum/diddle out loud different break ideas. Borrow and steal from other tunes. One thing you develop is called intuitive insight, which will help you in many aspects, from rhythm to chords to articulation to the ability to pick up tunes quickly.
Then when you pick up the banjo you can focus your attention on how to create the sounds in your head. IMO it makes learning any technique much easier, you can immediately notice if you are doing it right (as opposed to kind of right without really having a solid feel for what it's supposed to be)
thetexan - Posted - 02/09/2011: 20:31:25
Yes, in this order...
2) Just playing backup
4) Work on higher theory, fret board knowledge.
6) Just get my right hand as solid as can be
2) Just playing backup
1) Better learning the songs I know. That would include adding breaks (my own), trying to get them more solid, making sure I can play a good backup.
3) Just trying to develop the ear so I can use the phrases I know to play songs spontaneously (but how to practice such a thing alone?)
5) Better develop my (now paltry) melodic and/or single string playing
2) Just playing backup
7) Learn more tunes
2) Just playing backup
2) Just playing backup
2) Just playing backup
8) Anything else as long as its backup
tex
Rob Bourassa - Posted - 02/09/2011: 23:45:56
If you play guitar, make some slow backing tracks, and learn how to pick along and experiment changing it up once in awhile, or have a guitar player lay down tracks for you. Cycle the same phrases, over and over, at different speeds, so you can get used to subtle changes, and really define your playing.
Bart Veerman - Posted - 02/10/2011: 06:48:11
#9 - fun. Forget all the other stuff and start having some fun on that banjo already. Sing songs to your kids and do whatever on the banjo that makes your kids have a good time.
From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/10/2011: 07:17:01
[quote]Originally posted by GHohwald
Once you hit a high standard on one song it is possible to transfer that to a second song.
I 'm not sure if there are any licks that I play as well as Earl but in attempting to perfect one of Earl's licks my playing in general would improve.
Geoff,
Thanks for the advice and encouragement to keep working at it.
Ken
sdevries - Posted - 02/10/2011: 07:51:05
I've been in this situation. Fortunately when I got married, I was playing in a gospel band and still am 20 years later. So I had an excuse to practice some.
I rarely got to jams which today I am convinced is absolutely essential to improving as a musician. I wish I had done more before I got married.
I've got 4 kids between 12 and 18.
So I would suggest:
NEVER put your banjo away!!! If it's sitting out, you will find scraps of time to pick which may on occasion turn into a practice session.
Try and work more songs where you play banjo into your existing band. Not all bluegrass songs but try to play in the context of what the band is doing. It will pull you out of standard bluegrass licks. It will force your playing to change by disciplining it to someone else's ideas. It's not comfortable at first but it keeps things interesting.
Try to find a festival that the whole family can attend and enjoy. I've been going to a festival in New Salem State Park in Illinois for about 25 years with my band. My wife and kids have been with almost every year. They all enjoy it. Bluegrass festivals have the friendliest people around. We have friends that we see there every year. It is an event! This immerses your kids in the music culture. Also, while I enjoy almost all the pickers, get your kids around the youngest ones. Let them see other kids participating (and usually playing the coolest stuff). The end result (hopefully) is that you get to jam some without ditching the family and you are building for the future of your kids in music.
My boys (12 and 17) play guitar very well now and attend at least a jam a month with me. The oldest one is just starting to get comfortable with improvising. My girls play fiddle and don't enjoy jamming so much but do play at a yearly fiddle contest. They have all performed together in church and on stage at New Salem and a local jam. So I get to enjoy picking AND time with my kids.
( I know your girls are young but they will be old shortly; and you'll be older). ;-)
I also have a hard time remembering all my tunes. I always try to have at least one tune in the work-up process.
Since most of the stuff at jams are songs, I would work on learning how to quickly come up with a simple break that follows the words of the song. Pick any simple song and work out the solo. Most songs are pretty simple. Don't forget the keys of C and D. The more you do it, the faster they'll come. I go to a jam where sometime I'm the only banjo player and I get invited on stage with many of the groups. Many times I don't even know what they're going to play. Most of the time it's embarrassing but it's always exhilarating and I'm getting better at it.
I could probably think of more but my 12-year old is playing Blackberry Blossom right now and I have to go share the experience! Good luck!
Scott
Rich Weill - Posted - 02/10/2011: 07:54:13
I think your post answers your own question, when it says "I don't think I have a great ear for melody." You've identified what you regard as your current principal weakness. So I vote for No. 3.
You ask: "how to practice such a thing alone?" Follow Mike's advice: "For your situation, I would start on children's songs. Pluck them out and get them working in simple banjo style and then make them more bluegrassy. There will be more learning encoded in that process than in anything else I can think of."
Take a simple song. It needn't be a "children's song" as such, as long as it's a simple song you already know how to sing. Strum the chords first. Then, while holding the appropriate chords, try to pick out the melody. It's a good idea to hold the chords while you do this because (a) much of the tune will be in the chord, (b) if it's not in the chord, it will be near the chord, and (c) holding the chords while playing the melody makes the transition to the next step -- working the melody into rolls -- that much easier.
Faster than you think, your ear and fingers will begin to coordinate.
thetexan - Posted - 02/10/2011: 23:30:43
Did I mention backup?
I dont know anything about you or your state of banjo but I can say emphatically that you do not know, understand or practice backup as well as you should.
Backup capability is ALL IMPORTANT....but.....I dont think you heard me.....
I said ALL IMPORTANT. One more time for effect. Backup banjo is (almost) the only thing!
Because all that makes up proficiency and mastery of the instrument is studied in the art of backup. To master backup requires mastery of all aspects of playing and knowledge. By THOROUGHLY, systematically and methodically mastering backup artistry in all of its areas you master the whole instrument INCLUDING lead.
For many, learning songs is the method of learning the instrument but this leads to deficiencies and gaps in training. A great lead picker cannot necessarily play backup well. The reverse is almost never true. The very nature of mastering backup ensures that almost all banjo skill sets are learned, including the ability to play leads well. At that point learning a lead or solo is simply an exercise in memory. The artistry and techniques have already been learned.
(..there has to be some way to not have to keep repeating this same speech......)
By practicing, learning, and MASTERING backup you will aquire all of the skills necessary to round out your competency on the instrument. Learning songs do not have this same attribute.
Here is Uncle Tex's Grand Unified Galactic Law of the Banjo.....
You will play backup 90-95 per cent of the time....you will play solos or lead breaks 5-10 per cent of the time.
Here is Uncle Tex's Corollary to the Grand Galactic Law...
A very large percentage of the banjo players on the planet are improficient or incompetent at backup banjo and therefore improficient or incompetent 90-95% of the time in their use of the instrument.
As a banjo player, you will make your reputation on what you do 95% of the time, not on what you do 5% of the time.
If you do this to play with others.....if you enjoy being part of an ensemble in jams....if you want to be useful as a instrumentalist to other instrumentalists...if you want to be masterful 90-95% of the time rather than just dazzling the folks 5-10% of the time.....
Learn, study, apply, study more, practice, practice more, and study and master
backup banjo. It is an art unto itself. The rest will fall into place with ease.
tex
Edited by - thetexan on 02/10/2011 23:45:40
Rich Weill - Posted - 02/11/2011: 06:42:35
quote:This depends on how you "learn songs." If you learn songs by working with the chord progression first, and then adding the melody, you're actually exploring both backup and lead at the same time.
Originally posted by thetexan
For many, learning songs is the method of learning the instrument but this leads to deficiencies and gaps in training.
hobogal - Posted - 02/11/2011: 10:55:25
I'm with Bart, make time for 'off-days' when you just play whatever you feel like in the moment and have fun. Stress too much about making progress and it kills the enjoyment.
chuckk - Posted - 02/11/2011: 11:03:32
I go with:
3) Just trying to develop the ear so I can use the phrases I know to play songs spontaneously (but how to practice such a thing alone?)
4) Work on higher theory, fret board knowledge.
I feel like, if you don't have those, all the technique exercises will just help you learn to play other people's stuff better. #3 in particular makes a huge difference between someone who plays sometimes and a good musician. You can use almost any song; it should be in some kind of Western tuning, and ideally have notes within the range of the instrument. Figger it out, rinse, repeat.
-Chuckk
pcfive - Posted - 02/11/2011: 11:41:20
quote:
Originally posted by Rich Weillquote:This depends on how you "learn songs." If you learn songs by working with the chord progression first, and then adding the melody, you're actually exploring both backup and lead at the same time.
Originally posted by thetexan
For many, learning songs is the method of learning the instrument but this leads to deficiencies and gaps in training.
Scruggspeg - Posted - 02/11/2011: 12:48:09
Echoing a couple of earlier posts - play the banjo for your kids. I went through this many years ago, just exactly what your doing right now, and had a blast playing for the kids as they grew up. Children are so responsive to music, and you will get a tremendous amount of satisfaction watching them dance to the music and singing along. Nothing is more fun, and I sincerely mean this, than to play "Old MacDonald's Farm" for a group of kids with all the animals being given their just due. I have been playing for young school groups for years and it is so much fun and rewarding. And who knows, you may just be the right inspiration to a young child to fall in love with the gift of music. Don't dwell on what to learn...just play and share the gift you already own. You are a lucky guy!
thetexan - Posted - 02/11/2011: 15:03:22
Here is a good analogy.
Let's say I sit my daughter down in front of a piano; she knows nothing about the piano; and put a piece of sheet music in front of her and tell her "figure out how to relate what's on the page to the keys and learn this song". After three or four weeks she brings me in and plays the theme to Romeo and Juliet.
Here is the question....does she know how to play the piano? If you ask me I will tell you no, she knows how to operate the piano by memory for a very precise short amount of time. Beyond that, no. However, if you as a passerby the same question, they might say she is a maestro! The difference is that I KNOW the extent of her capabilities, the passerby doesn't and is fooled into a false assessment of her mastery based on a short limited performance.
If you ask "has she learned anything?" the answer is yes, of course. However, trying to learn the piano by learning to play songs, one after another, although imparting a certain rudamentary level of knowledge, will not ensure a thorough coverage of the areas needed to achieve mastery of the instrument.
In fact, one would not tolerate the hit and miss method of learning most instument students (guitar, banjo, accordian, etc) use if applied to a math course, or flying lesson, or biology lab in med school or almost any other formal learning setting. This is because it is intuitive to all of us that competency comes from thorough learning and thorough learning requires a methodically, systematically complete syllabus of some kind. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT YOU WILL NOT LEARN SOMETHING. Everytime you do anything, mow the grass, get up from your chair and walk across the room, or learn a song, you learn SOMETHING.
That is not the point. The point is whether learning to play the banjo by simply learning songs will result in the mastery achieved by thoroughly studying the banjo and all aspects of its play.
It will not. So, is there some form of banjo play that, in order to do well, requires a much more thoroughly learned expertise? The answer is yes, there happens to be. And that is the style we call backup. The study of backup banjo, if it is to be mastered, requires an almost complete understanding of the entireity of mechanics and techniques of banjo play. Because of this, the study of backup (assuming you want to be good at it and strive toward that goal) serves as a very good syllabus in the pursuit of banjo competency.
The entire encyclopedia of backup techniques and skills is enormous, varied, and must be mastered to claim banjo competency. But it doesn't seem as 'glorious' as learning and playing a song as a solo. This, as it turns out, is a tragic, progress stiffling misperception. Most players learn songs because it can be done solo, which is conducive to most situations we find ourselves in, that is, by ourselves. So naturally we try to learn something we can do by ourselves, ergo, solos.
This is wonderful right up until you get in an ensemble situation and others are not as interested in all of the solos you know. They want to play some of THEIR solos. This means about 90 or 95 percent of the time you and your banjo can either contribute to the concert of music or sit it out and think about how improficient you are. Dont worry if you cant contribute with proficient backup, thousands of pickers find themselves in this situation, and if that is your goal then at least, in fullfilling that, you will be successful.
This is why I preach about spending a huge majority of time learning the skills necessary to play proficient backup, because that will ensure the probability of well-rounded proficiency much quicker and more thoroughly than simply learning fancy tunes.
Learn solos for fun, excitement, self-fulfillment and variety. Learn backup if you want to learn how to play the banjo. If you learn to play backup with the enthusiasm and mastery of some of those solos you slaved over you will be a star the 95 percent of the time you play your instrument as backup as well as the 5 percent of the time you play a fabulous solo!
Then you will be on your way to becoming a top flight banjo player. If you dont believe me, listen carefully to some of the masters as they play backup. Their backup contribution is every bit as artful and wonderous as the solos they play.
tex
Edited by - thetexan on 02/11/2011 15:32:18
pcfive - Posted - 02/11/2011: 17:00:49
tex,
One problem with your statement is you assume everyone who is learning banjo knows nothing about music. However, many of us played other instruments our whole lives, especially guitar. So if we know how to accompany singing by playing guitar chords, then we already knew something about playing backup, and rhythm.
I have trouble understanding exactly what you are saying, because you don't really say what specific skills you are talking about. I don't understand exactly how backup skills differ from the skills needed for playing songs.
If what you are really saying is that beginners should not memorize a bunch of songs from tabs, then I agree completely. But it seems like you are not just saying that.
There are other teachers and experienced players at this forum who think practicing songs is fine. I am not trying to argue with you, just want to understand.
thetexan - Posted - 02/11/2011: 18:04:49
Here is what I am saying and I will try to be very clear.
1. I AM NOT assuming everyone does not know anything about music.
2. There are 'x' amount of skills used in the COMPETENT, PROFICIENT AND MASTERFUL AND EXPERT use of the banjo. Let's say there is 100 skills to learn. To play leads well require, say, (only for discussion, not argument) 20 of those skills. To play backup expertly require 100 of those skills. Lead skills are a subset of the whole, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. (caps are for emphasis, not emotion). So to learn the banjo well you must go beyone just learning songs or leads. You must STUDY the entire banjo.
3. The OP asked what he should concentrate on. The answer to this question is almost always backup. ALMOST ALWAYS! ALMOST, 100% OF THE TIME!
4. New players almost always neglect backup.
5. Backup is the single most neglected, yet most important aspect of banjo proficiency.
Listen to this carefully. It isnt backup, per se, that is the goal, IT IS THE PURSUIT AND AQUIRING OF THE SKILLS NECESSARY TO PLAY BACKUP, that is important, as opposed to the same with leads or individual songs.
I just dont know how much more clear I can be to express myself.
And, by the way, I have never said not to learn songs. Read my post again.
tex
pcfive - Posted - 02/11/2011: 18:32:05
Ok, well, just trying to understand. I am trying to learn the skills in an efficient way, and working hard at it. I want to understand exactly what all the different teachers here say. I definitely agree that backup is important. I still don't quite get your message but probably never will. I don't think you quite get my point about the importance of mindless repetition, which to me is the most essential aspect of practice. Yes, intellectual understanding is helpful also, but most of our practice hours should be spent acquiring muscle memory. It seems to me. I think this has been working for me, and I think some others here might agree.
I am learning where the chords and notes are, gradually, but not making a point of it. The main thing I have been trying to learn in the past 2 years is how to make it sound like a banjo. That is the real challenge for me.
And within the past week or so the recordings I made are actually beginning to sound like a banjo, it seems to me.
I play backup at jam sessions and some of that also counts as mindless repetition. However, when playing backup I am more likely to think and try to figure out what to play next. That thinking can interfere with concentration on timing and tone.
Just my eccentric opinion, I am not entirely sure what I am talking about. I think I am getting somewhere though. I have no doubt I made progress. Would some other method have been more efficient and effective? I have no idea.
thetexan - Posted - 02/11/2011: 18:43:46
pc,
you are absolutely correct about repetition, it is essential to learning any physical skill.
WildJimbo - Posted - 02/11/2011: 19:04:02
After reading through the posts I tend to agree with Bart. You're kids are your main responsibility and your efforts there will be rewarded. Take all the time you have with your kids. The banjo, have fun with that.
Do you really want to take the next 5 years working on stuff that may or may not be so much fun? While I agree that back-up is essential, and you need to spend a good bit of time (at some point) working on it, I still think if my time was limited I'd be more inclined to just do things I enjoy. There's enough work to be done around us without making the banjo part of that work.
Find some jams, go, have fun. Your playing will improve despite a concentrated focus on one or two things. Guess what, by attending and just applying what little backup you might already know, your backup playing will improve too.
Ukeridge - Posted - 03/06/2011: 18:23:14
Well, such is the all consuming family life that I've long put off thanking everyone for their input on this. Rest assured---the kids come first. They get more than heaps of my time and I have not (yet) traded their future for a better banjo.
tassiespirit - Posted - 03/09/2011: 04:42:45
Change your priorities. If it is important to you then do it, and find the time. Place the time in your diary, say for family then work etc, then other important things. What ever time you have in between have your banjo ready; and do what the guys here have suggested. Your kids will know how to enjoy music, if it's in the home and welcomed into their lives as well.
If you show your kids how to really discipline yourself, they will learn too, then your playing will advance further. :)
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