winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/23/2013:  20:33:54

Didn't have an opportunity to practice on Sunday, but I think I made up for it today.  Did my usual 15 minutes each of scales and ear training, then got together with a friend to jam for a couple of hours.  So now I have a couple of new tunes to learn - and in clawhammer at that!  Should be fun.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/23/2013:  22:07:40

Practiced with my friend Dave on the 15 minute set we'll do at the Friday open mike: Worried Man Blues, Blackberry Blossom, John Henry and Lonesome Road Blues, the middle two we do as instrumentals, I sing the first and Dave sings the last one, all are Janet Davis versions with a few modifications except John Henry which is arranged by his descendant Murphy. The only change I made to the last one is start on high g so that it starts on the beat, it flows better and Dave can count the intro more easily and join me on the C chord. Worried Man I start off with a square roll with alternating low note,(3-2-5-1,4-2-5-1) for G-C-D-G and keep that pattern going with the singing until the J.Davis break. Blackberry Blossom identical to book except walking up D scale to end first phrase leading back to G. Lonesome Road I make up G7 fills at the end of the 1st two lines, then harmonize with Dave for the last couple lines. I changed the solo only a tiny bit. We take liberties with the lyrics in the time-honored tradition, usually axing the ones too similar too each other or too boring, and make up something, but I digress... In the week of steadily using the metronome, I find that in a playing situation I can more often recover from a minor flub and keep the line going better, as opposed to starting over which generally ain't happenin' on a live stage.

schlange - Posted - 09/24/2013:  10:24:39

40 minutes today. More of the same--just trying to dial in Wabash Cannonball and FMB.

I think I'm going to pick another song to start working on tomorrow. Any suggestions?

polarbeardave - Posted - 09/24/2013:  18:30:15

Hello,

Been 2 long busy days at work, so only 15 minutes of playing this morning before work. Did some noodlin' on a few favorite songs I can play ok. Then a few minutes on 2 finger chords and rolls up and down the neck.

Hey Eric, how about 'Rollin in my sweet baby's arms' for your next song. I've been working on that one for quite some time.

Good night friends!

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/24/2013:  21:58:35

An hour and 15 minutes today. 15 minutes each on scales (starting exercises linking G/Em pentatonic scales over the whole fingerboard), backup (Wabash Cannonball), and ear training, and half an hour on tunes (Whiskey Before Breakfast).

Hey Eric, have a listen to the Bluegrass Album Band playing Blue Ridge Mountain Home - lots of tasteful backup there. Can't go wrong with J.D. Crowe.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/24/2013:  23:08:07

I used the metronome and the timer, but I didn't switch gears much tonight, just worked on the four songs last time. On the metronome, everything is between 95 and 100 for me, that doesn't sound like much difference, but I can't do Blackberry Blossom faster than 95 and John Henry doesn't feel fast at 100, every tune has its' own speed. Eric, two Janet Davis ones that I find fun are "Jesse James" and "Lonesome Road Blues". I ordered a couple books from the Hatfield website yesterday:Banjo Encyclopedia by Ross Nickerson, and Advanced Studies inn 5-string Banjo by A.B. King , the latter because it's supposed to have all the scales in it, I don't know if anyone has either book, it's a little late to ask opinions......

schlange - Posted - 09/25/2013:  08:38:31

I have the Banjo Encyclopedia, swamplunker. It's quite good--pretty thorough. It's books like that that make me wonder if people's worship of the Scruggs book is well-founded. Yes, Scruggs was a great player--but who's to say he was the best teacher? Ross Nickerson (and others) have done a lot more banjo teaching than Earl ever did, which makes me think they probably have better ideas when it comes to moving students along. 

Only 35 minutes today--backup and a couple songs. I think I may do John Hardy next (which I kind of already know) just so I can finish the Murphy Method DVD 1 for good.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/25/2013:  22:55:11

Honestly, my short term goal for the last couple days has switched to getting through these four songs as well as possible at the Friday open mike. Probably the biggest job for me is being steady on my opening for Worried Man, it's a square roll alternating the low note, going through a verse worth of chords which is just 1-4-5-1, locking in a steady tempo is my biggest challenge. But I can't worry about Worried Man, that'd be irony...just more metronome practice, more practice, period. So I did about 45 minutes tonight, may do a little more but tomorrow is a big work day then I'll be free to practice Friday. I used the timer to separate sections, but that was sorta pointless because I had my 4-tune agenda set anyway, the metronome, though, is an important asset in working on steadiness--if you're off, it'll tell you. Glad to know one book, anyway, was advisable, Eric. I have neglected my Scruggs book--you know the guy that wrote it was Bill Keith, right, and he writes on the spaces instead of the lines, which is a foreign language to me (five strings on the instrument, five lines, Sherlock) then they reissued it with sane tab and a lot more songs but I've only gone through it once or twice and circled a few tunes I liked. But I got a lot of the Scruggs I know through Janet Davis in Splitting the Licks, as well as some Bill Keith(haha, I really admire Keith though). Teaching and playing ,though, are absolutely different things. I worship Alison Brown, but I've never learned anything from her. I even met Janet Davis at my only Banjo Camp, but I never heard her playing anything that knocked me over, still I've learned more from her than anyone.

schlange - Posted - 09/26/2013:  08:38:43

Half hour today--started on John Hardy. 

I'm finding that I'm becoming much more attune to how much new stuff I can digest in one sitting. And it's not much! Sheesh. I must be getting old. I have to take a small set of phrases and just play it over and over again, then tackle the next the next day, if I want to internalize it.

Worrying about Worried Man.... that's funny stuff!

Hey, where's the rest of my Practice Group #1? You guys aren't getting lazy on me already are you?  Remember, the plan was to post daily what you're practicing, as a way to encourage regular practice.

andspence - Posted - 09/26/2013:  11:00:00

Sorry everyone for my absence.  Haven't really had a chance to practice the last few days...there just never seems to be enough time between when I get home from work and when my daughter goes to bed.  I don't have a place to practice that won't keep her up.

I did go to a jam last Saturday which is always tremendously helpful for me - especially when I can sit in the background, not take breaks, but just work on following along/keeping up and playing backup rolls/vamping/licks.  Also I'm going to this jamboree thing this weekend which should have a TON of good jamming.

I have been keeping up with all of your practice posts, and they are helpful and motivating - but motivation doesn't seem to be my problem right now.

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/26/2013:  11:57:19

Hey All!

Didn't get a chance to log anything here yesterday because I didn't get home till late.  I did about 15 minutes of ear training in the morning before work, then I jammed with my brother last night for a couple of hours.

schlange - Posted - 09/26/2013:  13:45:57

quote:

---

Originally posted by winnipegbanjoman

Hey All!

Didn't get a chance to log anything here yesterday because I didn't get home till late.  I did about 15 minutes of ear training in the morning before work, then I jammed with my brother last night for a couple of hours.

---

What does "ear training" consist of for you? Just curious what you're up to!

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/26/2013:  14:38:40

I'm working my way through Jack Hatfield's book "How to Play by Ear".  The first chapters cover interval recognition.  Then there's a section on chord construction. I haven't looked too far ahead of that, but I expect there will be a section on recognizing chords by ear. In the latter parts of the book, he's got sections on recognizing music genres and the usual chords and progressions that you'll encounter in them.

Ear training has been a bit of a mystery to me for awhile.  I've asked really good players at workshops how they improvise so smoothly and every one of them has answered saying that they they've trained themselves to play their musical ideas as easily as they can sing or whistle them.  When I ask how they do that, they all point back to "training your ear" to recognize intervals, then moving that skill to their hands.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/26/2013:  21:48:26

I've tried ear training, I just can"t wiggle them without holding on. If you sing the first couple notes of a scale, lose the do-re-mi and just sing the number of the note on the scale.1-2-3-2-1. Then 1-3-1,you've just sung a third,1-5-1, a fifth and so on. Triads,1-3-5, they can be minor if you flat the third, major if you don't. if you sing it first, then find it on the banjo neck, you're training everything, ears and fingers. Back to practicing....

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/26/2013:  21:49:12

Got in an hour tonight.  15 minutes each of scale exercises, backup, tunes, and ear training.  The Pat Cloud book actually considers the scale exercises to be as much about ear training as they are about learning scales, so it reinforces the material I'm covering in the Jack Hatfield book. I've been working through all the backup ideas presented for Wabash Cannonball in the Janet Davis book and had a first pass at the ideas for John Hardy.  I've been on Wabash Cannonball for a few days, now I'll focus on John Hardy.  Played through several tunes that I want to improve on, but didn't break any of them down to clean them.  I'll try to spend more time on them on the weekend.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/26/2013:  22:56:54

Did 45 minutes just now, playing was better today, I guess I didn't mention it yesterday but I felt a hair clumsy throughout the whole practice yesterday, even though I'm sleepy now, the coordination came back (from wherever it goes!)tonight. Still just working on the four tunes tomorrow, I think I'll try to switch the order so John Hardy goes first, then Worried Man, Blackberry Blossom and Lonesome road. There will be practice time in the AM, for once. Goodnight Gents.

polarbeardave - Posted - 09/27/2013:  06:46:11

Good Morning Friends!

Sorry for the 3 days of no posts, but something got in the way of my practicing and posting...............I think it's called 'daily life'.  Busy couple of days at work. I have been reading all the posts like Andrew, but finding time to play has been short. Pat Cloud says to just touch the banjo daily even if you don't have time to play. I need to do that!

Nestor- I got the Pat Cloud book. Reading a bit every evening. I had to stop and think about the G, Em relationship. Thinking about the notes and how they relate to each other. I know he says it's not about theory, but in a way it is and is starting to bend my brain in a different direction. I think that will be a good thing.

Eric- What's this getting old stuff!  They say the brain stays sharp by continuing to challenge yourself through out life.

Got in 45 minutes last night, 10 minutes on C major scale, 20 minutes on Janet Davis back up book. Stilling staying with pages 28 and 29. Been trying to jump around the page and tie different licks together smoothly. Then 15 minutes of Hatfield book with FMB.

Day off today, so should get some playing time this afternoon and evening.

schlange - Posted - 09/27/2013:  10:17:33

1 hour today. Working on my 3 tunes: Wabash Cannonball, FMB, and John Hardy. Also working on backup progressions in various keys, just working on memorizing the fretboard and chord locations.

Here's what I've found interesting. First--my goal is to play without looking at tab, because that's the only thing that will work in a live/band setting. So with that said.... I learned Wabash from the tab in the Janet Davis backup book. FMB and John Hardy I've learned from a Murphy Method DVD (actually an online video from our catalog, which is a lot easier to use than a DVD!)

I'm finding it really hard to break away from the tab for Wabash, even though it's not a terribly complex song. The other two I picked up pretty quickly and can play fast with no help. But Wabash I keep getting lost, which forces me to slow down, whenever I play it without the tab.

Anyone else ever experienced this? Any ideas how to break away from tab once you learn the tune?

swamplunker - Posted - 09/27/2013:  10:51:13

I would recommend having the tab nearby, but don't look at it at first. Start the song by memory, and see how far you can get. Don't worry about speed. Do hold yourself to doing the exact notes of the tab, if you think you made a mistake, check the tab to make sure the notes are right, then go back to the beginning and again see how far you can get into the song without mistakes. Usually people get lost in about the same part of a song, whether not knowing the right note or confusing it with another song or similar pattern. Practice just that part until you've got it straight, checking the tab initially if you need to, then turning away and see if you can still do it. Once you're getting all the way through the song it's just repetition for speed and longer term memory. I'm sure this explanation sounds redundant but that's how I do it.

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/27/2013:  11:16:55

Hi Eric,

Maybe change your approach with tab and use it a source of ideas - one example of how the tune could be arranged.  Find the basic melody on the fingerboard and see how you can work the melody into rolls.  Then when you've got your personal version, go back to the tab and see what ideas you like that you can then use to add some variety to your own arrangement.  So instead of treating the tab as the only way to play the tune, you're using it as a an example to give context to a collection of musical ideas.

schlange - Posted - 09/27/2013:  11:38:20

Good advice.

It's strange, because I have it memorized (I can play it without the tab)--but I'm slow when I do it. If the tab's there I can glance over it as I play, and it speeds things up. 

I think maybe I just don't have the different sections locked in solidly enough in my head yet. Need more practice to lock it in, internally.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/27/2013:  21:21:34

Since you've got it memorized, Eric, I wouldn't worry, simple repetition will get you there, sometimes I find myself playing "cleaner" when using the eye circuit, in such a case I might go back to the spot, slow it down and make sure I know how to play cleanly and slowly, then turn away and gradually speed it up. If playing slowly is your concern, a metronome, bumped up very gradually with repetitions, may help. Anyway, tonight I went out to do the open mike, the place was more crowded than usual, we walked out in back of the place and I sat on one of the railroad tracks for a practice jam, did all four and some other ones, a couple guys we know came by and listened, and the owner, Olivia, came out the back door and danced with one of them to a couple numbers, it was becoming apparent to me that I had a higher chance of stumbling on Blackberry Blossom than the rest, so we substituted Cumberland Gap. Later we did the set on stage, Daisy, a stand-up bass player (and all--around fine person) jumped up and joined us a few minutes into John Henry, all around good evening, I think the practice with the metronome is helping.

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/28/2013:  02:39:22

Hey Sean,
Sounds like it was a really fun time! And a nice reward for your practice. Congratulations!

polarbeardave - Posted - 09/28/2013:  04:20:50

Good Morning all,

Spent 45 minutes last night playing. Most of the time playing tunes I know, FMB, Rollin' in my sweet babies arms, Cripple Creek, Will the circle be unbroken. They are all simplified versions except RIMSBA, which is from the Scruggs corner Hatfield book. Wanted to keep playing those to keep them fresh in my mind. I can play them all from memory, but learned them from Tab, so where does that put me? I would like to break away from Tab as time goes on, but feel it's a good starting place and as my knowledge of the neck increases, I can improvise more. Thoughts from anyone, please? Also do you think a metronome is very important to practice with?

Congratulations on your open mike Sean!

Off to work, will post tonight. Have a good day.

Edited by - polarbeardave on 09/28/2013 04:21:53

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/28/2013:  10:41:47

Good day, All

I only logged 15 minutes of practice yesterday - ear training and theory - so I spent more time practicing today.

I worked on scale exercises for 35 minutes - reviewed everything I've covered so far. Worked on lead and backup for Wabash Cannonball and John Hardy for 20 minutes each. Worked on a part of a Kruger Brothers tune for 40 minutes (it's an arpeggio that goes all over the neck). Then I spent half an hour reading theory in the Jack Hatfield book.

Will probably play some more today. It's a pretty peaspceful day.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/28/2013:  13:32:22

Thanks Nestor and Dave, it's nice to feel that people across the continent have my back. I didn't practice since yesterday, yet, but to answer Dave, playing those songs by memory, regardless of how you learned them, means you have your first set list. You might find ,or make up, different or more interesting ways of doing them, but for now they comprise your "set". When I went to my first Banjo Camp last March, I wanted to qualify as an "intermediate", mostly to get into the classes taught by Alan Munde and Tony Trischka. The flyer said you should have 20 standards memorized, may have said up to speed. I got up to about ten before the camp happened, and it turned out there was no big burly guy with his arms folded saying prove what you can do, people just went to any class they wanted. Anyway, I'm probably up to 15 or so memorized, and just beginning to stick in different fills here and there that aren't repeated every time the song is done, many of which, even though I may have thought them up, are by no means spontaneous. Bill Knopf calls it "C noise" or "G noise", some people call it playing by "ear". I have no intention of trying to totally get away from tab, as it's the fastest way I have of learning new stuff, just trying to improve, expand and connect a lot of patterns until they sound like something original, and keep "makin' up" my own, but we have to memorize whatever we've developed in order not to be lugging the books around. And I always associated metronomes with beginners until Commander Tony Trischka asked who was using a metronome and only a few hands went up, he said we should ALL be using one when we practice. Yes sir I will sir thank you sir!

schlange - Posted - 09/29/2013:  07:15:35

Sounds like a fun time playing, swamplunker! Yesterday I played "out" but it was as a percussionist at our annual "Pear Festival." A good time, but I would have preferred to be picking.

I realized this morning I neglected my daily post yesterday. Poo! Yesterday I practiced about 50 minutes. Mostly working on my "set list" as swamplunker calls it. Had a breakthrough on "John Hardy" when I finally figured out the timing of the opening measure. Once that is locked in it sounds like a real song--lots of fun.

Will probably start another song at today's practice. Once I've got the song memorized, I figure I might as well memorize another, while I keep on playing through all the songs I know to build speed.

Practicing with a metronome: hugely essential. I use an app on my iPhone. I like it because I can track my progress--"I played it cleanly at 140 yesterday, and today did 150" sort of thing.

schlange - Posted - 09/29/2013:  18:04:30

40 minutes tonight. Ran through my songs I've been working on (just trying to improve speed and tone at this point): Wabash Cannonball, FMB, and John Hardy.

Started a new song, using the Murphy DVD--Old Joe Clark. Got the A part down, but will need to play it more to get it locked automatically into the ol' fingers!

Onward!

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/29/2013:  21:17:20

45 minutes tonight. Scale exercises, backup (there are some nice ideas in the Janet Davis book for John Hardy and Cripple Creek), and 15 minutes working on a tune.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/29/2013:  22:15:18

Before I forget it, I'd like to suggest a mute, Andrew because you didn't want to wake your daughter. I got an hour in just now, didn't really break it into different sections even though I rewound the timer every fifteen minutes, I think I was ready for a relatively unstructured practice. I doodled around in a couple Alan Munde books, trying Salty Dog in C in a part where he's teaching about back-cycling (counter- clockwise through the circle of fifths, then I did some sight-reading in a book he has called Great Pickin' Tunes, Goodbye Liza Jane, Turkey in the Straw, Little Maggie, East Tennessee blues, Ark. Traveler in C, Black Mountain Rag, I wasn't trying to get them down completely, just get through them as cleanly as possible. Sight reading tab is a skill in itself because you have to look ahead of where you're playing to be ready for whatever notes are thrown at you. I did use the metronome on a few memorized ones, Wildwood Flower, Cumberland Gap, Banjo in the Hollow and an instrumental I made up a few years back called Spring Tension, in that one I was really slowing down in the middle section without the metronome, it keeps you honest.

schlange - Posted - 09/30/2013:  09:08:15

65 minutes this morning. Worked on my set list. Decided to write down some metronome times for my tunes so I can track if I'm able to play faster (while keeping it clean) as I progress.

• FMB I can play cleanly a 160, and almost at 170.


• Wabash: 140


• John Hardy: 150

I second swamplunker's advice on a mute, Andrew. They're cheap, and they knock the sound down to almost nothing!

banjerman - Posted - 09/30/2013:  09:47:49

quote:

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Originally posted by schlange

 

 

 

Anyone else ever experienced this? Any ideas how to break away from tab once you learn the tune?

---

  Thats the only down side of tab Eric. You have actually trained yourself to play with tab and not by sound (which is ear training). Im sure you must have TefView and some tab files to play on them by now. I call it robo banjo. You can go in and edit out the banjo midi and keep the bass line and guitar line and play along with them. You can play them at any speed (selectable BPM) but I suggest never to play them any faster than what you can cleanly play.  If you practice sloppy you will just get sloppier. Speed is not the goal here. As you play it you will get ear training because you wont be looking at the tab and the midi's are dead on for timing. Listen to it and insert yourself anywhere you can jump in. The goal is not to play that song thru once successfully but to play it until you dream about it. The goal is not to learn a bunch songs by rote but to listen and hear the music and play along with it. Tab helps with learning an arrangement but your job is to play it with others by hearing the tune and then playing it. NO book can teach this Im afraid. Its a sink or swim thing and its very frustrating in the beginning. You and these others dont know what you dont know YET. There is within you the ability to do this but it aint instant taters.

Wally

andspence - Posted - 09/30/2013:  10:01:57

Thanks everyone for the mute suggestions...I have tried a couple homemade mutes and wasn't pleased, so maybe I should break down and buy something...it's a little dangerous to ask for an opinion here (opinions are like what?), but does anyone here in our practice group own and use a mute that they'll suggest?

As I mentioned in my last post I attended the Tygh Valley Bluegrass Jamboree this weekend...out of cell service, so I'm just no catching up on all your posts.  I've never played so much! Jammed for about 12-14 hours a day for 2.5 days!  I now have a list of about 1000 songs to learn! I got to play and learn with some real professional musicians, and even got to play an original 1933 OPF (I'm in love).

Somehow I need to work on my "stagefright".  During a song, I would follow along quietly working out a break (or an attempt at one), but then when it was my turn my mind would go blank and I wouldn't even know the chord progression!  Grr.  Frustrating.  It was better if I was kicking off the song, but still not great.  I suppose I just need more jam experience, but anyone have any suggestions for the on-the-spot memory blank thing?

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 09/30/2013:  20:30:24

70 minutes today.  15 minutes each on scale exercises, ear training, and backup (John Hardy & Cripple Creek) and I spent a bit more time - 25 minutes - on the Kruger Brothers tune I'm working on.

Hey Andrew, I use a viola mute. I carve out the inside legs and notch the ends with a knife. It costs about $5, so its a low-risk investment, and it works fine.  It even has the added benefit of reminding me to arch my wrist a bit.

swamplunker - Posted - 09/30/2013:  22:14:53

45 minutes just now, I decided to work on Powder Creek first, testing out someones' theory of beginning with the most challenging thing while you're fresh, I did get some fluency(the slow kind)and memorization of the first three lines, pretty melody, then tackled Janet Davis' Up the Neck book, I glossed over the introductory stuff,review of rolls, etc., now she's got us doing rolls in the area of frets 12- 17, no juicy tunes yet but I'm trying to make sure I don't skip anything. I also made up a little 32-note thing in Gminor and wrote in down the dreaded and evil addictive TAB, also known as the written language for banjo music. I don't know why people are scared of musical literacy, when you come up with something worth remembering, you can write it down, one less thing to memorize, I guess I could always tape it but I personally find this more efficient. We don't have to choose between using our fingers and our brains, we can do both.

schlange - Posted - 10/01/2013:  17:01:08

65 minutes this morning. Had a crazy day and didn't get around to posting until now (all the other Hangouts, as well as our mail server, were down most of the day.... blegh)!

Worked on my usual songs--got the B part going for Old Joe Clark, so I know that whole song.... now I just need to play it a bunch. Next up--FMB high break I think!

polarbeardave - Posted - 10/01/2013:  18:03:53

Hello All,

Life's been in the way again! Spent 30 minutes this morning before work. C scale, FMB from the Hatfield book. The 2nd break is starting to come along nicely. Slowly but am getting it. Going to start working with Pat Clouds book.

Wally, I really like your comments. I've been told numerous times about playing slow and clean. Speed will come with time. Sloppy slow will be sloppy fast. Take my time.The banjo actually sounds good when played slow. All of our banjo hero's astound us with their speed and clean picking, but they had to start slow too.

Till next time.

swamplunker - Posted - 10/01/2013:  21:38:35

Just got done with an hour of practice, evenly split between Powder Creek and Arkansas Traveler, both fun melodies especially as the stumbling goes away. I don't like the metronome when I'm still just getting the notes down, but with Ark. Traveler I got up to 75, that's about what I did on the big roads when I lived in Arkansas.

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 10/01/2013:  21:48:38

70 minutes tonight.  15 minutes each on scale exercises, backup, and tunes, and 25 minutes on ear training.  The Kruger Brothers tune I'm working on is pretty tricky, but fun to play (or try to play, in my case).  If I ever get it presentable, I'll try to record and post it.

schlange - Posted - 10/02/2013:  08:50:22

Shorter practice so far today--about 30 minutes. Played with my 7-year old son who was on drums--it was fun! First time we've played together that way--I've been working on teaching him drums in the last couple months.

Making music is fun.

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 10/02/2013:  22:20:42

Hey Eric, that does sound like fun!

One hour for me last night.  Standard routine - 15 minutes each on scales, backup, ear training and a tune. The tune for today was Whiskey Before Breakfast. I'd like to jam with this tune, but I seem to crash and burn under pressure.

Edited by - winnipegbanjoman on 10/02/2013 22:21:26

swamplunker - Posted - 10/02/2013:  23:34:04

I got in a half hour this morning, an hour just now, almost all the time working on Arkansas traveler. I looked back at the table and there were two sheets of paper, a metronome, and an egg timer, looked like there had been a race for frogs or something small. I got up to 95, there's a part I changed halfway through the B section, more interesting notes I think, but boy, you are reminded of all the Bluegrass rules when you do that. My first violation was for two thumbs in a row, and since you can only do that when you're hitch-hiking, I figured that I could get that note on the first string by shifting up a couple frets and doing a sort of index finger bar to reach across the fret so the right hand index could pick it, which worked, but coming out of that position without hitting an open note to buy time is near impossible even at 95. And which finger picks that open string has to be one that didn't just go, so the rules can box me in a bit when I have certain notes in mind, but I'm not changing the notes. I think. I'm firm and that's a maybe...

schlange - Posted - 10/03/2013:  08:37:12

1 hour today. Started working on the Ballad of Jed Clampett, just for fun. Worked on my other songs as well.

I have a sweet drum machine app on my iphone (DM1 I think it's called) and I hooked this up to my speakers to use as my metronome. Much more interesting sound this way.

Jack Baker - Posted - 10/03/2013:  08:43:43

Eric,

It sounds like you're doing great so keep up the good work...Jack

quote:

---

Originally posted by schlange

 

polarbeardave - Posted - 10/03/2013:  18:13:46

1 hour this evening. Worked on playing the few tunes I know by heart. FMB, Cripple Creek, Rollin' in my Sweet Babies Arms. A little bit of C major scale work, and some noodling around. Focusing on slow, clean picking. Got my new/old Stelling from my local Luthier today. What a sweet banjo.

Did we lose Joe? Haven't seen a post in awhile. Hope he comes back. Would like to see the original group stay together.

Edited by - polarbeardave on 10/03/2013 18:19:49

swamplunker - Posted - 10/04/2013:  00:14:02

Darn, I went back looking for his last post and erased what I'd said, 45 minute practice, Powder Creek is up to 90 for first three lines, Arkansas Traveler 95 with just the one glitch at the bar chord described last note. Shoulda known bars and going 95 don't mix, I also got out my Crusader halfway through the practice, a lot more sustain than the RB250, what kind of Stelling did you get, Dave? Better sign off and get some sleep.

swamplunker - Posted - 10/04/2013:  00:14:21

winnipegbanjoman - Posted - 10/04/2013:  05:15:07

45 minutes yesterday:  evenly split on scale exercises, backup (over Cripple Creek) and a tune (Whiskey Before Breakfast).  I was actually practicing before breakfast, too - without the whiskey, of course. 

Seeing as I missed the ear training piece yesterday, I'm going to do that for 15 minutes this morning and get to the rest later today.  Have a great day, everyone.

schlange - Posted - 10/04/2013:  09:01:33

75 minutes this morning. Spent most of my time working on "Old Joe Clark"--man, the timing of the "Old Joe Clark lick" is/was killing me. I don't know what my problem is. I poked around and found this blog.murphymethod.com/tag/old-joe-clark/ so it's at least good ot know I'm not alone.

I think I've got in locked in at the right timing now (played with a metronome a bunch)--and I'm finding that as I speed it up it starts to sound better.