schlange - Posted - 01/28/2014:  17:16:37

Let me know what you need Jonah and I'll see what I can do!

jonah4832 - Posted - 01/28/2014:  17:40:11

Whoa mule whoa for starters, and down yonder which are harder I know and maybe handsome molly for an easeir one.  them backing tracks really do help and are much appreciated.

schlange - Posted - 01/29/2014:  08:36:50

Unfortunately I'm trying to stick to songs Casey has lessons for (see list at caseyhenry.net/lessons.html)--she has "Down Yonder" but it's an advanced arrangement so we may or may not do that (I've been sticking to intermediate stuff so far).

schlange - Posted - 01/29/2014:  08:37:24

Practiced for an hour today--got this week's TOTW down so I can play it at 90BPM.... played through a bunch of other tunes as well, and worked on Wernick's backup DVD.

OldFox - Posted - 01/29/2014:  09:52:45

How about Clinch Mountain Backstep?  I realize it may be a bit challenging for some of us, but she has classed it as Intermediate.  However she doesn't' have a preview of it on her page.  Just interested.  Whatever you choose will be fine.  Thanks for your work and it seems like you are doing well.   Working on Casey's Louisville.  Coming along.

jonah4832 - Posted - 01/29/2014:  09:53:44

no problem Eric, I understand.  Man you are moving fast, 90 already.  See if you can put boil them cabbage down, do lord and worried man and two dollar bill then that would help me too as well as my granddaughter on the mandolin. 

OldFox - Posted - 01/29/2014:  09:57:41

Casey does have a video of CMB on Youtube.  youtube.com/watch?v=EIkTF-kgHxU

Ric in Richmond - Posted - 01/29/2014:  10:01:15

My instructor gave me CMB just last Monday.   I haven't found it too daunting...but it is just the first break now.

I say go for it.

I love the punch that song has with the blues notes that pierce through.

schlange - Posted - 01/29/2014:  10:55:00

We're doing CMB 3 weeks from now, actually. Here's the upcoming list:



Dooley

Down the Road

Clinch Mountain Backstep

John Henry

jonah4832 - Posted - 01/29/2014:  11:25:18

those will be some great songs to do, just manage to get through eight more miles,, great song there and you already have it up to 90, wow.  I was just talking bout backing tracks only to help with practice and speed.  I have her jamming dvds but there just a little slow for me.  Anyway keep up the good work.

OldFox - Posted - 01/29/2014:  12:13:30

Good lineup of tunes Eric.  John Henry, in D tuning?  I've worked on it a bit.  Also, Down the Road is not too difficult, unless you want to do it just like Earl. 

schlange - Posted - 01/29/2014:  12:18:16

John Henry is typically played in D, but Casey's lesson is in G. I'll do backing tracks in both keys.

emmaline_troubadour - Posted - 01/30/2014:  07:52:36

Hi all! I'm new here! :) Looking forward to participating in the Tune of The Week! Dooley will be new to me, so I'm stoked!

schlange - Posted - 01/30/2014:  08:32:06

Half an hour or so today, short morning. Just picked by myself, no backing tracks. 

buzzart410 - Posted - 01/30/2014:  08:42:24

HEY ERIK,  GREETINGS from sunny and warm Florida!... Anyway ive been working on the tunes. Trying to get them memorized . Mtn Dew is a tune i first learned when i was about 14. It was a great campfire song that everyone could remember.  Although now some may frown on the topic for kids..we found the words fun. I used to play wash tub bass at that point.   Attended YEEHAW JUNCTION Bluegrass Festival last week and found some really great music there.   Trying to keep up with the TOTW is a challenge..but fun..

schlange - Posted - 01/30/2014:  08:47:25

It certainly is a challenge to keep up with the TOTW--but that's why I like it! I do better with a challenge!

hskrfn - Posted - 02/01/2014:  10:51:38

Read Murphy's blog about learning and practicing and I believe she felt a tune every two weeks best. I have not been practicing as I should but have most songs down at a slow pace. You do a wonderful job with the tune posts Eric. I just don't have the computer skills to do a fraction of what you are able to do.

jonah4832 - Posted - 02/03/2014:  04:37:14

I just have to say that i am amazed at the difference between the different folks version of songs.  I already knew Jack Hatfields version of Mountian dew and last night attempted Casey's version, what a difference.  I guess that is where we have more variety to choose from and how we develop our own style, or maybe not who know's. 

schlange - Posted - 02/03/2014:  09:11:14

Hour 15 today. Learned the TOTW (Dooley) from Casey's video. Another fun one!

Last Friday I finally got to sit in with 2 other folks for a little bluegrass jam--it had been a while! Lots of fun--I'm thinking it will become a weekly thing, which is great. Nothing like playing with real folks. I've still got to play faster, though--those guitar and mando players just don't understand how many notes us poor banjo guys have to hit!

jonah4832 - Posted - 02/03/2014:  13:15:14

managed to get Casey's version of mt dew at 85 bpm today pat on the back.   I just need an Image now and it seems Jr samples is already taken lol.    

schlange - Posted - 02/04/2014:  08:40:10

Another hour and 15 or so today, trying to speed up the TOTW and my overall rolls.

jonah4832 - Posted - 02/05/2014:  09:24:56

well i have started Jack Hatfield's bano method book two, it is coming along great.  And old Joe Clark and salt creek from bb vol 2 murphy is coming along great, have started to prractice that famous choke lick, what a lick, i guess it will come in time,  And eight more miles and mt dew of the tune of the week is coming along great, but with so much to practice I think may have to quit my job and let my wife keep me up. 

schlange - Posted - 02/05/2014:  09:38:18

Played for a couple hours yesterday with my jam group--made me feel slow! But I'm practicing, and getting faster--no shortcuts, I'm learning.

I can play this week's tune at 90-100 pretty consistently--I've been playing it a lot (like, 30-45 minutes each morning) as I'm realizing that it's this repetition that helps me speed stuff up.

buzzart410 - Posted - 02/05/2014:  13:07:29

I've been practicing JackHatfields tab for Dooley . He has an up the neck version that I tried to fit in my jam solo... Needs work;(. Singing needs lots of work! I may have to take more control of the group when it's my turn to lead the song!

schlange - Posted - 02/06/2014:  10:00:39

45 minutes today. Tried using BIAB's "Woodshed" feature, where you can have it loop through a song or section of a song, then increase the speed by X BPM every loop. Pretty cool! I'm going to try making an MP3 that does that for the TOTW to see if folks find it useful.

schlange - Posted - 02/10/2014:  09:49:53

45 minutes today, learning the first break of this week's TOTW (Down the Road). Easy except for the very end--the dreaded funk timing/2-3 hammer/3-2 pulloff thing!

Tomorrow hopefully I'll cement that low break in my head, and work through the high break as well.

Kirk Jacobs - Posted - 02/10/2014:  16:28:09

I have a handle on all of them so far but have not mastered any.  Play when I can, about an hour a day, more on the weekends.  Banjo Signal is still my bane but it is getting better.

schlange - Posted - 02/11/2014:  08:26:05

Played about an hour 15 today. Spent most of the time learning the high break to "Down the Road" and worked on smoothing out the low break.

hskrfn - Posted - 02/12/2014:  22:57:15

Still practicing. Good songs. I really enjoyed Dooley. I had trouble with the timing in first part of wreck of 97 . Can play most of songs with back track at 70 to 80. Learned Down the Road from Earl's book in the 70's and sort of figured out the high part from slow part of Murphy's demo.
..

DuncanK - Posted - 02/16/2014:  22:22:04

Practiced about an hour today, finished learning the low break for "Down the Road." Tomorrow I will tackle the high break.

I am all caught up to this point. Thanks so much for TOTW! It used to take me weeks to learn a song from tab. Now thanks to TOTW and Casey Henry, I can learn a song in a couple days for the price of 2 lattes. "Clinic Mountain Backstep" here I come!

Duncan

schlange - Posted - 02/24/2014:  08:30:24

Had to take most of last week off because I was out of town without my 'jo! But I got in a couple good practices over the weekend, trying to learn last week's tune (Clinch Mt Backstep) which is a more challenging one than some of the recent tunes.... fingerings/riffs that I haven't played yet. I can play it thru now after two practices, but it's veeerrryyy slllooooo...

schlange - Posted - 02/25/2014:  08:29:08

Hour and 15 today. Worked thru Casey's "John Henry" video for this week's tune... not too tough of a tune, although I'll need to re-watch the end part again... got 3/4 of it down though.

Then I played along to some BIAB tracks for various tunes on my set list. I find I need to keep playing tunes I've learned, otherwise I forgot portions of them! On the other hand, though, it's amazing what the human brain can recall... I don't feel like I know all these songs, but once I start playing them my fingers go on auto-pilot (for the most part) and can go right through. Pretty cool.

schlange - Posted - 02/26/2014:  10:27:05

Another hour and 15 today. Worked on John Henry--I can play it at 70BPM. Actually, I can play the first 3/4 of it at 90BPM, but it's that funky last part that slows me down. I've got it smoothed out, though, I just need to play it more!

What about the rest of you? Anybody out there practicing? 

jonah4832 - Posted - 02/26/2014:  11:18:53

Hey any way to get some backing tracks of eight more miles to loiuville.

schlange - Posted - 02/26/2014:  11:34:13

quote:

---

Originally posted by jonah4832

Hey any way to get some backing tracks of eight more miles to loiuville.

---

Here you go!

I had already loaded them, but hadn't tagged them as backing tracks for some reason.

schlange - Posted - 02/27/2014:  08:31:17

Hour or so this morning. Worked on John Henry more--speeding up the break, then working on backup stuff based on John Boulding's video we just posted yesterday. The backup stuff was fun--John always sounds so good playing that stuff! He had a lot of tasty ideas in there, though--I just need to keep playing them and getting comfortable throwing them in the mix where appropriate.

schlange - Posted - 02/28/2014:  10:30:33

Hour 15 today, working on John Henry and playing through a few other tunes to keep those fingers wigglin' and speed increasing. Jam this afternoon, wish me luck!

BanjerKen - Posted - 02/28/2014:  21:39:02

I already know a break for Blue Ridge Cabin Home but this is a great opportunity to go through Casey's lesson on Earls backup for this song. I have always struggled using my thumb on the 5th string so hopefully with enough practice I can make it work.

These TOTW lessons have really motivated me to learn more songs so thanks Eric for doing this.

Ken

ringtailman - Posted - 03/01/2014:  09:44:47

Thank you Eric for the tune of week !! I,ll never catch up but we,ll sure have fun trying.

ringtailman - Posted - 03/02/2014:  07:25:23

Eric ,sorry man ,I posted on your practice group section of the forum. But ha thanks!!

schlange - Posted - 03/03/2014:  14:22:55

First practice today hitting this week's tune, "Blue Ridge Cabin Home." Just worked on the break lesson from Casey--easy enough, was able to get through the whole thing and play it by memory about 45 minutes. Will work on increasing speed this week, and work on backup parts starting tomorrow.

schlange - Posted - 03/04/2014:  08:48:00

Hour and 15 today. I can play the TOTW at 70BPM now, just barely. Started working on the backup lesson for it as well--it's got some challenging stuff! (I can vamp and roll for backup decently, but anything fancy and I slow waaaayyyy dooooowwwwnnnn). Good stuff for me to work on. 

I decided to bring a spare banjo (my Goodtime 2!) into work, so I can pick it here and there throughout the day (probably with a mute on) just to see if wiggling the fingers more than at each morning's practice that helps me progress faster.

rbishopp - Posted - 03/04/2014:  08:55:31

quote:

---

Originally posted by schlange

I decided to bring a spare banjo (my Goodtime 2!) into work, so I can pick it here and there throughout the day (probably with a mute on) just to see if wiggling the fingers more than at each morning's practice that helps me progress faster.

I did this too.  I stuffed foam in the back to deaden the sound a bit.  A mute just makes it sound strange. 

schlange - Posted - 03/05/2014:  13:01:00

Hour and 15 today. Finished up the backup lesson for Blue Ridge Cabin Home--some cool and re-usable ideas in there, including fretting of the 5th string. 

For the break on that tune my brain finally "clicked" and I can play it on auto-pilot, so I can play it at 90BPM or so now. 

schlange - Posted - 03/06/2014:  16:14:11

Hour or so this morning. Spent some time adjusting my truss rod because I realized my action was higher than it needed to be. Sure felt nice once I lowered it a bit! Felt like I could play everything faster and cleaner.

schlange - Posted - 03/07/2014:  11:04:39

Hour 15 today. Sped up the TOTW to about 95, and worked on the backup part, which is starting to be fun. Just gotta speed up those backup licks!

schlange - Posted - 03/11/2014:  15:00:06

Hour 15 today, started working on this week's tune (Red Haired Boy). It's a funky arrangement from Casey, but fun to play. I can play through it by memory after one morning of learning it--now I just need to keep playing it, and make sure I've got the chord progression in my head for backup.

hskrfn - Posted - 03/13/2014:  16:40:28

Practicing RHB and went back over some of previous tunes. I had forgot parts of them. I think I'm a slow learner and need lots of repetition.

schlange - Posted - 03/13/2014:  17:25:09

Just realized I forgot to post the last two days! But I did practice. I've got RHB down to where I can play it at 90bpm, maybe 100. 

I need lit's of repetition too! But it all builds on itself, so as I learn other tunes I find I can play old ones even better. Practice practice!