jsinjin - Posted - 06/27/2024:  13:15:08

All good!   I picked out a length of time to

practice. Thanks all!

Edited by - jsinjin on 08/24/2024 18:51:40

jdeluke137 - Posted - 06/27/2024:  13:24:46

I found that practicing 60 to 90 minutes a day in two or three 30 minute sessions allowed me to make progress.

Brian Murphy - Posted - 06/27/2024:  13:49:28

There is no one answer for everyone. With some there are diminishing returns after 30 minutes. Others can hunker down for hours on end. If it's not fun, or you are getting frustrated, probably time to stop. And much of this is driven by your goals. Are you trying to join a band and be performance proficient? Are you just looking to have fun? Do you just want to play by yourself? To me, banjo is a diversion from work and stress. That's why I am a lifelong beginner. I have no real ambition to be anything else.

stanley_ - Posted - 06/27/2024:  13:50:52

I'm not a music teacher and I started music when I was very young, so I don't have much personal experience to add. However, I have heard some people talk about that 20-30 minute/day practicing rule.

The main thing I've heard is that if you go beyond a 30 minute session, your brain starts "tuning out" a bit; that a focused 30 minutes is the most efficient use of practicing time. You don't have to worry about efficiency too much if you've got a lot of free time, but when you're more pushed for time it can be worth being a little bit extra intentional.

Another reason I've heard given is that kind of like weightlifting, consistency is much more important than having fewer, more sporadic sessions. You're able to learn a lot faster when you're coming back day after day without many skips. A lot of people like to pile on really long practice sessions, but that can lead to two major issues. Firstly, you may have to catch up on other activities later in the week to compensate for the time spent with the long practice, and thus miss practices. And secondly, people often use long sessions as a justification for "well, I already got an extra couple hours of practice this week, I can skip today," both of which may hurt practice consistency.

And I do remember it taking some time to build up being able to play for hours on end. Weeks where I would push really hard in the beginning would often lead to sore hands and broken callouses.

I think it's important to remember that you can't become an expert overnight. You can learn quickly, for sure, but if you're not enjoying the experience of learning and celebrating milestones, you may be more likely to burn out. It's about the journey, not the destination.

I'm curious to see what other ideas people mention.

jdeluke137 - Posted - 06/27/2024:  15:13:19

quote:

---

Originally posted by stanley_

And I do remember it taking some time to build up being able to play for hours on end. Weeks where I would push really hard in the beginning would often lead to sore hands and broken callouses.

---

This is a great point.  Early on I over practiced and ended up with tendinitis in my wrist.  It took 6 weeks for it to heal up.  That's when I went to the shorter 30 minute practice sessions.

banjered - Posted - 06/27/2024:  15:53:58

No magic time number to practice – it all depends upon your available time, inclination, and physical capabilities. And, even in this day of videos and computers, a mentor/teacher can speed up your learning curve many times over. One little trick I found was working intensely on any difficult playing part for 10-15 minutes just before going to sleep seemed to really shorten the learning time. It is as if you are learning as you sleep. All I know is that the next time I picked up the banjo the difficult part was much easier, drop thumb, a chord change etc. banjered

wrench13 - Posted - 06/27/2024:  16:01:15

Just starting banjo, and I am already where I want to be after a year, but i play a lot of other instruments too. But, when I started on fiddle 45+ years ago, I was like that kid. When I wasnt in class, sleeping or eating, I was practicing fiddle. Drove everyone crazy, lost all my friends, girlfriends. But I made a lot of progress. Your results may vary.

tdennis - Posted - 06/27/2024:  16:05:03

In the 50'-60's I followed a strict practice routine of 1 hour a day, while taking private lessons for 6 years on the Cornet. This was enough time to learn technical studies, play classic compositions, & time left over to improvise & have fun. I still use this routine on guitar & banjo. I practice on popular music that is a challenge, but also have some time to work on my own compositions. I think it's important to be composing, along w/ learning the standards.

DRL777 - Posted - 06/27/2024:  16:05:19

Best advice ever right here.

youtu.be/Dfs8QzVZjOI

Bruce Berry Banjos - Posted - 06/27/2024:  17:27:26

The optimal interval for intense study before the "tuning out" that Stanley mentioned, is about 15-20 minutes. So doing 3 sets of: 15-on, 5-off per hour is really sustainable for about as much time as you can devote to one session.
I've done memorization work like that for several hours without burning out.

When I started playing I was 15, and I was obsessed and oblivious.
It was brutal. Especially before I had any variety in my repertoire.
I even remember wearing my banjo picks in church, practicing a forward-backward roll on my leg; I thought it was quiet enough, but it were seen as disruptive to some...
Anyway, I got pretty good, pretty quick.

Now days I only play to practice. My wife and I have a set list that's longer than I devote to playing each day, so we just play and sing a few songs to stay brushed up.

I reckon you've got to make a firm commitment to playing however much you feel like playing at any given time.
Yep, that's it!

Bruce Berry Banjos - Posted - 06/27/2024:  17:37:54

quote:

---

Originally posted by banjered

 It is as if you are learning as you sleep.

---

I think you're right.

I tend to problem solve in my sleep all the time. I'll go to sleep considering different options, and wake up with a firm decision. It's like your subconscious mind can handle/process more information than the conscious mind can.

Or maybe that's when stuff gets committed to a longer term memory too. Idk

jsinjin - Posted - 06/27/2024:  18:41:49

Thanks all. I did use the study things hard right before sleep in both undergrad and grad school. I have found through life that I’ve trained myself to not lose focus over long periods although I do stand up and jump or do 10 pushups to jerk myself into paying attention.

I can’t really think of any goals for music. No goal to be a musician for sure, no interest in playing with other people, but I would like to be able to play for myself around the campfire while camping. I don’t know many banjo songs except wagon wheel, callin Baton Rouge, the Kermit rainbow song and the soft background part of don’t drink the water by Dave Matthew’s band featuring Bela Fleck.


I really enjoy learning the patterns and chords right now which is enough for me for a while.

I will keep up with my current practice schedule for now.

tdennis - Posted - 06/27/2024:  18:52:56

You might find, to your surprise, that playing with other people will accelerate your learning exponentially. Rethink your goals. one should always be striving to compose some idiosyncratic  artistic statement.

Edited by - tdennis on 06/27/2024 18:59:56

Bruce Berry Banjos - Posted - 06/27/2024:  19:45:40

quote:

---

Originally posted by jsinjin

  I don’t know many banjo songs except wagon wheel, callin Baton Rouge, the Kermit rainbow song and the soft background part of don’t drink the water by Dave Matthew’s band featuring Bela Fleck.

 

---

Don't limit yourself to 'banjo songs' either.

You can play anything on the banjo...

Pomeroy - Posted - 06/28/2024:  01:35:24

What you refer to in your OP as 'Banjo World' is really no different to any other 'World' or area of activity. We're all different and what works for one person may not work for another e.g a person may naturally be a spatial/visual learner and prioritise one type of pattern, another person may be numerate/logical and prioritise other types of patterns; a person feel more comfortable with sticking to a structure, another person may not. A person may thrive on setting 'goals', another person may not. The temptation is to look at what other people do. The smart thing is to understand the efficacy of what works for us.



I guess the point is each of us function our best when we do things in a way that is naturally right for us. That includes having a wider awareness of balance and rest. How to practically apply that? Enjoy what you do and realise your successes and mistakes are all a natural and necessary part of the learning process.

The only general tip I can offer you is that if you're finding a specific technical aspect of what you are trying to do is particularly awkward/difficult go towards it and spend time on it, don't avoid it. That'll be the bit that currently needs the attention. The natural tendency is to blithely repeat what we already can do. Practice out your weaknesses. Your playing will be stronger for that in the long run.

Edited by - Pomeroy on 06/28/2024 01:50:29

dfstd - Posted - 06/28/2024:  05:13:12

When a player is "bit by the bug," he/she will practice every chance possible. If he/she is developing the skills properly, progress will follow. How they practice is just as important as how much. The player should focus on playing cleanly, efficiently, and accurately, with good tone and rhythm. Spending hours a day playing sloppy will eventually stall development. What they practice is also important. A little bit of exercises/drills to improve specific skills along with a healthy dose of music to learn the repertoire is a good approach.

How much? Depends on you. For me, 45 minutes/day is the bare minimum to maintain my playing level. With an hour/day, I can make slow progress. It helps if I play a short session, maybe 10 minutes first thing in the morning or during lunch break, in addition to a longer session in the evening. Helps me settle in quicker each time I play.

Also helps to play with others. I play at a weekly jam that runs about 2 hours. It's fun, and it gives me a reality check on where I'm at and what I need to work on.

I think your 2 hours/day ought to help you make good progress, especially if you stay focused on quality, fix what needs fixing, and get out and play with others.

jsinjin - Posted - 06/28/2024:  06:38:13

quote:

---

Originally posted by dfstd

good approach.



Also helps to play with others. I play at a weekly jam that runs about 2 hours. It's fun, and it gives me a reality check on where I'm at and what I need to work on.



I think your 2 hours/day ought to help you make good progress, especially if you stay focused on quality, fix what needs fixing, and get out and play with others.

---

Thanks DFSTD

i actually spend all of my time focused on quality and consistency and I never get bored doing repeat processes to improve them.   It's one of my most soothing activities.  When I learned to fly fish I spent months not fishing and simply practicing roll casts, arm movement and very detailed video and review of how my arm lifted, arc'd and then held before casting to let the line go through the full set of centripetal rolls.   I got to where I could drop it within a few inches at 30-40 feet even with branches nearby.

im taking a similar approach to banjo with a year or more just focused on being able to do the movements and proper form technically for tone, volume, timing and consistency.   I'm using video and I'm building all sorts of exercises for myself.

as far as playing with groups, I'm kind of a severe introvert and the idea of playing with others is just not my thing right now.   I'm not even learning songs at the moment except for a few parts of songs that have some specifics that lend themselves to practice.

i know that most people want to jam and play but my goal is really to be able to entertain myself on the porch and on camping trips with the instrument for the joy of playing and hearing the sound.   I don't know if I'll ever share the hobby with anyone as that's just not my joy.  But I do love practicing and getting better at something like this.

JSB88 - Posted - 06/28/2024:  07:50:03

Don't forget to include listening and watching to your practice time

mrbook - Posted - 06/28/2024:  08:49:33

I started out in the folk boom (or folk scare) in the 1960s, first on guitar, then banjo a couple years later. I learned a few playing techniques, but immediately started learning songs, and I would play every day for hours. My Harmony guitar and banjo were very playable (and still are after 60 years) so I never had sore fingers, and perhaps I was so obsessed with playing I never thought about it. I never cared much about playing the songs on the radio - I didn't have the skill or equipment to replicate those performances - but I could handle the stuff with one folksinger and a guitar or banjo. I found the Lomax collection in my school library, along with Carl Sandburg's American Songbag, and other collections, and our public library had a great collection of records from Folkways, Prestige, and other labels to borrow and listen, I learned more and more songs, and I think that helped my playing more than practicing techniques. Starting with a simple strum I could quickly play a song at the proper tempo and with smooth chord changes, and the arrangements got better as my playing progressed. My only lessons were from some "weekend folksingers" who worked with my father (a scientist at GE), who showed some basic arpeggios and fingerpicking patterns, then it became a jam - "We are playing 'Midnight Special' in the key of E." At twelve years old I didn't quite know what I was doing, but I quickly learned to hang on and keep up.

I played - or practiced, if you want to call it that - because I wanted to play music, and I just couldn't get enough. Later I did learn to practice a little more rigorously to improve my playing, but I never found it hard, or painful, or difficult because it was what I wanted to do. I don't always have that much free time as an adult, but I still play every day - some days only 10 or 15 minutes, other times I'm lucky enough to play for a few hours - but it's still never too much.

blazo - Posted - 06/29/2024:  09:50:09

It's not so much how long as it is how you practice. As others have mentioned, your ability to focus intensely is limited. Use that time to learn, technique, tunes, whatever. You can still spend a lot of time in a practice session but use the "unfocused" time to noodle or do mindless repetition, rinse' lather, repeat, to solidify what you've learned.

Eulalie - Posted - 06/29/2024:  10:28:27

I rub elbows with a lot of paper-trained conservatory types who always say that, if your fingers aren't bleeding, you're not done practicing. Not my style. Short sessions (20 minutes) of playing slowly with deliberate focus on particular movements is key.

I don't know whether anyone else has mentioned this already, but if you are older than your 20s, it is very important to not over-practice. Lasting pain and permanent damage to cartilage and the rest of your infrastructure will result from overuse of that delicate network of tendons. There is very little in the way of muscle in the hands, and the tendons you are using don't much like excessive repetitive motion.

One crucial fact that is often overlooked is that in the hands you have two different kinds of tendons, extensors and flexors. The extensors come into play when you separate the fingers, and the flexors are used when the fingers are together and touching. You want to use the flexor tendons as much as possible.

jsinjin - Posted - 06/29/2024:  10:51:21

Thanks all! Appreciate the advice. I think that my goals not being to play songs and certainly not really worrying about playing with groups I’ll stick with the mechanical parts. I really just enjoy the technical aspects of the motion. I think I would get bored and frustrated learning songs or playing with a group. I was always the kid who didn’t hang out with other kids and did every math problem rather than just the ones that were assigned.

I was very fortunate to get a spectacular custom instrument and I enjoy the weight and feel and the technical aspect of getting good at the physical motion. I’ve never enjoyed listening to music whether at concerts or live or in the car and I’ve never had any desire to play any but I love the motion of practice, patterns and hearing the harmonics and overtones and watching them on a frequency spectrum on my laptop.

Appreciate the advice! I’ll stick with my current workload as it’s not frustrating me at all. I actually wish I had more time to practice.

Eulalie - Posted - 06/29/2024:  13:00:50

quote:

---

Originally posted by jsinjin

...I think I would get bored and frustrated learning songs or playing with a group. I was always the kid who didn’t hang out with other kids and did every math problem rather than just the ones that were assigned.

Actually, it sounds like you are a stereotypical lute player in the style of Ignatius J. Reilly.  You might want to consider changing your focus.

jsinjin - Posted - 06/29/2024:  13:40:49

quote:

---

Originally posted by Eulalie

quote:

---

Originally posted by jsinjin

...I think I would get bored and frustrated learning songs or playing with a group. I was always the kid who didn’t hang out with other kids and did every math problem rather than just the ones that were assigned.

Actually, it sounds like you are a stereotypical lute player in the style of Ignatius J. Reilly.  You might want to consider changing your focus.

---

Naah!   I already bought an expensive banjo!  And I'm having a lot of fun!   I just started incorporating strums and I'm loving it. 

Eulalie - Posted - 06/29/2024:  14:48:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by jsinjin

quote:

---

Originally posted by Eulalie

quote:

---

Originally posted by jsinjin

...I think I would get bored and frustrated learning songs or playing with a group. I was always the kid who didn’t hang out with other kids and did every math problem rather than just the ones that were assigned.

Actually, it sounds like you are a stereotypical lute player in the style of Ignatius J. Reilly.  You might want to consider changing your focus.

---

Naah!   I already bought an expensive banjo!  And I'm having a lot of fun!   I just started incorporating strums and I'm loving it. 

---

You could spend almost as much on a lute and enjoy it even less.  I'm happy to know you're getting satisfaction from playing the banjo, which is at a minimum much more pleasurable than a root canal.  I think Charles Schultz did a Peanuts cartoon with a caption that read something like everyone should be issued a banjo at birth.

jsinjin - Posted - 06/29/2024:  15:00:33

So many cartoonists have featured banjos. Scott Adam’s characters: “I’d rather staple a skunk to my forehead and go to a banjo convention”. Gary Larson: “and here’s your room maestro” said by the devil as he led a classical conductor with a baton into a room filled with people holding banjos”

NewBlackDak - Posted - 07/02/2024:  08:33:13

When I started playing I took my banjo to work.
15 mins before work, played through my breaks, 15 mins during lunch, 15 mins after work, and 15-20 mins right before bed to get the new/difficult stuff pushed in.
It totaled about 2 hours per day in bite sized chunks.

cow_tools - Posted - 07/02/2024:  09:56:17

Agreed on breaking the practice up into several 15-20 minute chunks throughout the day. The "pulling in" and "pushing out" approach of learning, at least from my experience, makes learning things much faster, and as an added bonus your practices tend to be much more focused.

CamWNC - Posted - 07/02/2024:  14:27:58

When I was first learning banjo, I was playing 3-4 hours every day. I did this for about 3 months before I brought it down to 1-2 hours.

However, it's not my first instrument, so I already had the muscle/nerve development and conditioning to do 4 hours at a stretch.

I would recommend someone practice as much as they can without injuring themselves. If your hand or wrist starts feeling warm, stop playing because that's the beginning of a strain. Take a break for the day, and try to do more tomorrow.

But the more you practice, the quicker you learn (as long as the practice is quality).

BlueMountain - Posted - 07/04/2024:  05:45:39

Here’s my recommendation to you. Close your books. Turn off your instructional videos. Go to the iTunes Store and buy a copy of “The Pizza Tapes,” with David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, and Tony Rice. Classic songs played slowly, and no banjo content. Sit back in a comfy chair, banjo in hand, and put on the record. Play along. Figure out the key by ear. Generally there are only three or four chords. Play along, using the techniques you’ve learned. No books! Trust yourself. Figure it out on your own! You don’t have to play rolls, and if you do, you’ll be playing them slowly. This will teach you to listen and play instead of just reading from a book and copying. It’s even good to learn to do this without a capo (banjo spikes for the fifty string are acceptable, but learn to play in any key without a capo.)

Wednesday afternoon, where I live, there is a two hour bluegrass performance in front of an audience. During the second hour, I’m the featured mandolin soloist. However, during the first hour, I sit at the back of the stage with a banjo and a mute and play along. It’s great practice. I can try out ideas and make mistakes and no one will know. Meanwhile, I have fun and improve steadily. I also lie in bed and play banjo for a half hour or so before sleeping.

Yes, I’m also an extreme introvert with Asperger’s Syndrome. Trust me. You can do this.

coalcracker2 - Posted - 07/04/2024:  05:49:24

Go to banjobenclark.com site.
He has a fantastic presentation relative to practice and methods.

eccles - Posted - 07/04/2024:  07:28:04

I started nine months ago (at 80 yrs LOL) and I suppose I already had some "muscle memory" having played a dreadnought guitar for many years of and on and in church. However I decided to do some research after a couple of weeks and have found Eli Gilbert's and Jim Pankey's learning/advice vids particularly useful. Neither of them seem to suggest long sessions and I have found that I do best by a couple of half hour sessions per day, usually one in the morning and another in the evening. Eli's advice to be relaxed as much as possible I have found particularly useful.

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 07/04/2024:  08:18:40

Good advice here.
I usually practice for about 30 minutes. If I’m learning or composing a new tune it can be a lot longer, but I think the important thing is to practice every day. Having said that, I only practice when I’m in the mood, I never force myself to practice. It’s good to have a warm up tune. Something familiar that you can play well. And never underestimate the importance of unfocused noodling. Much of your learning happens there.

Bonkin - Posted - 07/04/2024:  09:27:07

I'm fairly new to the banjo - picked up a GT CC-50 for Christmas. Started on bluegrass and then switched to clawhammer after attending a banjo camp and hanging out with some clawhammer players on the porch. Like some of the others in the thread, I'd never played in front of anyone - until I was coaxed to play in a beginner jam at banjo camp. First 5 minutes, I was scared to death (no idea why, we were all beginners and all sucked in different ways) - but then I ended up hanging out with them for the next 2 1/2 hours. Highly recommend playing with others - also consider a banjo camp if you can swing it.

Early on, I would find 15-20 minutes around my max - I sounded like s*** - but kept after it and slowly sounded better.

Consistency and more focus on technical skills rather than songs were the key for me. Now at 6 months in, I'm averaging an hour a day - every day. An example was my bum-ditty and double thumb were doing great, increasing tempo with good timing and tone, but my drop thumb was really struggling to keep up - speed and tone. I went through Tom Collins Banjo Blitz series and created practice routines from his drop thumb sessions and also utilize The Beast every day. This combo has really leveled up my drop thumb technique over the past week or two. Next week I plan to go back to the songs I was struggling with and see where I am.

archtop717 - Posted - 07/04/2024:  09:40:49

Having FUN and PASSION for playing the Banjo is everything! When I was 26 years old, (I started late) I knew 3 tunes on the Banjo, and I joined a band. They needed me badly because they had gigs and their Banjo player had just quit. We played on Saturday nights at the Gaslight Beef & Ale in Morrisville; Pa. and were called Bucks County Grass. I fudged my way through each night and then things started to click. I got smoother, faster, and more accurate as time went on and it was fun. That was the practice for hours part of my Banjo journey. Now, 45 years later, I play in the Trio Borderline with my wife on Bass and one of the hottest Guitar players on this planet, Bob Harris. Now, I find that if I play for thirty minutes put it away, and come back for another 30-minute session, I warm up faster (Which someone already mentioned they did). I may be 71, but I feel like 26 again when I pick up my Banjo.

pinkerton99 - Posted - 07/04/2024:  10:05:39

I'm a relative beginner myself. Been practicing one hour per day fairly religiously for 14 months and also taking bi-weekly lessons with a local picker. Have also attended perhaps a dozen or so "beginner jams" during that time. While I still have a long way to go before I'd consider myself a "good player," I've been really happy with my progress during that time. I can play a fair number of tunes at a reasonable speed, am getting more comfortable playing up-the-neck, and can do basic backup/improvisation.

I'm in my early forties now, married with two kids and a fairly demanding career, so my practice time is pretty much decided for me. My wife surely wouldn't appreciate me retreating to the basement with my banjo for multiple hours after the kids are in bed each night. But an hour seems to work for us so that's what I do.

Had I started when I was a kid (as most of 'the greats' did), I could totally see myself practicing for 6+ hours per day. But that's not feasible at this stage of my life.

jsinjin - Posted - 07/04/2024:  10:59:17

I would practice all day if I didn’t have work and family but suck is life. I did pull the banjo out at a current family reunion and played for them without any songs, just my picking patterns and rolls and different chords and two tunings and to be honest I don’t think any of them knew if I was playing a song or not. I’ve upped my metronome practice time to 120 and 125 which is much faster than I started.

I really enjoy it. Again, I’m not into playing with groups as that is not my goal but I sure feel the joy of practicing and trying to hit more and more complicated patterns.

Happy Fourth of July!

My “Rose Hill” Texas banjo (chuck lee) on the Guadalupe river in the Texas hill country.

 

B_Shull - Posted - 07/10/2024:  06:43:47

FWIW I gave myself a repetitive motion injury playing 2 hours a day.

jsinjin - Posted - 07/11/2024:  07:13:38

So far so good! I’m getting in an average of 1.5 hours per day with highs as much as 3 on weekends. I’m taking it with me everywhere and the nice thing is that my practicing is sounding somewhat musical now.

Still no songs but I found a book called Hanon Exercises for piano which is way cool and I’ve adapted it to the banjo (ignoring the obvious differences in chords).

I’ve gotten very good at finding all of the major and minor chords in major G tuning and because I like the sound, I’ve been working on double C tuning which scales and chords using the same style of practice.

jsinjin - Posted - 07/18/2024:  12:01:36

Ive been plotting my practice sessions in a file and want to update them here. But I don’t want to leave my topic as the top level in this sub forum. Does anyone know of a way to have a practice update sub sub forum that wouldn’t clog up everyone’s views and questions within the general clawhammer playing style forum?

Mtngoat - Posted - 07/18/2024:  14:49:34

I never practice but I play a lot. Practicing is work but playing is fun.

Edited by - Mtngoat on 07/18/2024 14:50:47

LyleK - Posted - 07/18/2024:  15:42:42

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mtngoat

I never practice but I play a lot. Practicing is work but playing is fun.

---

I totally agree.

Coming from a classical music background (French horn), I was sick of scales, arpeggios, practicing concertos and orchestral excerpts, and, most of all, etudes.  I started playing banjo at age 13 to get away from practicing. 

jsinjin - Posted - 07/18/2024:  17:31:50

I love practicing! I haven’t learned a single song yet. Just practice all kinds of different patterns and ways to play and learning chords and theory. To me learning the songs would be the most frustrating thing.

mmuussiiccaall - Posted - 07/18/2024:  17:33:23

I taught banjo for over 50 years and sometimes I would get a student that would show up that was similar to the OP and I always knew what they wanted. They could play many songs by wrote but not play anything that came out of their own musical mind. One thing I would ask them, imagine it’s my birthday. Play Happy birthday to me. Oh, you can’t do that. OK play Mary had a little lamb, you can’t do that wow. of course, many are content with mimicking pre-pre-recorded songs and there’s nothing wrong with that. When I was a early player of course, that’s what I wanted to do also but that doesn’t fly when you become a music teacher and have know how to explain why you’re doing what you’re doing and for me opened up a world that made music five times more fun. Don’t get me started with teachers that just teach you song after song after song.

jsinjin - Posted - 07/18/2024:  20:25:06

I actually don’t enjoy playing songs either pre recorded or otherwise. As a student whether in grad school or undergrad or post doctoral I enjoyed what one would call “practice”. I thoroughly enjoyed working every problem in thermodynamics books. Practicing them backward and forwards until they completely made sense to me. What I’ve enjoyed most about the banjo has been the learning of the way that chords and tunings are put together. It’s fascinating to me. The idea of playing with a group or leaning a repertoire of songs doesn’t appeal to me at all. But I love spending several hours a day practicing texhniques and chord progressions and drop thumb and hammer on and pull off. I love spending 30 minutes increasing intensity and decreasing moving back and forth on the head from above the bridge to the scoop on the neck desperately trying to have the same striking intensity on each string with either my index or middle finger while I independently move through chords.

I know a lot of people love songs and sitting and play in with people but I know that’s not what interests me. I like getting an oscilloscope out and understanding tuning and what the corresponding half and whole steps mean. My only experience with music before was one summer of piano at around 10 or 11 and I’m 53 now. No high school band or music ever. But I can lose myself in practice of the technique and it’s a lot of fun for me. Songs definitely aren’t my thing and I’m sure I would be very frustrated trying to learn them and play with people. I’m excited mostly to learn music theory. I never knew about the circle of fifths until I checked out a couple of books from the library and read them. I wish this was the way that the music was taught instead of the songs but I also know I’m weird. I’m also completely fine that there are brilliant virtuosos who can play anything by ear and sound and improvise spectacularly. I just know that’s not me. But I do love practice!!

Dale Diehl - Posted - 07/26/2024:  06:11:09

Let me add my 2 cents, mostly about how not to practice. You mentioned your family, they are important. Your kids will be gone before you know it. Don't miss the time you have now with them.
Have a secluded place to practice where you won't drive your family crazy.

No one love your banjo as much as you do.

Don't over do it. I started to have trouble with my hands. Between work and too much tension in my hand and too long at it, I stated having cramping problems that affected me at work. As suggested, shorter times. I had to cut back to a few sessions of 10 or 15 minutes until my hand started to recover.

Kevin S - Posted - 07/26/2024:  06:45:15

In addition to all the traditional practice stuff and helpful ideas above, I’d suggest the book The Laws of Brainjo by the board-certified neurologist and musician. Josh Turknett, MD. The book doesn’t get into specific practice material, but is instead an interesting look into how the brain learns. You can find it on Amazon.

jsinjin - Posted - 07/26/2024:  13:30:21

Thanks all! My wife and I are empty nesters now so the time is fine for practicing music (all three kids are in or out of college and they all run so they spend their time on their respective track or cross teams in the summer). Part of the reason I picked up an instrument was because I now have time. I spend my time right now mostly in music theory which is a rabbit hole I’ve gone down in fascination. I devised some of my own practice methods to learn and call out any chord and hit it in a given tuning key from memory at different points on the neck. It’s been fascinating as I have never had the introduction to music theory at all. I’ve been practicing this by having the computer spit out a chord with a metronome and playing i. I started with the major chords and then moved to 7ths then minor then the diminished and all of the extras with the Bs or Cs or more. It’s probably old knowledge to most but it’s fascinating to me. Then later I practice patterns of clawhammer hitting strings, thumbs, strums, drop thumbs and work in hammer on and pull off in a set of patterns. Then I practice the Bach Prelude that I set up to practice chords, then in the evenings work through one of the brainjo follow along programs as I’m subscribed to that. I usually end the day reading more about chord theory and physics. I sort of took the same approach to the first few weeks of biochem many years ago when I needed to memorize the 21 primary amino acid structures, charges, and triplet dna base codons that tie to them.

I have plans next week to begin work with some very dedicated metronome timing with my exercises so that I can stay on beat.

NotABanjoYoda - Posted - 07/26/2024:  14:09:03

Id say practice an hour a day or until you arent hsving fun anymore, whichever comes sooner or later. I recently took a 6 week break from gigging and playing to go on vacation. I came back better than I was before the break. Taking long recovery breaks is common.