Mickhammer - Posted - 11/24/2025:  23:35:13

I've been playing for a few years now - I found a style and a tuning that works for me and the duo I play in and just stuck with it. But since I don't have any gigs coming up for the next few months, I decided it's time to knuckle down and work on my technique, build up some proper skills.

Banjo Blitz seems excellent for this. But I wonder. I know there's a few BHO members who've gone through this series: how did you use it? For example, did you move on to the next lesson only after you'd mastered the ones before it? Did you practice all the skills every day? Only the ones you felt needed work?

I haven't peeked ahead to see if these lessons are progressive - I've only looked at the first three (which have all exposed gaps in my playing). They seem more like a toolkit.

I imagine, at the beginning, people had to wait a whole week for each video, which gave plenty of time to practice the individual exercises. Now that they're all up there, the temptation is strong to plow through the whole series. (I'm likely to sign up for his Patreon after this is done, I enjoy his delivery.)

Thanks for your thoughts. I've read Tom's comments about the series (and other people's comments here and elsewhere) but haven't found anyone speaking about their actual approach to it.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 11/25/2025:  00:17:11

I use almost all the techniques Tom Collins shows in his excellent series. I learned all of them on my own through trial and error, listening a lot and a fair amount of practice. All because i learned before the internet, when I was often the only clawhammer player around. I never analyzed my playing as sTom has his. I emerged a pretty good player, but lacked the talent to be a great one. All that said—
Since you already play, I would go through the Blitz series to find the techniques that would help you with what you play or want to learn. Don’t simply try going through the material from start to finish. You will learn some new licks and maybe tunes, and most importantly discover what learning approach works best for you. Finally, pay heed to everything Tom says about rhythm. He’s also a drummer, and he has the rhythm thing down.

Edwards - Posted - 11/25/2025:  12:29:59

Hey Mickey, Bill is right. I have used Tom series to flush out my playing there’s a lot of resources in the series plus he has a Patreon if you’re looking for more happy turkey day Bill and Mickey!