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 ARCHIVED TOPIC: old-time clawhammer mantra


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/78790

godsey - Posted - 03/29/2007:  10:37:12


howdy.

when i was learning to telemark ski, i developed a mantra--shoulders square. hands forward. equal weight on both legs.--that i'd repeat like a...well, like a mantra, as i fumbled my way down the hill.

telemarking is much more complex than those three concepts, but concentrating on them, especially for a beginner, helps develop enough basic overall consistency that the more subtle, sophisticated stuff sort of works itself out.

what's a short, effective clawhammer & old-time mantra that might serve the same function?

something that puts focus on a few fundamental concepts, and that allows a novice or even intermediate player to avoid the temptation of unproductively thinking about too many things at once.


Edited by - godsey on 03/29/2007 11:02:49

Yopparai - Posted - 03/29/2007:  10:44:24


bum ditty bumpa ditty bumpa ditty om...

*edit* Well, only have joking. Its all about the rhythm. */edit*


Edited by - Yopparai on 03/29/2007 10:45:49

Clawdan - Posted - 03/29/2007:  10:58:22


Relax relax relax, listen listen listen, thump-a thump-a thump-a. Then breath out and play.

Play nice,
Dan "Ain't no bum-diddy" Levenson
Old Time Music and Dance
www.ClawhammerBanjo.us
Author of Clawhammer Banjo From Scratch, A guide for the claw-less - a MelBay Publication
and Old Time Festival Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo (MelBay 20313) - 117 tunes tabbed for clawhammer banjo with standard notation and suggested chords.
Tune list at http://www.folknet.org/dan/FestTunesBJBook.htm

uncledelphi - Posted - 03/29/2007:  11:25:39


I actually teach some of my students the following mantra:

brush rest brush thumb, brush rest brush thumb, brush rest brush thumb

But with one particular student it goes like this:

brush rest brush thumb, brush rest brush thumb, RIGHT HAND CLOSER TO THE NECK, brush rest brush thumb

Austin "Breakbuster" Rogers

GIBSON MAFIA
Vega Partisan

godsey - Posted - 03/29/2007:  11:44:56


that piece of advice that uncledelphi gives to one of his students--"RIGHT HAND CLOSER TO THE NECK"--is exactly the type of mantra material i'm trying to come up with.

i understand the basic concept of brushing and thumbing in a bum-did-dy, bumpa-diddy, boom-chikka, thump-a thump-a, etc. rhythm.

but what most basic points of positioning and movement can someone who's having trouble frailing (and fretting) consistently keep in mind?

what are the physical, maybe even mental, underpinnings of reliably, smoothly, uniformly creating those sounds?



uncledelphi - Posted - 03/29/2007:  11:54:50


quote:
Originally posted by godsey

but what most basic points of positioning and movement can someone who's having trouble frailing (and fretting) consistently keep in mind?



Some I would suggest:

Relax right hand.
Relax left hand.
Right hand motion from the wrist, not the finger, not the arm (controversial, but that's required for the regional style I teach).
Don't flick the middle finger of the right hand.
Don't rest your right thumb on the fifth string unless you're going to immediately sound it (again, controversial, but required in my style).
Keey your right thumb flexible.
Don't grip the neck too tightly with the left hand, heck, don't grip it at all.
Have fun.

Austin "Breakbuster" Rogers

GIBSON MAFIA
Vega Partisan

trapdoor2 - Posted - 03/29/2007:  12:02:46


Other than the rhythm, I would think the mantra for CH would be no different than that of any other instrument.

Breathe, sit up straight, peghead at shoulder height, don't get lazy with the LH, LISTEN, eat your vegetables, etc., etc.

Hmmm. I like that part: "Don't get Lazy with the Left Hand" Good 4/4 rhythm with that as a mantra....

"If banjos needed tone rings, S.S. Stewart would have built 'em that way."

===Marc

ndlxs - Posted - 03/29/2007:  12:14:25


I have heard some silly phonetic versions of bum-diddy like:
one potato, two potato

Any others?

Andy Alexis
Sacramento, California
"The Pearl of the Central Valley"
Buy my CDs:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/pineycreek
and
http://www.offtocalifornia.com

ndlxs - Posted - 03/29/2007:  12:40:10


Actually, one potato doesn't work: it would be bum-dadiddy.
One taco, two taco.

Andy Alexis
Sacramento, California
"The Pearl of the Central Valley"
Buy my CDs:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/pineycreek
and
http://www.offtocalifornia.com

hyldemoer - Posted - 03/29/2007:  13:16:16


I'm partial to "BUM Chuck ka" and "Bum pa Chuck ka".

tubaphone1927 - Posted - 03/29/2007:  13:20:57


This isn't really a mantra but every time I get ready to play on stage or even just to practice I think "Don't think, Just do it" and repeat that to myself several times. It works for me, but I wouldn't apply it to anything else like driving...might be bad.

"Who says a Banjo Player can't drive a BMW!"

haiku - Posted - 03/29/2007:  16:57:55


quote:
Originally posted by tubaphone1927

This isn't really a mantra but every time I get ready to play on stage or even just to practice I think "Don't think, Just do it" and repeat that to myself several times. It works for me, but I wouldn't apply it to anything else like driving...might be bad.

"Who says a Banjo Player can't drive a BMW!"



I agree with you. Over-thinking something sometimes lead to confusion - your finger should play, not your brain (I think it's what Dan Levenson explain when he says "Don't look at your hands" on Clawhammer Banjo from Scratch") - And I think that's a mantra's made for: clear your mind.

So, my own mantra when practicing is "Watch Tv" . It helps not focusing too much on what you're doing and let things become somehow "natural"
(You can subsitute "watch TV" with "Think about the huge pile of bills to pay" - THAT works too )

BTW Tubaphone1927: if I would drive a BMW the way I play the banjo, the local car-repair store would be the richest men in the area

-----
http://www.myspace.com/hobohaiku

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 03/29/2007:  17:34:20


Watch the fiddler - she might have a knife.

The Whiskey Before Breakfast variations and a few tunes in "F" tuning are now available on the web at:
http://home.thegrid.net/~fjbrad/id20.html

dbrooks - Posted - 03/30/2007:  08:36:31


Relx the right hand is definitely one thought I keep in mind. As a result of working to chang my right-hand position a year or two ago, I also think about keeping my thumb near the knuckle of my index finger on my right hand. In other words, I don't want to let my thumb extend too far away from my index finger as it does when I fingerpick the guitar. This also prompts my to bring my hand back toward (or past) the 5th string on the upstroke to get ready for the next downstroke with the thumb in the right position to strike the 5th (or other) string.

Whew! Not really that complicated but awkward to explain. Guess that's why it's a mantra.

David

Tikron - Posted - 03/30/2007:  09:32:49


Tone and Rhythm
Tone and Rhythm
That what Jack would say
and Jill's right with 'im
complicate no futha'
you can't have one without the otha'

[sung to the tune of ...]

Ron :)

nycplucker - Posted - 03/30/2007:  17:30:07


dan is really on to something.

relax, breath, and listen are the most important points.

when you stop breathing your muscles will tense, give you a less then desireable sound and an inconsistant beat. i used to watch tv while playing. even though this helped my fingers attain the necessary muscle memory it did nothing for my sound.

i would spend a month or so listening to some really great players (for me ken perlman, dan levenson and zepp) when you know what sound you want to produce you've solved half the battle. then experiment with trying to reproduce their sound. find that sweat spot on the harmonic (if thats the sound your going for). then work on the angle of your finger to refine your sound. experiment with the shape of your nail as well.

think of your practice as a type of meditation. stay with the breath, relax and listen to your sound. consistancy and focus is key.

take none of your movement for granted. everytime you move. ask yourself, is that the most efficient way i could have done that.

good luck. have fun and most of all enjoy the beautiful music you are making.





Edited by - nycplucker on 03/30/2007 17:31:29

Couchie - Posted - 04/01/2007:  15:02:56


Then there is the old Roger Miller clawhammer mantra... Doo Wacka Doo

Don.

O=='=#

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