DVD-quality lessons (including tabs/sheet music) available for immediate viewing on any device.
Take your playing to the next level with the help of a local or online banjo teacher.
Weekly newsletter includes free lessons, favorite member content, banjo news and more.
|
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/78994
BRASMAN - Posted - 04/01/2007: 03:29:03
Even when I hold my thumb in the middle of the neck I have a tendancy sometimes to kill the sound on my first string with my index finger. Are there any sugestions out there or helpfull hints? Thank you for any advice.
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 04/01/2007: 04:02:02
I might make some errors here as I'm a little groggy - but I'l give it a go.
What angle is the neck at? If you are holding it too low it is almost impossible to get your fingers curved over the fingerboard.
Where do you keep the pot? If your left hand is reaching out too far away from your body it can be hard to get a good arch.
Put the pot on your right thigh, and hold the banjo so the peghead is about level with your chin. You want the banjo and fingerboard to be close to perpendicular to the floor also, not leaned back so you are looking at the fingerboard but upright so you are mostly seeing the side of the neck.
Now put the 1st finger on teh 8th fret of the 2nd string- make it curve so you can sound the 1st string. Play the 1st string and then the 2nd.
Add the 2nd finger on the 9th fret and curve it along with the 1st finger you have down. Play the 1st string and then the 2nd
Add the 3rd finger 10th fret and repete
Add the 4th finger 11th fret and repete. All your fingers should be down on the fingerboard now.
go backwards - remove teh 4th, then the 3rd etc.
When you have this so you can consistantly sound the 1st string, move the 1st finger down to the 7th fret and repete the whole exercise. Then move down another fret etc.
When this is fairly easy do yoru fretting on the 3rd string making sure you can sound 1 and 2 at each move.
Of course you will eventually be usign the 4th string and sounding the 1, 2, and 3 - The arch is all important.
What you are doing is training your hand to make the arch over the fingerboard properly. The exercise is modified from ones in Arron Shirer's "Slur Ornament & Reach Development" book for classical guitar.
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
BRASMAN - Posted - 04/02/2007: 02:50:23
Thanks for the reply. Since you pointed it out it was something I did not notice I was doing. It seems like I was holding my kneck a little low and that was most of my problem. Thanks.
Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Newest Posts
'Valentine’s Day ' 2 hrs
'Fair Morning Hornpipe' 3 hrs
'Tennesee Stud' 5 hrs
'Good Saturday Morning' 8 hrs
'Help reading tabs' 9 hrs