I know this has been addressed a lot on the main forums, but I was wondering how much time our group members get in each week to practice what Al preaches? What's your practice routine look like?
16 Comments |
 | banjolasse says:
3/14/2013 10:49:02 PM
Not enough! But I´m happy if I can practice four to five hours a week. Work and family issues more often make me jump over few days a week. And in the summer my work don´t give me a chance to practice at all.
But I enjoy every minute I get.
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 | MiG-19 says:
3/14/2013 11:31:25 PM
What's your typical practice routine?
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| banjolasse says:
3/14/2013 11:56:01 PM
I start with doing rolls to warm up my fingers and specially my thumb. For some reason I´m having problem with my right hand thumb hitting every string I don´t want to hit. But when I slow down and do special rolls it´s getting better. Then I practice on Al´s next lesson, right now I have "Wreck of old 97" and I also try to do some back ups I learned lately from Al. And I also every time practice on "Sally goodin", my favorite. I just have to play it like Earl or Jim Mills in this video, youtube.com/watch?v=WUZm9mBEE1I.
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 | MoPac fan says:
3/15/2013 5:16:49 AM
My main practice time is early in the morning. Deb gets up at 4 and gets in the shower to get ready for work. This is the one time I'm grateful that women, or at least my wife, take a long shower. Deb is usually in there for 45 minutes and then by the time she gets out and dried off it's nearly an hour.
I set the coffee pot for automatic brew and it's ready by the time I get up a few minutes after 4. That gives me nearly an hour to practice at full volume. I don't do this every morning though, some morning I just have to stay in bed. This morning banjo practice lost to staying in a warm bed.
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| MoPac fan says:
3/15/2013 5:19:36 AM
I work 4 ten hour days and normally get a three day weekend. Banjo lessons every other Monday for an hour. I usually l have a couple of hours to play on Monday's, especially on lesson day. I spend two or three hours pouring over lesson material and stuff I want to work on with Al.
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 | thelongcarabine says:
3/15/2013 5:38:38 AM
thanks for that Jim mills clip - ooooft! Ive a long banjo journey ahead, and just at the begining. Im trying to get a little more structured in my Practice now. I would find I get so drawn in to learning the lastest tune that I didnt do any recap of the previous tunes that I had managed to at least get to the Al - 'your ready for another tune' stage. The fact that the phrases in them are so similar would mean I would end up taking a wrong turn and starting one tune and finishing another. I'm just finished 'rollin in my sweet babies' in the sequence.
So for the first hour, if I can only manage an hour, 10 mins of soley one backup or transition, making sure im playing it as its written, then 15 mins of one previously learned tune, reading from the tab, slow enough that I can make sure Im playing what is written, and then finish with learning the latest tune. One problem I have is if I burn the wrong thing in for a tune, it takes an age to rub it out. Ive found the best method for me is to have a stab at a tune from the initial pointers from AL,then get him involved soon after to straighten me out, and then go at it. If Im left with a tune to long on my own all sorts of bent stuff gets in there.
I also quite like - watching a film with the sound down and subtitles on, and playing things that I feel I already know. I discovered that when I got hooked on the Danish version of 'the killing' it came with subtitles and I found the two could co-exist.
Ill have the banjo in my hand most nights when Im home but I work away a lot so my practice is broken.
Cheers
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 | vicpuch says:
3/15/2013 5:41:58 AM
I would say generally 5 to 6 hours a week...whenever I have a few moments...I play. I live alone so I have no others to consider in as much as whether I have to mute or not. I'll play in the morning before work or when I get home in the evening if there is time. Schedule is pretty busy so I try to take time whenever it presents itself. As far as a routine goes Ill simply warm up slowly with a simple song and then most recently will work on the lesson Al has for me for the week. I'm an every other week lesson taker from Al so I'm trying to be prepped well before my Sat a.m. time slot.
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| MoPac fan says:
3/15/2013 6:07:06 AM
I work 4 ten hour days and normally get a three day weekend. Banjo lessons every other Monday for an hour. I usually l have a couple of hours to play on Monday's, especially on lesson day. I spend two or three hours pouring over lesson material and stuff I want to work on with Al.
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 | loukiii says:
3/15/2013 6:55:41 AM
I take my lesson once a week. I try to practice every day, even if it is only for a few minutes. Sometimes I skip a day or two. I really have not been putting in the effort I was for the first couple years. However I feel I am still learning quite a bit and very quickly. I also supplement my practice time with lots of jamming with others.
I don't really think the main objective (for me anyway) is to play a song exactly like (insert famous banjo players name here) did on any specific recording from memory, note for note. My objective is more to sound like I could be one of those guys, if the lights were out and you didn't know it was me. I think mastering the techniques used in the various songs by these artists is what is important.
I usually start my practice session playing something like fireball mail at a comfortable pace to warm up my fingers. Then after I feel ready I will work on my "Ricky Bobby" excercise (An Al original) for more warmup and to smooth out my forward roll. (With a Metronome) Then I will work on my song for the week, slowly at first and by slow I mean sloooooooooooooooooow. Like one note at a time, then one lick at a time, then maybe 2 licks etc until I can make my way through the whole song without destroying it too bad. Then I will try to smooth out the rough spots, just working on the trouble areas, and then try to play the whole song again. Then after I get totally burnt out on doing that I will play whatever I feel like playing for a few songs to get my interest back. Then I will work on some backup stuff, like six white horses lick or some other torturous backup Evil Al might have conjured up for my learning pleasure. Then back to the song of the week a couple times and a couple of whatever I feel like and Im done.
I know it sounds like a lot but I only get to go that in depth a couple times a week. The rest of the time I will just pick up my banjo and work on the song for the week or play for my own enjoyment. Oh and I also take it to work and play in my truck in the parking lot at lunch time several days a week. Sometimes I have an audience. Sometimes I don't. It helps to get over the shyness thing.
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 | Lewis842002 says:
3/15/2013 7:38:31 AM
I get in about 45 min a day; start with rolls and then Scruggs backups and fills and then I always start with cripple creek and work my way down my list.
But here as of late I have had a side project, putting siding on my mom’s house and with only me and my bother it is going slow a few more weeks and we will be done and I can get back to my normal routine.
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| Lewis842002 says:
3/15/2013 7:38:42 AM
I get in about 45 min a day; start with rolls and then Scruggs backups and fills and then I always start with cripple creek and work my way down my list.
But here as of late I have had a side project, putting siding on my mom’s house and with only me and my bother it is going slow a few more weeks and we will be done and I can get back to my normal routine.
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 | mcaple says:
3/16/2013 8:34:20 PM
I am also in the 45-1 hour category bit weekends usually a lot more. I am at the point where the songs in the file numbers 22-25 and I find it hard to choose what to practice. It's like I memorise something and it cleans out another tune I used to have but I guess I just have to keep practising. I also feel a bit guilty of I don't practice as I think I've started this journey late so I need to catch up. Of course Al tells me the simple solution is to give up work.
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| MoPac fan says:
3/19/2013 1:41:05 AM
Mark, I'm sure there are a lot of us in the same boat as you. I know I am. I probably have 30 songs given me by Al. And I swear, I should know all 30, have the commited to memory as Al says. But I still have a lot of trouble spots in songs to smoothe over. Yesterday I had my lesson with Al and I had been working on Cabine in Caroline. It was one of the rirst songs Al gave me. One of the "Cabin Songs." I always had trouble with the D stuff in the fourth measure. I drug out the old videos that Al shot of him playing and I noticed that Al was using his middle finger on his left hand to hold down that A (3rd string, 2nd fret). I had been trying to use my index and it was causing me trouble grabbing that C (2nd string, 1st fret). A friggin light went off in my head and I "Got." it.
I had my lesson with Al yesterday and I couldn't wait to show him. He was like, "Wow, I gave you that a long time ago." The good thing about it is that I'm at a point now to where I can go back and line out those problem areas. I have the technincal ability now I didn't have then. Al said those early songs each have elements in them that are fundemental. It really is a process.
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| MoPac fan says:
3/19/2013 1:52:01 AM
I would say the Scruggs fundemental lick in Cabin in Carolin in Caroline is the last two measures, another trouble spot of mine.
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 | oldcrowmedicineman says:
3/19/2013 9:45:39 AM
With a five-month-old kid and running a business, I snatch some minutes with my beloved Gold Tone whenever I bloody well can!!
This can be a good few hours in one day. And then nothing for three.
Nice to hear all the stories here.
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 | G says:
3/19/2013 6:56:41 PM
Do a lesson just once monthly. Up to about # 6 now.
I try to get at least one hour a day. I practice rolls/licks a bit, then review/practice the songs I have already learned. And then I spend - probably most of the time - on learning the most current one. Right now that's Lonesome Road Blues.
LOVING it :)
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