Recommend Scruggs Solos clinic wtih John Boulding

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Playing By Ear

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We got a lot of great players already in this group and a lot of them play by ear so if ya want to learn this is the place

532 Members, Created 1/26/2011 -

Administrators: rickshunter1 (owner)

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From From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 3/6/2011 4:41:14 AM

I met John Boulding via Skype lessons a couple months ago and have no connection with him other than being a grateful student. My banjo life had been a frustratted attempt to learn to play from tab for too many years. I kept doing it and waiting for something to rub off on me and nothing did. In about 2 months John has taught me how to listen first to the melody of a song then to the banjo break and then how to base the break on the melody and render the melody in the break. Scruggs called it playing the words. Now I have an idea of what to do in order to play the banjo and improve. I just need the practice. John is teaching in his clinic what he taught me.

Each time I practice now I have a purpose rather than just trying to be a human recorder and regurgitate what is on paper. If I had know this long ago I think I would have been decent now. For people that want to play by ear, this is the best thing I have seen and I have books and DVDs from every major teacher. I cannot recommend John highly enough.

Ken

3 Comments
	Augie says: 3/6/2011 3:52:00 AM Hi Ken, The definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing over and over the same way and expecting different results. There seems to be a whole herd of folks that have decided that TAB is a crutch that is hard to throw down. I am a dyed in the wool Murphy fan, but I have watched several of John Boulding's Lick Of The Week (LOTW) videos and have the utmost respect for him. He has a lot of free information and is able to present it very well. I applaud your choice. I read your comment: "I have books and DVDs from every major teacher" and have to ask, Did you try the Murphy Method? For me, she is a major source. You sound as if you are on the right track. I wish you the very best and am happy you found a new horizon to look at. Augie
	From Greylock to Bean Blossom says: 3/6/2011 4:40:20 AM Augie, Yes I did try the Murphy method and what I learned from her was better than what I learned from tab as I learned timing and to be able to hear it and try to reproduce it. But to me Murphy was still memorizing. The difference in what John showed me in his teaching is like the concept, give a guy a fish and he will eat for a day but teach him to fish and he will be fed for life. John taught me the tools to take the bare melody and to turn it into a Scruggs style break. He sang the songs slowly and showed me how each lick had melody in it and also where you had times to make is Scruggsier and where you had to just use fill. From his teaching I can also listen to a Scruggs break and figure why he did what he did. So it makes my listening more productive.
	Augie says: 3/6/2011 6:09:18 AM Good, I would like to know more about John's method. Like I said he is very good from what I hear and see on LOTW. Thanks Ken
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