|
spittenkittens |
When I first got my banjo I decided to go with clawhammer. I gave it 2 months and learned a lot. I did get the strum down, but my hands are very large and I have big fingers. I spent a lot of time trying to play Wildwood Flower, a beautiful tune I think. But after weeks my fingers just had to much trouble hitting a single note. Also I have always had short fingernails because I work with my hands a lot. My fingernails kept breaking. I had even used super glue to fix a split nail for awhile. So on jan 21 2012 I decided to try 3 finger. I felt like I wasted a lot of time but not really. I have learned the basics and a few chords. So i started learning a few rolls and use of finger picks. This came to me quite easily compared to frailing. I relearned a few basic simple songs I had played(learning to play) clawhammer.
I feel like I was moving at a faster rate, I decided to try to read a harder song, the ballad of Jed Clampett. I was learning a version from Rick Mckeon as I was using his dvd(thanks Rick) I looked at a little harder version I had seen by Banjo Ben Clark I found. It was a harder version and had a few more licks and other things I wanted to learn. So after about 6 weeks I have learned this tune. I can not play it fast, nor do I have down the timing but they will come. I struggled to both learn to read tabs and and play the right notes. I thought I would never get it but one day I finally could play the whole song through without stopping. YEAH!
So when things get hard don't give up. I try to learn just a little bit every day and put it in muscle memory. It will take a fair amount of time before I can play it all right but I have the confidence than now I can. do it.
I think after I learn more basics things will come a little easier. And I am having fun too!
3 comments
