Hey Matt,

Are his lessons geared more towards intermediate and advanced players?

Just checked out Sandy Boys and it's definitely not a beginner tune!

Adam is a highly recommended teacher and very approachable. He won the Clifftop banjo contest this year and teaches as good as he plays. 

quote:

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Originally posted by JanetB

Adam is a highly recommended teacher and very approachable. He won the Clifftop banjo contest this year and teaches as good as he plays. 

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I believe you Janet!

I just wished the Patreon page gave more information regarding the degree of difficulty.

I'm assuming this is not really a beginner's set of tunes.

quote:

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Originally posted by Mark Douglas

Hey Matt,

Are his lessons geared more towards intermediate and advanced players?

Just checked out Sandy Boys and it's definitely not a beginner tune!

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Hey Mark,

Adam's Patreon lessons are geared towards intermediate and advanced players. I think beginners are better suited to private lessons, group classes with other new players, or on-demand courses devoted to building solid fundamentals from scratch. Because of its timeline format reminiscent of social media, Patreon allows teachers to share lessons or arrangements with learners with the fundamentals who seek to build repertoire and strengthen skills. That chronological format makes it difficult for beginners to know where to begin upon joining, and equally difficult for teachers to properly organize their content on their.

So Adam has undoubtedly chosen the path of least resistance by focusing on teaching intermediate players and beyond on there.

Sincerely,

Matt

Matt, thank you for this post about Adam's new Patreon page. He is my favorite clawhammerist and teacher.  I had several workshops with him and this looks like a terrific opportunity to reconnect with him.

David

I took a look at the free video and tab for "Sandy Boys" that Adam Hurt posted to give folks an idea of what he planned to offer on Patreon.  I consider myself some level of intermediate and, at times, advanced intermediate, clawhammer player. I am comfortable with the common licks along with drop thumb, open-string pull-off and some up-the-neck playing.  From the tab and the opening of the video, I saw Adam playing his highly ornamented style with lots of eighth notes and left-hand licks. It was somewhat intimidating, I suppose, plus I wasn't sure how much I might get from the tune.  I play a different version of "Sandy Boys, very infrequently.  So Adam's Patreon offering seemed it might belong in the nice-to-have category, but not indispensable.

Then I watch as he taught the first two measures of the tune. Slowly, clearly, he led me through the passage very cleanly 4 or 5 times, allowing me to see the economies of his arrangement.  That changed my state of mind entirely.  I have signed up for the Tubaphone tier ($15 per month) (video, strum machine backup and tab). The Dobson tier ($10 per month) offers the video lesson and strum machine but no tab.  I'm not sure how often I may play "sandy Boys," but I can see how much I can benefit from the wisdom and economies of Adam's arrangements.  That will offer benefits for other tunes that I do play regularly.

David

quote:

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Originally posted by dbrooks

I took a look at the free video and tab for "Sandy Boys" that Adam Hurt posted to give folks an idea of what he planned to offer on Patreon.  I consider myself some level of intermediate and, at times, advanced intermediate, clawhammer player. I am comfortable with the common licks along with drop thumb, open-string pull-off and some up-the-neck playing.  From the tab and the opening of the video, I saw Adam playing his highly ornamented style with lots of eighth notes and left-hand licks. It was somewhat intimidating, I suppose, plus I wasn't sure how much I might get from the tune.  I play a different version of "Sandy Boys, very infrequently.  So Adam's Patreon offering seemed it might belong in the nice-to-have category, but not indispensable.

Then I watch as he taught the first two measures of the tune. Slowly, clearly, he led me through the passage very cleanly 4 or 5 times, allowing me to see the economies of his arrangement.  That changed my state of mind entirely.  I have signed up for the Tubaphone tier ($15 per month) (video, strum machine backup and tab). The Dobson tier ($10 per month) offers the video lesson and strum machine but no tab.  I'm not sure how often I may play "sandy Boys," but I can see how much I can benefit from the wisdom and economies of Adam's arrangements.  That will offer benefits for other tunes that I do play regularly.

David

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Hey David,

I'm glad you tested out Adam's Patreon experience. It's cool to hear how going through the lesson changed your mind about the value of the offering. I'm so glad you signed up! I have seen Adam's list of the first six months of tunes he will share, and I can tell you that you are in for a treat! I'd be happy to play fiddle on "Sandy Boys" next time I see you, and we can put Adam's brilliant arrangement through its paces.

Matt

Are we all just ignoring how jacked these prices are? Fawning over someone for charging $15 a month?

That's absolutely crazy.

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Originally posted by DerekGoodman

Are we all just ignoring how jacked these prices are? Fawning over someone for charging $15 a month?

That's absolutely crazy.

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Hey Derek,

I don't see it this way. It is not "absolutely crazy" to pay $15 a month for a growing collection of video lessons with an experienced instructor. It is way more affordable to support a teacher on Patreon than to study with them in private lessons, and I don't know of a workshop or group class in 2024 that is cheaper than $15.

Think of it this way: a Patreon teacher posting 1 tune a month for two years will have 24 lessons available to the potential Patreon supporter. That person can then access 24 banjo lessons for $15, and cancel the subscription before being charged another $15 in a second month of support. That is an INCREDIBLE value. Adam will have a library of lessons that size in two years. Consider trying him out in 2026.

Patreon offers us music teachers a rare bit of stability in our finances. I know that each month, I have a base salary that covers my mortgage payment. That peace of mind and support from my Patreon students is huge. And in return, my patrons have access to more than 100 posts of various sorts.

Finally, I will respectfully submit that if you think $15 is too much, you are welcome not to spend it supporting Adam in this manner. 

Best wishes,

Matt

quote:

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Originally posted by brownsdream

quote:

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Originally posted by DerekGoodman

Are we all just ignoring how jacked these prices are? Fawning over someone for charging $15 a month?

That's absolutely crazy.

---

Hey Derek,

I don't see it this way. It is not "absolutely crazy" to pay $15 a month for a growing collection of video lessons with an experienced instructor. It is way more affordable to support a teacher on Patreon than to study with them in private lessons, and I don't know of a workshop or group class in 2024 that is cheaper than $15.

Think of it this way: a Patreon teacher posting 1 tune a month for two years will have 24 lessons available to the potential Patreon supporter. That person can then access 24 banjo lessons for $15, and cancel the subscription before being charged another $15 in a second month of support. That is an INCREDIBLE value. Adam will have a library of lessons that size in two years. Consider trying him out in 2026.

Patreon offers us music teachers a rare bit of stability in our finances. I know that each month, I have a base salary that covers my mortgage payment. That peace of mind and support from my Patreon students is huge. And in return, my patrons have access to more than 100 posts of various sorts.

Finally, I will respectfully submit that if you think $15 is too much, you are welcome not to spend it supporting Adam in this manner. 

Best wishes,

Matt

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I'm free to not join, yes, I'm also free to comment on the pricing so thanks for your input.

Squawking that's it's incredible value when there are two lessons there is a little embarrassing. If it does indeed grow and reaches a stage where there is a solid body of work maybe it will be worth it, but starting off with at a cost that's more than than double that of other strong teachers and then adding a 50% upcharge for a page of tab is ludicrous.

Parasocial relationships with content creators is not healthy. Good luck growing beyond that in future.

quote:

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Originally posted by DerekGoodman

quote:

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Originally posted by brownsdream

quote:

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Originally posted by DerekGoodman

Are we all just ignoring how jacked these prices are? Fawning over someone for charging $15 a month?

That's absolutely crazy.

---

Hey Derek,

I don't see it this way. It is not "absolutely crazy" to pay $15 a month for a growing collection of video lessons with an experienced instructor. It is way more affordable to support a teacher on Patreon than to study with them in private lessons, and I don't know of a workshop or group class in 2024 that is cheaper than $15.

Think of it this way: a Patreon teacher posting 1 tune a month for two years will have 24 lessons available to the potential Patreon supporter. That person can then access 24 banjo lessons for $15, and cancel the subscription before being charged another $15 in a second month of support. That is an INCREDIBLE value. Adam will have a library of lessons that size in two years. Consider trying him out in 2026.

Patreon offers us music teachers a rare bit of stability in our finances. I know that each month, I have a base salary that covers my mortgage payment. That peace of mind and support from my Patreon students is huge. And in return, my patrons have access to more than 100 posts of various sorts.

Finally, I will respectfully submit that if you think $15 is too much, you are welcome not to spend it supporting Adam in this manner. 

Best wishes,

Matt

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I'm free to not join, yes, I'm also free to comment on the pricing so thanks for your input.

Squawking that's it's incredible value when there are two lessons there is a little embarrassing. If it does indeed grow and reaches a stage where there is a solid body of work maybe it will be worth it, but starting off with at a cost that's more than than double that of other strong teachers and then adding a 50% upcharge for a page of tab is ludicrous.

Parasocial relationships with content creators is not healthy. Good luck growing beyond that in future.

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Welcome to the Hangout, Derek.  In your short time here (2 posts so far), you have not picked up that this site is not like a lot of other sites where snarkiness is admired.  People here are generally sincere in offering advice and help to those with questions and problems.  Individuality IS celebrated, though.  I, for example, find $15 on a monthly lesson with Adam Hurt worth far more than what I might get at a Starbucks at that cost, but that is my choice and I realize it may not be yours.  But I may be interested in your teachers who charge $7.50.

David