Ha!
Common problem with learning to play any instrument. You gotta just hang in there and enjoy the practicing you have time to do. If you're taking lessons with Ben talk to him about this--He'll know what to tell you to do.....Jack

"But I can't stay inspired to practice as much as I should. "

Do you like actually playing the banjo?  Or, is the enjoyment rather only in the end point of being able to play the banjo well?

When I need to be inspired, I usually find a song I want to learn and start figuriing it out. That usually gets me in the mood to practice more and longer, if possible.

Also, if there are any jams in your area, go to a jam, listen, watch, find tunes that you never heard before but would like to learn.

As Jack mentioned: ask your teacher, he may have more ideas.

Hi Sherry,

Yes, Ben will know what to suggest to him. Your way sounds great to me also...Jack

Continue with your lessons, dive deep into scales, keys, exercises, etudes & sight reading. But, in order to keep your interest sharp, always include a post practice period of creating personal compositions with whatever limited playing ability you have. There is no better feeling than praxis & reification.

Nothing to do with inspiration, but "...  increasing my repertoire," has me thinking of a bit of an inside joke (?) in our household.  Sometimes when I hear a catchy (?) song  I'll ask/suggest: "Maybe I should add that to my repertoire ... (pause) .... you didn't even know I had a repertiore, did you?"  Typically my wife will roll her eyeballs or sometimes agree that, "It's a good one, alright."

some simple suggestions:

first, practice extensively rather than intensively. Six ten minute sessions spread out over a day will be way more productive than a single hour of practicing. Keep you instrument handy and ready to grab on a whim.

second, play with others! This is where the real fun of playing, and the real learning, comes in. Take one of Pete Wernick's jamming class, for example. Find a guitarist to play along with you. Seek out open jams and learn to play along with the tunes. (Old time jams might a better start than bluegrass jams, at least at first) And always try to play with musicians who are better than you.

third, when you hit the inevitable plateau and think about giving it all up, hang in with it. Everybody hits various plateaus in their music journey.

fourth: used a bunch of different teachers. Each one will teach you something different

I think it’s important to have an agenda for practice time. There’s a time and a place for sitting with the banjo and playing whatever comes to mind, aimlessly, but if I have somewhat of a plan heading into ‘practice’, I’m much more efficient. You could try breaking it down into 10-15 minute segments. New tunes, old tunes, metronome work, scales, licks etc etc are all things. This helps me not get burnt out in a single session, and before you check the clock you’ll find you’ve gotten some good time in on the instrument.

I just noticed calicoplayer’s post. To me, this is the way

Form a band. Especially with players better than you.

quote:

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Originally posted by Laurence Diehl

Form a band. Especially with players better than you.

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This is what worked for me. Find some friend to jam regularly with. Start a song book. Now you've got motovation to sharpen up on those songs for the next jam, as well as agreeing on new songs. My friends and I started playing out, and that REALLY motivated me to put in tons of practice. That was over 23 years ago, and we are still at it. 

Laurence and Dean hit it. Playing with others is challenging and inspiring. And since bluegrass is band music, it’s presumably the end for which you play.

Another thumbs up for what calicoplayer and Dean T said - find some people to pick with. That's where the real fun is.

I'll just add that you should get yourself out of your comfort zone. Maybe that's signing up for a banjo camp or walking up to strangers at a festival to start a jam. Whatever it takes.

Learn as many songs as you can. Even if you think you don't like a song learn it anyway so you can play it if the opportunity arises. I have found that quite a few songs that I didn't like are really pretty good after I learned to play them. Knowing more songs improves your improvisational skills as you how many songs share similar melodies and chord progressions.

Get out and play with people - in my area you can probably find a jam somewhere every day, but I only have time for 2-4 per month. With luck you will find 2-3 other people to play with regularly. You might even start a band. Not everyone has to be in a band, but when you are in one you want to continually learn new songs and improve your playing on the ones you know so you can dazzle your audience. In my case, our band needed a banjo player, and after 25 years of hacking around I stepped up and took the job. I knew I'd have to get better quickly or no one would want to listen to us. Thirty-three years later I seem to be doing okay. Whenever I am asked and available I will sit in with other bands who need a last-minute replacement, and it is good to learn to play in unfamiliar situations. You will probably end up with some good stories to tell.

In short - learn some songs and get out and play. Have fun.

Hi Robert
First of all, playing banjo well is a complex and demanding task. Even for those who are exceptionally gifted, many many hours of practice are required. In short, you have to really want it.
That said, I think we are in a golden age of banjo music. There are far more inspiring, ground-breaking fresh-sounding players around than there ever have been. If you need further inspiration, just have a listen to any one of today's big names (and some of those destined to become so). If you're anything like me, you'll want to reach for that Chief and put in the hours. 

If you can find other musicians who share your enthusiasm, commitment and goals, then playing with them may help, but beware of time wasters who may simply be an irritation and obstruction.

“as much as I should.”

How much is that?
There are times when 25 hours a day ain’t enough, and other days a mere 10 minutes is enough, as long as I played!

For me, nothing kills desire more than pressure to practice. What helps is having a reason to practice. Be intentional. “The reason I will practice now is because I want to…”
… learn “Steam Powered Aeroplane”
… figure out how to make a G chord.
… try to pick & sing at the same time.

If you can be specific, you can better judge progress.
And never forget, you will be a little bit better after every piece of practice, even if it doesn’t seem that way!

Don’t think of it as practicing. Think of it as playing. If you’re “an intermediate banjo player who wants to get better at improvisation and grow in my playing ability and increasing my repertoire, etc.,” pick something new you want to play, and play it. Not someone else’s arrangement, but your own. Not necessarily a standard banjo song, but any song you’d like to play. As Sherry says, there’s great joy in figuring out how to transfer a song in your head onto your banjo. And it doesn’t feel like work (practicing), but fun (playing). If you’re not happy with your first effort, go back to it and try it a different way. Building a banjo arrangement is as satisfying as building anything else. Meanwhile, you’re learning.

quote:

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Originally posted by Bill Rogers

Laurence and Dean hit it. Playing with others is challenging and inspiring. And since bluegrass is band music, it’s presumably the end for which you play.

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I don't have much interest in being in a band, other than a temporary "band" that may form at a jam or festival. I think that's a misconception about the "end" of playing bluegrass.

If you don't already know this (and assuming you are tuned to gDGBD), learning the three main chord shapes and then learning every location of a few of the most common chords (G, C, D typically in bluegrass) up and down the neck is a great start to improv. If you already do know it then there are great ways to expand on it.

Recently I have picked up the techniques and exercises in this video linked below from Kristin Scott Benson. It takes the 3 chord shapes and teaches drills and concepts for how to use it for on the fly playing. 

https://youtu.be/-Hfqr8WBxuA?si=fBZZHnokeSxSYQFd

Learning at home alone has no immediate feedback from the other players around you.
Real time advice from others can go a long way in improving your playing,especially in learning what works and what doesn't.
Timing issues can get resolved much easier and correctly by playing with those that don't have those issues.
Peer group pressure is a wonderful tool for taking care of playing problems.
My favorite playing is with others.If you don't play with others you can't excersize your timing and ability to sing tenor or play to someone else's melody.
If you always play alone it may take much longer (if ever) to fix things.

Of course if you have no desire to play with others you can play all sorts of "mistakes" forever and nobody will ever hold your feet to the fire.
Jams are so important to help straighten out issues as they occur.

Youre an intermediate player. find a tune that you really like and work on learning the break to it.
Have you tried slowing tunes down and tabbing it out yourself?
Start out with something simple its great ear training.

... from t'other thread .... babe magnet AND make tens of dollars .... iffin that don't inspire you, I don't know what would. 

Listen, Listen, Listen...To others and find something you love and try to play it like they do and with the aspects you love in it. AND listen listen listen to your self and see what is missing. Try to bring them together.
ken

Find an in person local teacher to learn from, jam with and get ideas from.