chickenbilljones - Posted - 11/14/2010:  20:05:07

---

Hello to all my fellow beginners. It can be discouraging at the bottom, but why let it when your having so much fun? I started this forum to see if there is any other beginners that would like to share their thoughts about the banjo or their experiences as they start their banjo journey.

Banjosnob - Posted - 11/15/2010:  02:45:38

---

Sometimes it isn't too fun. Your fingers are sore. They don't do what you want them to do. The song doesn't just come right out to you yet. (You can't hear it) Then there is the issue of negative self-talk. Don't go there. Try to keep positive in your journey. I would suggest you get with others as soon as possible. Play with them. I know some are seasoned musicans, but just by being there, you can gleen alot. The songs have alot in common, with similar chord changes and progressions. There is alot of support from others that you will get along with the people on this site. Salt of the earth!! NOW GO PRACTICE!

wb4yal - Posted - 11/15/2010:  07:01:04

---

Hey Bill,

Well I have been a guitar player for over 40 years. The basic problem in learning banjo for me was getting to the point where I could "think" like a banjo player. I started to consciously listen to the banjo parts in songs (rather than the guitar parts.) Also, I am developing a comfort level in playing the banjo. It was very awkward at first just learning to use finger picks . As time has passed, I am getting more familiar with my banjo and this has helped my practice sessions a lot. I am progressing and learning and HAVING FUN!

Kennyj - Posted - 11/15/2010:  08:07:07

---

I'm just finishing up week 2. It's hard not to want to compare myself to others and wonder if I'm learning too slowly or not. I'm still struggling to go from a G chord to a C chord without either messing up my roll or even sometimes my strum. I do see progress though. I can often times make both the D7 and C chord without looking (especially after a few minutes of warm up). I still mess up my simple TITM and forward-backward rolls. I still accidentally mute strings. I often wonder if I'll ever get good enough to play. :)

I'm trying to write down my experiences though so I have something to look back on. I recorded myself at Week 1. So I'll record myself at Week 2 and listen. That might encourage me. :)

Michael Smith - Posted - 11/15/2010:  09:21:07

---

I have been playing since 1983. BUT.... all this time I have been playing alone, or for (these poor souls) family members. Recently I have started to become exposed to playing with others and it makes me realize that I am a rank beginner all over again.

So if you have inhibitions, figure out a way to get over them and play with others. Be willing to make mistakes. I think you will find that other people are generally forgiving and supportive. If not, find someone else to play with, but by all means do it.

And when you do make mistakes, work on continuing past them. Don't just stop dead in your tracks and kill everyone. It is hard to recover sometimes, but you get better at it as time goes on. You are going to make mistakes forever. The difference in the future will be that the mistakes will be less deadly and sometimes even unnoticed by others. And you might even get some respect from a seasoned player for an artful recovery. (not that this has happened to me yet.....)

Kenny, record yourself a lot and watch the progress. This is something I which I had done from the beginning.

Chicken bill, thanks for starting this thread I hope it flourishes.

Michael

blkfir - Posted - 11/15/2010:  12:01:18

---

I've been attempting to play for a few months now. I believe I do pretty well on rolls. For me, they're very simple to practice slowly all the time and gradually build speed. Changing chords on the other hand is still a problem. I can see some improvement, but not as much as I'd hoped. I can play cripple creek and old Joe clark at about half speed on a good day.
I've taken four lessons now and learned I have an awful time playing in front of even him. Evidently I have quite a set of nerves. Not sure what to do about that.
At any rate I'm having fun. Practice and persevere.

---

Edited by - blkfir on 11/15/2010 12:03:40

EggSalad - Posted - 11/15/2010:  12:36:58

---

I've been playing for just over 3 months now. I've never played an instrument before, so this has been a challenge. I'm really enjoying it now though. The only thing I can figure out is that the more I play the better I get. So I'm just going to keep playing, and I figure one day I'll get there.

About a month or 6 weeks in to playing I hit a wall. I didn't play the entire week, and it crossed my mind several times to give it up. Making it through that one bad week has made all the difference. Not sure if that is a normal part of learning, but if anyone else is going through that, stick to it. It's only a temporary feeling. I'd have hated to give up back then.

EggSalad - Posted - 11/15/2010:  12:40:05

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by blkfir

I've been attempting to play for a few months now. I believe I do pretty well on rolls. For me, they're very simple to practice slowly all the time and gradually build speed. Changing chords on the other hand is still a problem.

I've taken four lessons now and learned I have an awful time playing in front of even him. Evidently I have quite a set of nerves. Not sure what to do about that.
At any rate I'm having fun. Practice and persevere.

---

I'm in a similar boat. I've gotten my rolls down pretty well, but still struggle a lot with the chords. I think it's just going to take time. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

I also take lessons, and while I don't feel like I have nerves, I do tend to over think things when playing in front of my instructor. In my limited musical experience, thinking less, and just playing is a good thing. Everytime I struggle I'm over thinking it.

Ozarkwoods - Posted - 11/15/2010:  16:23:14

---

Fellow Beginners, I have been there and I guess I still am. Sore fingers, wondering if it will ever come together. Just keep at it. The amount of time you put in to it will be successful down the line.....baby steps, don't worry about speed as much as you want to bring it up a notch...I am having issues with my thumb over doing it and hitting the 4th string after hitting the 5th....Hang in there it will come.

---

Edited by - Ozarkwoods on 11/15/2010 16:23:45

ductape - Posted - 11/15/2010:  17:48:13

---

Well, I start tomorrow. I've played guitar (rhythm) for a few years, but this is my first attempt at banjo. The feller that taught me to play guitar is going to teach me to play banjo, or so he thinks. He is a professional and has played with, and sometimes sang with, many of the bluegrass legends. This man is very demanding and won't take excuses. Many folks have asked me how I continue to play with him. I love him. He means a lot to me. I just can't let him down. We'll see how it goes......

blkfir - Posted - 11/16/2010:  02:47:29

---

Good luck Ductape!

SharBee - Posted - 11/16/2010:  11:01:04

---

I'm so glad someone started this thread. I have been playing about 2 months and I think I'm going at it pretty slow. Some days things work great, other days I'm convinced my hands are retarded and uncoordinated. I have to just walk away a day or two and come back to it in a better frame of mind. Just when I think I'm making progress I change something...like standing with a strap instead of sitting with the banjo in my lap...and it's like starting all over again. Certainly, God made banjos to teach us patience and perseverance. Still, I'm having a blast and enjoying it!

blkfir - Posted - 11/16/2010:  11:57:18

---

I too am a slow learner. My first instrument at 27. My son will have to choose something to play soon. IMHO everyone should play an instrument.

tex77 - Posted - 11/16/2010:  12:36:59

---

Great thread! I also just stared a couple of months ago, and am having a blast. I haven't mastered any actual songs yet, but I keep reminding myself it's the journey not the destination. I feel like I make a little bit of progress every day, so I try to make time to play a little bit every day.

This forum is great, while some of the stuff is waaaay over my head, there's some great info I've found. Discussions about how to plant the picking hand gave me a lot to think about, also the insistence that a metronome should be used (it's true, really helps!).

Anyway, just wanted to post along with the other beginners and say keep it up. Maybe we'll all be famous pickers some day and can make the BHO band!

question: anyone else here play a lefty banjo?

Tim13 - Posted - 11/16/2010:  16:02:58

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ductape

Well, I start tomorrow. I've played guitar (rhythm) for a few years, but this is my first attempt at banjo. The feller that taught me to play guitar is going to teach me to play banjo, or so he thinks. He is a professional and has played with, and sometimes sang with, many of the bluegrass legends. This man is very demanding and won't take excuses. Many folks have asked me how I continue to play with him. I love him. He means a lot to me. I just can't let him down. We'll see how it goes......

---

Wow, that sounds serious. Don't forget to have some fun along the way.

Tim

Anawazor - Posted - 11/16/2010:  19:34:03

---

Hey!
I am a total newbie too! Have a Deering coming UPS by Thursday, and I'm terribly excited!

Tedsomango - Posted - 11/17/2010:  10:45:33

---

I dont have a teacher but man Earl scruggs 5 string banjo book is really incredible it will take you into learn a few songs right away even though you dont know your doing it. I am currently at my first impasse. I am working on cumber land gap for the past 2 days and man the begging takes a lot of finesse patience and a little style i am almost there tough!! # weeks ago i picked up my banjo and tried my first forward roll. Really who knew how many different ways there are to play cripple creek, i play the mael bay, scruggs and the hartford way now jeeze la weeze.

chickenbilljones - Posted - 11/17/2010:  20:22:14

---

It looks like this forum has been a success! I'm glad that it has sparked interest and hope it helps somebody along the way. As beginners we have a lot of questions and we get a lot of answers, but this forum helps us to share our feelings about these questions and answers. As for me, I've not had a lot of time to dedicate to it, but I love playing my banjo!

The KIDD - Posted - 11/17/2010:  20:25:12

---

Congrats Darren on gettin some newbie topic interest flowin here. It will make for good reading seeing what you guys discuss!!!
KIDD

---

Edited by - The KIDD on 11/18/2010 05:55:52

Horseshoot - Posted - 11/18/2010:  03:38:42

---

I still consider myself a newbie, after nearly 11 months. The advice I can give is to try to minimize the frustrations, and focus on your progress. I am using a combination of the Murphy Method, and a private teacher. The Method was on the advice of this teacher. The combo is working for me. One of the best pieces of advice Andy, my teacher, has given me was: "Whenever you are frustrated, walk away for a bit, a small bit, then return and work through that frustration. The satisfaction you will receive from that will be immense." And he is correct! The other thing I do is record myself (audio or video) and compare myself to myself. It is very satisfying, because otherwise I would never really be able to see my own progress.

Keep picking, folks!

Mike

rickshunter1 - Posted - 11/18/2010:  05:31:42

---

I am mostly self taught I got a teacher and it didn't work out so I am in this journey by myself I get advice and tabs from a good friend and when I think I have the song down I put away the tab you would be amazed how much muscle memory comes in to play after you play a song over and over. I go to as many jams as I can usually every Thursday night and Friday night and play with others that will help you a lot with your timing. I also record a song when I finally get it then I can look back and see how I have progressed. There are a lot of great people on here that will help you any way they can and give you good feedback on your videos. I started playing exactly 1 yr ago and its been a blast

phb - Posted - 11/18/2010:  06:46:49

---

To me learning to play an instrument is a bit like getting married. When you marry you have a vision of a family and perhaps you can see yourself and your spouse as a happy old couple. However, you cannot just decide to get there, you have to live all through it. Transferred to learning to play the banjo, well, one remote day you will sit on your front porch, your fingers will fly across your banjo's neck and you will look back and say to yourself that it has been a long and winding road but it has been worth it. Until that it will take a lot of struggling with everyday routines and frustrating and dull times but anyway, you'll eventually get there. Of course, people do get divorced so if you don't try hard enough...

Kennyj - Posted - 11/18/2010:  07:32:13

---

Wait. Are you saying I'm not going to figure this thing out until I'm 80?

;)

phb - Posted - 11/18/2010:  07:46:53

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kennyj

Wait. Are you saying I'm not going to figure this thing out until I'm 80?

---

Well, some people marry when they are still very young, others when they are much older...

But okay, I guess you can actually learn to play an instrument decently within a few years but that mostly depends on your definition of "decent", your talent and your motivation to practice. Talent is your personal constant, "decent playing" is the desired result, the part with the motivation is the variable in the formula for success. In my case I'm so motivated I could quit my job and practice all day. But then my marriage would be over soon both for the racket I'll make around the house (my wife doesn't like any of the music I like and vice versa, what a bad taste of music she has, oh boy!) and the lack of family income...

jimmer0 - Posted - 11/18/2010:  13:02:06

---

Hey gang!

Fun to read the experiences other beginners are having!

Been playing for eight months now. Never played a stringed instrument before, but my wife surprised me with a banjo for my birthday because I've always wanted to learn to play one. It's been a really hard journey so far, but it's been incredibly rewarding too. I've got a great instructor and have taken lessons once a week since I started and I try to practice every day. I sit back during practice every once in a while when I realize that something that was hard is now easy (or easier). Progress seems painfully slow day to day, but I couldn't even strum 8 months ago and now I play quite a few songs. The best part is playing with other people though. It's a huge rush and helps you learn so much faster!

I think the biggest compliment ever was when my wife was working in her office while I practiced and when she came out she said she realized partway through my practicing that I was "playing music" instead of "making noise".

chickenbilljones - Posted - 11/18/2010:  20:58:48

---

This is great, I appreciate all of your feedback on this topic. I love playing the banjo and talking to people about their experiences with it. I just like the way it sounds, there is not another instrument quite like it in the world. It's one of those instruments either you like it or you don't. I do like it and am proud to be a banjo picker!

grambo65 - Posted - 11/19/2010:  01:27:51

---

The best piece of advice I heard was offered at one of joemac's recent beginners workshops here in the UK. Getting the roll patterns working slowly and smoothly is key these are the foundations that all Scruggs style songs are built on and do not need to be played at breakneck speed. When you move onto your first song focus on one verse and get it rolling slow and smooth. Do not try to play verse three when you are still struggling with verse one. One step at a time and it is quite surprising after a bit of a struggle with verse one that the next few start to roll.

fynger - Posted - 11/19/2010:  02:07:34

---

Here Here

NickC - Posted - 11/19/2010:  06:02:26

---

Great idea this thread!

I first picked up a banjo at the beginning of 2010 on a whim with no past musical background at all! I experienced a first rush of enthusiasm of and threw myself into learning via the Janet Davis book and DVD. Then bad family news made me falter and i gave up for about 3 months. But I found that I really missed playing my banjo even though I hadn't got very far along the road with learning. I picked it up again in June and haven't looked back since then really!

The banjo now has me firmly in it's thrall. I'm finding that i'm getting the most satisfaction from just trying to learn to play a handful of songs well. I get a lot out of hearing other people play the same tune - whether they be beginner or professional!

I'm currently focusing on learning Old Joe Clark and John Hardy. If anyone is learning these tunes post them up ad let me know!

best of luck everyone!

Nick

sugarcreekbanjo - Posted - 11/19/2010:  10:06:15

---

I'm only into month three of my banjo journey. Got a Deering openback a few years ago, started to learn, but other things just got in the way, so I put it down. Pulled it out a few months ago after watching a live performance in Pigeon Forge, Tn. (and was awestruck by what the picker could do!). So, I'm back at it.

I don't get to practice as much as I would like to, so my pace is rather slow. Right now, I'm trying to separate left hand vs right hand, so they will work independently. My right hand doesn't have a good "auto-picking" control yet, so that's hindering my work on chords.

marks4runr - Posted - 11/19/2010:  12:42:27

---

Great discussion and many of your stories are the same with what I went through! The following is a bit long, but this is how I went from never touching a banjo to what I feel is potentially an addiction with my banjo.

I NEVER played a stringed instrument in my life. Having always wanted to learn how to play the banjo, so I figured I would give it a shot. To test if I could even have a shot at learning, I bought a Ukulele first in February of this year. I learned the basic chords and chord progressions I, IV and V. With the help of Youtube, I was feeling pretty confident by June. I knew it was time to get the banjo.

In June of this year started off with Claw Hammer style banjo. It took forever to get my hand to do the Bum-Dit- Ty thing. It came finally. Then came figuring out the chords, drop thumb, double thumbing, slides, pulloffs, hammerons, bends etc. I could piece together some basic songs like Old Joe Clark and Boil Dem Cabbage Down. I liked the fact that I could actually play something on the banjo, but CH just really did not provide the sound I was looking for.

In Late August I bought some finger pics and started in with some basic rolls. I found 2 youtube posts that gave me a couple basic rolls in G and C plus learned the song banjo in the hallow. WIth a bit of practice, I was able to combine these rolls all together and banjo in the hallow and come up with my own highbred song - just a bunch of noodling basically. I love it, but it is getting kind of repetitive now and am stuck at this point.

Now, I am in a rut. I am stuck with these basic rolls, have added a few scruggsy hameron rolls, but am now trying to figure out where to go next? What is the road to improving? All my work to date has been based off of watching Youtube tutorials which have been wonderful - both Uke and Banjo. I am debating trying to get a teacher to see if this will help me? Just continue to learn on my own from youtube but really focus on learning a song from start to end? Foggy Mt. Breakdown? Other suggestions?. Am going to the Pete Wernick 'Jam Camp' Dec 3 in Boulder, CO to see if there is any room for my improvement there.

minstrelmike - Posted - 11/19/2010:  12:52:32

---

Don't focus on learning a full arrangement from start to end but do focus on learning to develop your own song from start to end.

1. Figure out by ear a melody to a simple song such as Swing Low Sweet Chariot or get the tabbed out melody of some familiar song from Wernick's Bluegrass Songbook.

2. Work up your own arrangements from simple to complex.
Once you work up your own stuff, then learning someone else's recorded stuff by ear, tab or teacher makes a whole lot more sense. You can retype Hemingway or copy a Bob Ross painting all you want but until you try writing or painting your own scene, you don't have a clue what the writer or painter was doing. Copying a painting is easy. You can do it stroke by stroke. Deciding how to translate what you see in front of you to oil colors on a canvas is a whole different skill and it is not obtained by rote copying.

---

Edited by - minstrelmike on 11/19/2010 12:55:00

Kennyj - Posted - 11/19/2010:  13:28:18

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by minstrelmike

Don't focus on learning a full arrangement from start to end but do focus on learning to develop your own song from start to end.

1. Figure out by ear a melody to a simple song such as Swing Low Sweet Chariot or get the tabbed out melody of some familiar song from Wernick's Bluegrass Songbook.

2. Work up your own arrangements from simple to complex.
Once you work up your own stuff, then learning someone else's recorded stuff by ear, tab or teacher makes a whole lot more sense. You can retype Hemingway or copy a Bob Ross painting all you want but until you try writing or painting your own scene, you don't have a clue what the writer or painter was doing. Copying a painting is easy. You can do it stroke by stroke. Deciding how to translate what you see in front of you to oil colors on a canvas is a whole different skill and it is not obtained by rote copying.

---

At what point though? To be honest, this sounds way over my head (just about 2 1/2 weeks in). I wouldn't even know how to start trying to come up with my own arrangement.

minstrelmike - Posted - 11/19/2010:  14:04:52

---

To come up with your own arrangement as a beginner, open a song book, get a chord chart, and strum the song.
That's where you start. You don't copy someone else's guide to which exact g-chord formation you play (do them all eventually) and you don't copy someone else's rhythmic interpretation. Try the chords to Happy Birthday or If You're Happy and You Know It or try one of the songs on this page.
moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/songs/index.html

It isn't the only thing you want to do to learn to pick (I'm just saying that to be polite--I would seriously recommend only strumming and no fingerpicking until you can get a groove going with a strum while changing chords), but it is the first thing you need to do to start making your own interpretations of songs. Once you're able to form chords, you should be able to strum thru 20 familiar songs in a hour or two from a songbook. And if you can't make your chords, then working thru a songbook is a fast, fun way to practice.
One of those songs will click and you can start exploring it on your own.
If you don't noodle and mess around just with music while learning banjo, you delay a lot of learning.

For a raw beginner to learn to improvise, start with already familiar songs, ones you can sing or recognize when heard--singing songs and ones without a strong banjo part that makes it familiar--and figure out how to play it basic style (strum, esperminet with different chord places, pick various strings in pleasing patterns) and then work up other stuff.

Patriotic songs, children's songs, hymns, Hit of the 90s, The Beatles Songbook, anything you listened to in high school. It's just words and chords if you already can hum the tune, it isn't like having to learn all 128 specific notes exactly in this specific order to play someone's version of Cripple Creek. (That isn't how the player figured out the version ;-).

chickenbilljones - Posted - 11/19/2010:  22:18:48

---

A lot of great experiences, and some good advice all sprinkled together on a banjo Hangout forum. Life's short play hard!

Beards and Banjos - Posted - 11/22/2010:  01:25:36

---

I've been playing Banjo a week, just tackling Foggy Mountain Breakdown as I love that piece.

I'm an in off the deep end type! I have been playing guitar for about 15 years though so I have a head start. There's a lot of good advice here but there is one thing that should be pointed out. They might not work for you.

Everyone learns in a different way. It's known as VASK. Visual, Aural, Reading, and Kinesthetic.

Visual is seeing or being shown, Aural is hearing or being told, Reading is obvious and Kinesthetic is doing. Figure out which of these you are most of then try and find anything that helps that way.

For instance I am Kinesthetic, Visual, Aural, Reading in order of significance so I look for things in that order.

I have found two really good sources the first one is banjohangout.org/topic/157339 which I found through this forum. Very easy talk throughs broken down into bitesize pieces with videos.


The second is ezfolk.com/bgbanjo/ which uses levels to help bring you along, ie the same piece of music with three arrangements of increasing difficulty.

These work for my learning style so I have come along quickly.

It's worth noting I was on my own with my guitar so aren't really that good for all my years playing!

Kennyj - Posted - 11/22/2010:  09:59:11

---

I just joined Tony Trischka's School of banjo: tonytrischkaschoolofbanjo.com/

I just signed up Friday, so I can't say how well it's working, but I really like it. Lots of short lessons taught by video, but tabs to help with playing while not watching. Lots of material as well. The beginner's section has 30 lessons alone.

I think this will work well for me.

tobytyler - Posted - 11/22/2010:  13:21:42

---

Hey everyone,

I'm glad I'm not the only newbie on this site. Got my first banjo a day and a half ago.
Waiting for beginner banjo book to arrive in the mail. Anyone know which of the video
lessons on banjo hangout are good for rank beginners?

Thanks and have fun,
Bethany

minstrelmike - Posted - 11/22/2010:  13:26:04

---

Strumming chords to familiar songs is what I think a rank beginner on guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin and even dobro ought to do before trying anything else.

Get a music book of just regular songs and a chord chart and try it.

Or try some songs from this page: moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/songs/index.html

mule47 - Posted - 11/22/2010:  18:32:54

---

I've only switched over to claw hammer recently, but I've played Scruggs style since 1981. One thing we all noticed as we helped each other as beginners was: really enjoy these learning days. It was so much fun and even passionate until something happened. Some of the guys started getting really good and they left the group for bands. Seems like we who met at the festivals and jammed were closer together as beginners. So...... remember to always have a Beginner's Mind. In a beginner's mind there are endless possibilities. In the experts mind they are fewer.

drew-gurbach - Posted - 11/22/2010:  18:43:12

---

Hello everyone!
I’ve been playing for forty years, but sometimes it feels like 4 days! There’s will be good ones and bad ones… stick with it.

---

Edited by - drew-gurbach on 11/22/2010 20:10:08

Blue Cheese - Posted - 11/22/2010:  20:14:06

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kennyj

I just joined Tony Trischka's School of banjo: tonytrischkaschoolofbanjo.com/

I just signed up Friday, so I can't say how well it's working, but I really like it. Lots of short lessons taught by video, but tabs to help with playing while not watching. Lots of material as well. The beginner's section has 30 lessons alone.

I think this will work well for me.

---

[list]

[/list
Awesome! I've been using his site for about two months and its been really a great way to learn. - L

Gold Star GF-85 - Posted - 11/23/2010:  06:09:01

---

One thing about being a beginner Banjo Picker is that we have all been there, I know when I first started out I wanted to be able to play like the other folks I knew but soon learned that playing the Banjo was going to take time and dedication to doing so. I believe we should always help one another no matter how far along a person is, and the people on BHO has always been there to help me along as did my friends and teacher. My advice is hang in for the ride becasue there will be times you will get discouraged and want to lay it down, but don't lay it down for long. Walk away and come back in an hour and go back to work, don't rush or try to keep up with anybody, work at your own pace and set a few goals.

Good Luck and remember if others can do it so can you, just do as Earl Scruggs says: play many time, or practice practice and more practice, it will all come together one day.

God Bless

Kennyj - Posted - 11/23/2010:  07:32:46

---

My pain point has been the slow progress. I mean, I'm only at 3 weeks now, but I still feel like a slow learner. :) Realistically I know that I'm much better than Week 1, but I'm still slow at chord changes and picking and constantly mute strings or mess up my roll pattern. The one thing I've forced myself to do though is practice every day -- even when I've been too tired, I've made myself pick up the banjo and play it. So hopefully in another 3 weeks I can post here how much progress I've made.

Ken_in_IN - Posted - 11/23/2010:  10:02:24

---

Been working on the banjo for about 5 months, with no string experience to speak of. It's been a challenge, but haven't quit yet :-)

I'm curious if other beginners have particular routines they use during practice. I find myself running through the various rolls for a while, then moving through the songs my instructor and I have gone through (now up to John Hardy in Geoff's Primer), and then finally settling into either the practice exercises, or the current song, depending on where I'm at at the time. If I get stuck and frustrated, I'll back up a song or two and then try again.

Now if I can just get my fingers limber and my speed up so it sounds like the CD....lol

Blue Cheese - Posted - 11/23/2010:  15:03:03

---

I've been play'in for a little over a year and so far I've found my practice routine works best as follows (two practice sessions each an hour long): Warm up for 20-30 minutes (For a warm-up, I get the metronome out and go through some chord exercise up and down the neck using strums, rolls, vamps etc.) After that I get out the song(s) I'm working on and methodically go through and memorizing/cleanup/learn them etc. for the rest of the hour.

On my second practice session instead of doing the warm-up stuff, I go back and review old songs and licks for 10-15 minutes. After that I ether work on one of the songs I'm composing or just noodle around for a little bit. If there's a part of a song or a technique I'm struggling with I will for at least fifteen minutes sit down and hammer it out until it sounds like I want it and than play it 40x time to cement it in my brain.

This may be a little intense for some people but practicing two hours instead of thirty minutes a day gives you results four time quicker. :) Hope that gives you some Ideas! (Btw. if your in a slump and feel like your not improving remeber the most important part of learning anything ,keep practicing, even if you don't feel like it, dand are getting discouraged just keep plugging along!) - L

Baskanavitch - Posted - 11/23/2010:  15:29:12

---

Well... the banjo has been on my mind for several months now and I finally pulled the trigger and bought one today. It should be here in a week or so, I'm quite excited to try this out!

I have some background in music. I played trombone through some of elementary and all of middle and high school. Four (maybe five? I forget) years ago I picked up a bass guitar and started teaching myself that. It has been wonderful, has led me to my first band and performance on stage. I will never stop playing bass, but life is taking me a different direction so I am no longer able to play with the band. Time to learn another instrument :)

I have two pieces of advice for people just learning to play an instrument, especially their first one:

First: find people to play with. It can be nerve-wracking, stressful, yeah. But do it, however you can. You can sit and learn songs and noodle around on your own forever but it really can't compare to playing with other musicians. I was making progress on my own with my bass but when I started going out and regularly jamming with others is when I really noticed an increase in my abilities. There is no substitute for playing with others, especially ones better than you!

Second: there are going to be times you hit a plateau and don't think you're getting any better. As long as you keep playing, you are improving. Whenever I felt myself hit a plateau or rut, I would start looking for something completely different to play, even things I didn't particularly like but was curious about... or I would try to go jam with others more often :)

First post here, I'm looking forward to poking around some more and starting my journey with the banjo!

drew-gurbach - Posted - 11/23/2010:  15:44:52

---

Blue, I like your approach! A few shorter sessions of practice is a great route! Sometimes long sesions get counter-productive. Taking a break helps refresh your approach.

---

Edited by - drew-gurbach on 11/23/2010 20:08:21

tobytyler - Posted - 11/23/2010:  21:25:24

---

on day two and half - been practicing! but sore pickin muscles- and right arm where it rests on banjo feels bruised.
LOL - is this what an armrest is for? just wondering if an armrest would make it more comfortable, or is that more to
protect the instrument? Today I wrapped my dog's fleece sweater around my arm for padding - helped a little.

oh man, beginner's woes - but having so much fun!

---

Edited by - tobytyler on 11/23/2010 21:27:30