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For Murphy/Casey: increasing speed
From lindafhorton53 on 1/17/2015 7:32:42 AM
Hey ya'll, I've been around a long time and I'm old so I need some spot-on advice: I can play just about anything slow, if I memorize it (which takes forever) or look at tab and I know the sound and how to do SLOW, most, if not all, of the licks you teach in your first 5 or 6 beginning banjo DVD's. However, I have not been able to speed up very much in a very long time. My question: per your method, which is better to try to increase speed, Slowing down videos and trying to increase speed a few increases at a time, OR practicing rolls over and over with metronome which some teachers claim???? I've tried the rolls with metronome every day for quite awhile, BUT it seems that doesn't help me with actual songs--it's the quick timing of licks with hammers, pulloffs, chokes etc., that slow me down AND cause blurring of the sound of the licks! For instance, I've FINALLY gotten up to speed on your slow jam DVD with the roly polys (thought getting back to basics might help me) but trying to get in the D lick (in the more advanced section) on most of them REALLY slows me down when I go to your slow jam DVD to practice (which is faster than the Kickstart Your Jamming DVD)--and increasing speed on rolls with metronome don't seem to help that. I did just purchase a Video Surgeon program for slow down BUT have to learn how to use it and there is a "learning curve" I'm finding out. What is your best advice?
6 Comments |
 | caseyhenry says:
1/17/2015 7:37:29 AM
Hi Linda,
You're probably not going to like hearing this, but the only effective way to increase your speed is to get out and play with other people. You just can't do it practicing at home by yourself. The metronome and rolls won't help (as you've noticed). You just have to play the songs over, and over, and over. Slowing the video down to your speed and then increasing incrementally is probably your best bet, but it will only get you so far if you're not going out and jamming...
Casey
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 | lindafhorton53 says:
1/17/2015 8:21:40 AM
Don't mind hearing your advice at all Casey, as a matter of fact I founded and host a twice a month slow jam session in Murfreesboro for over a year, and we play for 3 hrs at a time. However, even tho it's a slow jam I mostly play back up vamp, because I battle severe performance anxiety AND I'm even too slow on a lot of songs to try taking breaks. That's why I went to the Roly Polys hoping to kind of go back to basics and gain "confidence" with them at the jam. I just bought the Video Surgeon last week so am hoping to do with that exactly what you recommend. Just wanted to be sure I'm at least heading in the right direction. I think probably my first goal should be playing in the jam with the roly polys UNTIL I CAN feel comfortable with that, while practicing at home with the slow down program UNTIL I can get a little faster with the actual licks. I just don't want to keep wasting time at home with rolls and metronome if that's not what I need and it was appearing to me it wasn't helping anything--just wanted to check with an expert. Thanks!! BTW: ask Murphy if ya'll can do a DVD with roly polys for up the neck. I could use that too!
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 | five-string fever says:
1/17/2015 8:43:01 AM
I think Casey's point is very good but I will also add my 2 cents. Several years ago I earned everything on Beginning Banjo I and Salt Creek and OJC from BB II. After I thought I knew them I put the DVDs away because I thought I had learned the song and had it down in my mind. I had been going to picks for years before and after that and generally improvised or worked out my own arrangements let's call it "Doug's Style" instead of "Scruggs Style". Not good. I became very dissatisfied with my playing and progress on banjo about a year and a half ago. I went back to BB I and started going over the material again. What I realized was that there often about 4 different speeds that the song was played at. I started playing the slowest version making sure that I was making few or no mistakes. If I made a repeated mistake each time I went back to Murphy's instruction and corrected my arrangement. If it was just a "slip of the finger" mistake that I did not repeat I kept going. I then started playing along with Murphy from the slowest demonstration to the fastest if I could handle that. Once I had gone through that a few times and felt sure of myself I either used a metronome or a "play along" track like Grass Trax at different speeds. I try to go back and review songs at least once a month if I have not practiced them even if I have played them at a "pick" with other people. The people that I pick with and that I had been to Banjo camps with in the past say they notice a difference.
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 | KenBirmingham says:
1/17/2015 9:10:44 AM
Hi Linda, I also started the same way but what did help me to increase my speed abit was getting the backing tracks to the songs I had learnt and when I felt comfortable with that say 80bpm I would move up to say 100bpm. You can get most of the backing tracks for free on BHO. Give it a try, Good luck.
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| five-string fever says:
1/17/2015 9:12:11 AM
I might have buried my main point. What helped me the most was trying to play with Murphy's fastest speed, or at least the fastest I could handle, and repeating that. If I could not play her fastest speed repeating the fastest I could over and over and then trying to go a little faster than that with a metronome or backing track. I had not done that when I originally studied and learned the songs. I still practice rolls and play along with Grass Trax and will go to picks as long as I can but trying to replicate her tone, timing and phrasing AT SPEED was something I did not originally try to do.
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| lindafhorton53 says:
1/17/2015 11:07:11 AM
Thanks 5stringfever and kenBirmingham. I think because I started learning by ear via Murphy, that the practicing with back ups at varying speeds works better for me--I didn't start with the metronome per Murphy's method and I have developed my ear pretty well via Murphy's DVD's. So as soon as I learn to work this dadgum DVD ripper program where I can slow down and speed up when I need to, I'll think I'll be on track.
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