Practice Slow to play fast...

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The Practice Group

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For/to help beginners/improvers indulging in deliberate practice to improve their banjo playing. An open group.

88 Members, Created 11/6/2017 -

Administrators: AndyW (owner) , Boadicea , WayneConrad

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From AndyW on 8/22/2018 9:18:47 AM

I am now making a dedicated effort to slow down my practising keeping mistakes to an absolute minimum and attempting to fix them as they occur.

I'm pleased to say this seems to be working. My lastest two tunes, Little Maggie(Tommy Jarrell) and Roustabout (Fred Cockerham) had only been played at around 120/60 cuttime until today.

Today I played all my tunes as fast as I felt comfortable whilst remaining mistake free. These two easily ramped up to 180/90 cut-t and 200/100 cut-t. That was without practice, and later I speeded them up a bit faster. Nowhere near Jarrell/Cockerhams speed, but well in the right direction considering I had only ever practised them very slowly till now.

I am a happy bunny.

EDIT- Just for comparison, I work out Tommy Jarrells Little Maggie on you-tube at 230bpm(4/4)/115bpm(cut-time) and Fred Cockerhams Roustabout at 260bpm(4/4)/130bpm(cut-time).

The slower tune Little Maggie would sound fine even slower, but Roustabout needs really to be up to speed to sing it properly.

A lot of work to do.

12 Comments
	blazo says: 8/22/2018 5:17:02 AM I know exactly what you are talking about. I keep having to force myself to slow down to reduce mistakes... but it's so fun to play fast! A metronome is my constant practice companion.
	pickn5 says: 8/22/2018 5:18:32 AM Yes Sir, if you can't play it slow without mistakes, you won't be able to play it fast without mistakes. Keep picking.
Deleteme says: 8/22/2018 6:22:34 AM :)
	Judith511 says: 8/22/2018 6:39:40 AM I am trying to get faster on a couple of tunes and am succeeding but I notice each time I move it up mistakes happen, so I have to keep at it till I don't make them. Sometimes my fingers just get all messed up when I am trying to speed up :O Still working on it? What does 180/90 cut-t and 200/100 cut-t. " this mean? Is that beats per minute?
	WayneConrad says: 8/22/2018 6:59:24 AM @Judith511, A 4/4 (common time) tune played at 180 beats per minute (BPM) has 180 quarter notes per minute, or 3 per second. If you take the same score and change the time signature from 4/4 to 2/2, it is now in "cut time." It will still have four quarter notes per measure, but now each beat of the metronome stands for one half note--two quarter notes. That means it is played twice as fast, because even though the metronome is still ticking at 180 bpm, you're now playing two quarter notes per beat instead of just one quarter note per beat.
	Judith511 says: 8/22/2018 8:25:42 AM Okay @WayneConrad now I understand. LOL my idea of playing faster is being happy with 65 bpm ....I'm getting there though, thats playing with the strum machine. I can play faster without it.
	WayneConrad says: 8/22/2018 8:59:39 AM @Judith511 I think you're doing great! By the way, 180 bpm cut time is very fast. I'm sure there are players who can play that fast, but I'm not one of them.
	WayneConrad says: 8/22/2018 9:00:48 AM Andy, it's good to hear from you, and thanks for keeping the Practice Blog going. Congratulations on the speed you've achieved.
	AndyW says: 8/22/2018 9:10:12 AM Hi just to add to what Wayne has said. Where I have put 180/90 cut-time means I am playing at 180bpm in 4/4 time, which is 90bpm cut-time. If you are finding 65bpm fast then that is almost definitely cut-time. I think it's easier for a clawhammerer to go faster initially due to the easier rh work so I wouldn't look at those speeds and worry about it. But bluegrass ends up faster once learned due to the extra finger.
	AndyW says: 8/22/2018 9:13:46 AM I think tunes can often be played slower and sound great. However for singing along there are definitely quite a few that sound better up to speed, and that's the reason I am focussed on getting my speed correct even if it means leaving alone more complex tunes to do it.
	n1wr says: 8/22/2018 9:23:03 AM Anyone know what happened to Kate @boadicia?
	Judith511 says: 8/22/2018 8:38:42 PM No I have not seen her post lately but maybe she is just busy. I haven't been on here as much in the summer as I was in the winter. Thanks @WayneConrad and I am sure it will come to go faster as I say it is harder to play with the strum machine than on my own. I also like some of the melodic stuff that is probably not played as fast. :)
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