2 Finger Thumb Lead Progress

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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 pickn5 on 5/30/2020 7:06:12 AM

Since my last post on this, I've gone through the exercises and now getting the completed tune Pretty Polly under my fingers a section at a time. I'm on section 1 now which is the first four measures which adds drone notes on strings 1&5 and hammer ons into some melody notes. When I move on to sections 2&3 pull offs are thrown into the tune.

Yesterday during practice I also played some 3 finger tunes and it took a few minutes to get my middle finger going again after concentrating on thumb index for a couple of weeks. Keep picking.

8 Comments
	Judith511 says: 5/30/2020 7:13:30 AM Sounds good @pickn5 . Do you find it easier to do the 2 finger or the 3?
	pickn5 says: 5/31/2020 7:18:03 AM @judith511 once I got used to picking the 1st string with my index finger the 2 finger seemed easier or less complicated. Keep in mind that I'm just starting. I like the style of picking. Check out Wade Mainer and Clifton Hicks on YouTube.
	AndyW says: 6/11/2020 5:17:35 AM Do you find 2 finger picking easier to fit to the beat than 3 finger. For me the steady 1-2 motion of clawhammer was so much easier to get my head around.
	pickn5 says: 6/15/2020 4:12:37 AM @AndyW yes the two finger seems to be easier to fit with the beat. I found that out when playing the lesson excercises along with the beats for banjo. I'm still working on getting Pretty Polly under my fingers. It takes me a while as I have to keep up on my 3 finger tunes. I think I'm going to try and add singing on Pretty Polly once learned.
	AndyW says: 6/16/2020 7:45:27 AM I've started learning the Fred Cockerham Pretty Polly from Brad Leftwich's Roundpeak Clawhammer book. Once we're both up and running we'll have to compare.(mine will take a while tho.) I don't think Pretty Polly is complete until it can be sung along as that's the whole point to it, it's not really an ensemble tune.
	pickn5 says: 6/18/2020 4:54:59 AM @AndyW it will take me awhile also. I'll post a video when I get the picking down and then again when I add the singing. Warning: With my singing ability it won't be pretty.
	AndyW says: 6/19/2020 8:38:03 AM Mine won't sound brilliant without the singing. In roundpeak style although it's phrasing can be complex and 'notey' the banjo melody sometime doesn't come through too strong(especially with my playing). The fiddle usually is the melody, in this case the sung lyrics are the melody.
	pickn5 says: 7/20/2020 9:30:49 AM @AndyW I posted a short one time through video of Pretty Polly 2FTL on my media page. I'm still working on smoothing it out and playing through multiple times without mistakes. Feedback is appreciated.
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