Banjo Advice and Help
Student Question What should I Practice?
...Since
Ive ordered a lot of your material in the past year, i.e, Banjo Encyclopedia,
Vol 1 & 2 Play along CDs, Speed Book, Scruggs Book, etc., I need some
advice on practicing. Ive learned Dixie Breakdown cleanly at
the slower speed. In addition, Ive learned Lonesome Road Blues from the
Scruggs CD at the slower speed. My question is: should I concentrate on just
those until I get them at the breakneck speed you play them at? (
which is going to take a long time), or should I continue on with the other Scruggs
songs and learn them at least at the slower speed? Ive found that after
Ive learned the song at the slower speeds, Im anxious to go onto another
song. Is that the wrong approach?
Ross
Nickerson Answer
....My general advice would be to spend significant time improving your mechanics
and less time learning new songs. Your goal is to learn to play the banjo better
and improve each session. Stay consistent with that simple concept and try to
make decisions that are consistent with achieving your goal of improving your
overall ability. Sometimes learning songs can be consistent with that, but that
is only part of your practice time. Practice things that you can use in many songs.
The rhythm tracks that are on the How to Build Your Speed on the Banjo CD,
the last three tracks. I would spend a lot of time with the slower speed on that,
and if possible, the medium speed. Play simple! just rolls and chords, no tab.
Try to stay with the chord changes without losing your rhythm or roll. Keep it
simple, don't try to play the tab arrangement of Dixie Breakdown, or if you do
maybe just one of the solos over and over. Your goal in working with the rhythm
track is to feel what it feels like to be in the groove and plowing through a
tune. When you feel that and achieve that sense of drive and rhythm, now, when
you learn a song, you can plug that same feel and rhythm into the more complicated
arrangements.
Hope that helps, if I could work with you one on one that
would help me to give you even more specific advice.
Thanks again,
Sincerely,
Ross Nickerson
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