Our new report, “The 7 Most Common Mistakes of Banjo Players” is now available. Just enter your name and email address in the right sidebar to get it. It is a pdf download. You don’t want to miss this step-by-step guide for beginners.
Here’s a snippet out of the report, the 5th mistake.
5. Failing to Listen
Listen to the band and compliment it. It’s not about the band complimenting the banjo.
If you’re playing your banjo in a band then your goal is to make the band the best it can be by leading. You will walk weak players from one chord to the next, input strong backup chords and vamping, encourage the dynamics (knowing when to play soft vs. loud) etc… Picture yourself as an invisible leader. Subtly leading without being noticed is the kindest compliment of a banjo picker.
Many pro players got their best licks from listening to albums, rewinding them, and listening again. If you can hear it you can eventually learn how to play it. Be patient, the good licks take time, but you have to listen closely to catch them.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I know what you mean when it comes to playing in front of others. I stand up in front of people all the time as an FAA certified classroom and Challenger 604 (jet) simulator instructor. That I can do with ease. Last night my daughter asked me to play some songs for her. I don’t know why but that was very difficult and I was very nervous. Like you, I didn’t do very well but I certainly did enjoy being asked. For some reason I want to play faster that I practice and that just doesn’t work for me.
I’ve been taking local lessons for about 8 months and still have difficulty getting the timing right for rolls especially when only three strings are being used and there are only eight beats to the measure. Leaving out a string but keeping the tempo is very hard.
I talked my banjo instructor into teaching me the Ballad of Jed Clampett. He wrote the melody for last week and started with the first few measures of the fast part for this week. He told me the first to fourth fret, hammer on with my little finger would be hard and he was right but it is coming along.
I also made the mistake thinking I would buy an inexpensive (cheap) banjo just to see if I would stick with it. That has cost me a lot as I can play much better when I borrow the instructor’s banjo. It weighs three times what mine does. Mine only has one metal rod inside of the resonator, rather than two. If I can start making signicant headway I am think of buying a much better banjo. I bought my first one from Banjo Hut.com on line for just over $200.00 including better strings, bridge and soft case.
Sure enjoy your lessons. Most are far beyond my capabilities. I think it would help if you could provide a split screen showing simultaneous left and right hands from the position of your own head. It is very difficult to see which strings you are fretting from the “audience” perspective. Oh, by the way, did I tell you I started with a birthday present to myself of a banjo at age 62. I firmly beleive that when you stop learning, you die.
why am I having trouble getting scruggs rolls out of fingers??