Advice/guidelines needed on when to go on to the next exercise

[Jean-Marie van de Laar]

I'm in need of some advice and I'm hoping the more experienced players/teachers can give me some advice.

 I'm teaching myself to play, only been at it since 3 weeks. I've got a background in mandolin playing so I can read notes etc. I'm using the Morley tutor book for now.  My calluses on my right hand finger tops are building up (finally no more blisters ;) and I can get the tone from my banjo that I want.

I find that i can play most of the exercises fluently after a few tries at a very slow tempo without looking at my fingers.  I know that I've got a habit to want to progress to fast. So I was wondering if any of you could give me some general advice on when you've got an exercise mastered tempo wise and when to move on to the next.

Thanks.

 

Jean-Marie

 

 

 

 

[Steve Harrison]

The wish to progress too fast was a problem I had when I started, my advice is don't. Take it slowly and steadily otherwise you will begin to practice bad habits which will be very difficult to break after time.

[thereallyniceman]

Jean-Marie

When I was first learning to play  (I still am learning to play!), my first lessons were as you were doing playing simple exercises to familiarise myself with the techniques and physically getting used to holding and playing a banjo.

When I was being taught we quickly moved from exercises to playing solos. I think, as for many other beginners, Sunflower Dance was the first solo to try. He talked me through each bar and following the finger position markings on the score I could eventually work through. As part of the next lesson he would get me to play through and correct me, then he would show other techniques and more exercises... then work through the next solo to learn.  This meant that I was regularly practicing many solos, with a new one almost weekly. The techniques that I learnt actually playing a solo were as useful to me as were doing exercises !

In my video tutorials on the LESSONS page  I show various techniques and then immediately move on to  a full solo with Georgia Medley.  If you play this following my fingering, bar by bar you will see and put into practice the techniques and become more familiar with the fingerboard.

I always say that there is only one way to learn to play the banjo..  PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND MORE PRACTICE.  Half an hour a day was no good for me. I was practising a few hours every day and more at the weekends, but it was fun !

Let's see what others have to suggest as the next move...  good luck, and if you have any questions, just ask!

[Mike Moss]

I know that I've got a habit to want to progress to fast. So I was wondering if any of you could give me some general advice on when you've got an exercise mastered tempo wise and when to move on to the next.

This applies to me too! I have a long history of attempting solos which are far too difficult for me. I would combine the exercises with learning solos, as Ian said... might I suggest "The Jovial Huntsman" for a first solo? It's very easy but it does give you a good workout on some essential techniques, snaps, some playing in the upper positions, harmonies in thirds (good way to apply those early Morley tutor exercises)... also if you like I can produce the piano accompaniment for you to play along.

If you need any help please let me know, it's always nice to see fellow beginners here!

[Trevor Boyd]

Thanks for posting this discussion topic.  I am in a similar position, except I have been learning on and off (more off than on) for a few months.  The suggestions for solos to try are very helpful.  Any more suggestions for "easy" solos?

Trevor

[Steve Harrison]

The Gold diggers march by Morley is a good one to try. It's good for practicing 'twiddlies' and 'twiddly dees'

as Ian would say. 

[Trapdoor2]

When you're starting out, everything is hard. "Easy" is a relative thing!

For the most part, I recommend "one pagers" for early solos. "Sunflower Dance", "Cannon Jig", "Tyro Mazurka" (which is listed as "intermediate" here but I would call it "easy"...Tarrant Bailey Jr. and "Mouse" were recorded as children playing it in the 19-teens). There are a number of easy bits in the A.J. Weidt repretoire as well. Also, marches like "Ladbroke March", "Red Rover" are great confidence builders.

The Grimshaw book also has a lot of short solos that build technique, don't hesitate to grab them and get them flowing under your fingers.

[Trevor Boyd]

Yes I agree about the Grimshaw studies - I'm working my way through them.  And "easy" is definitely relative and not minor :-)

Trevor

[Jean-Marie van de Laar]

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

I know it all comes down to practice, practice and then some more practice. But I've got the time and the willingness to practice so that won't be a problem.

I just took a look at Grimshaw's "How to excel on the banjo" and I like the fact that it has metronome markings for all the exercises so that gives me a good guideline. 

From my experience of learning to play the mandolin I can fully agree with Ian on the below quote:

"The techniques that I learnt actually playing a solo were as useful to me as were doing exercises !"

I'm certainly going to check out the suggested solo's. 

Ian I hope I distilled the following point from your reply correctly:  

A good rate would approxamitely be learning a new solo a week. While still trying to "improve" an earlier learned solo. Eventually rotating between learned solo's .

  

Jean-Marie

 

[Trapdoor2]

I had an interesting discussion along these lines with Eli Kaufman back in 2010. He opined that playing exercises and etudes was a complete waste of time. He said he would rather learn by playing "actual" music because it is more efficient. Basically, if you play exercises and etudes...that's what you remember. Why not just go for the full Monty...when you're done, you have a great tune memorized and at your fingertips.

I agree with him. I've never been one to work on arpeggios or scales or whatnot. I'd much rather just attack a given piece and learn the required techniques as they show up...and I have done that almost from day one.

Of course, it hasn't made me into a virtuoso...but that was never my intent. I don't want to be brilliant, I just want to enjoy the music and the challenge of learning new stuff.

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[1wfj9nbd8zc6q]

I'm always amazed at people who can play a scale or exercise and make it sound like a beautiful piece of music instead of sounding like something that's being executed.  Execute = blindfold + line up against the wall + dispatch painfully.  Playing the banjo = making music.

One day after I started working on classic pieces, I had a tune running through my head and had a hard time placing it. Turned out to be the first strain of Palladium Rag. When I tried to play it, the banjo didn't sound anywhere near as good as the tune I heard in my head.  Ouch!

I feel like I have a piece when it sounds (most days) close to the way I imagine it should sound. Sometimes I try playing with a metronome set very slow to see if I can still make it sound musical at a very, very relaxed tempo.