The swing feel

[Austin]

Been working on the skeleton dance by Norton Greenop, but am having a hard time getting the swing feel down when practicing with a metronome. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how did you overcome it?

[Joel Hooks]

In the Bradbury 1967 method he waits to introduce dotted notes on page 32, presuming that you have already mastered and understand everything leading up to that lesson. 

In his 1926 method he describes them on page 4, but they are not introduced in practice until the 22 etude on page 11. 

Dotted rhythm (and triplets) are pretty much standard and encountered more than not in banjo music.  

I recommend you dial it back and practice counting, slowly, all the lessons leading up to the dotted introduction using your metronome and playing along.

Take your time on foundations, this is not a race.  You only have to learn this stuff once, but counting needs to be learned correctly as it is much harder to go back and do it over. 

Writing in the beat counts with a pencil over the staff sometimes helps with learning counting. 

[IAN SALTER]

Hi Austin,

I agree with what Joel says about taking your time. As you have mentioned in an earlier thread, that you had previously spent many hours per week practicing the fundamentals, I suggest that you return to doing that, but focus on the 25 exercises in the 1926 Bradbury book. Although the dotted rhythm is introduced in exercises 22 and 23, it is possible to play most, or with a little imagination, all of the other exercises with the same rhythm. 

I also recommend you begin playing through 'Turner's 60 Breakdowns, Jigs & Hornpipes'. As the tunes vary in difficulty, my suggestion is that you play through each one and pass over those that are beyond your current ability. Although I'm sure you will discover many that you can manage from beginning to end, it can also be beneficial to work on extracts of tunes, by approaching them as separate exercises (see my recent post on how to play a particular measure). Further to this, spending some time concentrating on the parts for Second Banjo, is as essential as learning melody lines, even if you never perform in an accompanying role.

[Jody Stecher]

This is particularly good advice. I have found that in most musical fields the best soloists are also excellent accompanists whereas  the worst soloists are not even competent accompanists. 

IAN SALTER said:

Further to this, spending some time concentrating on the parts for Second Banjo, is as essential as learning melody lines, even if you never perform in an accompanying role.

[Joel Hooks]

Absolutely! And I know I pound it like a bible, but Bradbury does a great job with this in the 1967 book, adding chord symbols over the staff and encouraging the student to learn to play both parts.

His section on chords is good too, in both of his books. 

For years I was resistant to chord charts.  But at ABF rallies they were common (many of our regulars were part of the Shakey's Pizza phenomena where charts and plectrums ruled the day).  The fact is, for our music that was published without seconds (American publishers were particularly deficient in this) basic chord charts work fine and are generally easy to work out. 

Jody Stecher said:

This is particularly good advice. I have found that in most musical fields the best soloists are also excellent accompanists whereas  the worst soloists are not even competent accompanists. 

IAN SALTER said:

Further to this, spending some time concentrating on the parts for Second Banjo, is as essential as learning melody lines, even if you never perform in an accompanying role.