Comment by Mike Moss on November 4, 2012 at 21:37

It's definitely an ambitious arrangement. As a bit of constructive criticism, I would suggest that sticking to published banjo solos, especially arrangements, is a good way to get a feel for what a piece should sound like on the banjo; I certainly wasn't up to the task of producing a decent arrangement until I had played a good amount of banjo literature and developed a thorough grasp of the banjo's capabilities.

In this case, your arrangement would benefit from some harmony and ornamentation to make the melody a true "banjo solo", and it would also benefit from some stylistic elements to give it a classic banjo flavour.

Keep up the good work, but take my advice: you'll find published banjo solos to be much more gratifying in the early, learning stages to give you a feel for how to produce your own arrangements on the long run.

Comment by German David Patarroyo on November 5, 2012 at 4:55

Thanks Ian for your advice! Right now I am working on in two single tunes from the Grimshaw and Agnew´s books: The fourth exercise for beginners and the Columbian Dance. I have had some problems with both because they have syncopations and new chord shifts to me. However, it´s probable that I will make it in this week. Do you have any suggestion with banjo solos for beginners? I gave a chance to Sunflower Dance about May, but I completely failed that time...I don´t know if I have enough skills to play standards for classical banjo.

At the moment I will continue practicing with my banjo tutorials: Morley, Grimshaw (melodic exercsies) and Agnew. Eventually, I will continue trying new tunes from Rob (Skene´s manuscript) and some early jazz and old time tunes.

Comment by Mike Moss on November 5, 2012 at 10:49

Yes, both those exercises are very good. Are you working on Grimshaw's "The Banjo and How to Play It" or "How to Excel on the Banjo"? The "how to excel" book is more for intermediate players, so if you're having difficulties you might want to have a look at "the banjo and how to play it", which is meant for people who are starting out.

There are several banjo solos I would suggest; some of the easier Morley pieces fall very nicely under the fingers and can produce as good an effect as his advanced pieces: The Jovial Huntsman, Clematis, of A Banjo Oddity are great pieces for beginners, in my opinion.

There are many Grimshaw solos which are also very tuneful and yet fall nicely under the fingers.

You might also want to give Sunflower Dance another chance; the most difficult part is the 3rd, but I think that you have made enough progress since May to attempt the first two parts.

Once you overcome the first difficulties associated with playing these tunes you will find that it will make the next tunes much easier; ultimately, it is always preferable to start playing music written for the instrument than arranged for another.

Hope that helps.

Comment by German David Patarroyo on November 5, 2012 at 16:19

Hi Mike, I only have "How to Excel on the Banjo"  the second one it´s a MUST HAVE book but I hadn´t had enough money to buy it and paying the travel fees to Colombia (is it the same of Clifford Essex, isn´t?).

Thanks for your suggestions. I will give another chance to Sunflower Dance, so I hope I can share my performance soon.

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