February 20, 2024
Some important tips while learning to play the banjo
I started the journey, then set it aside for several years.
Now I am beginning again, aware of some things that caused me trouble
the first time. Here we go.
Hum the tune before you try to play it
Get the sounds in your head before you try to make the sounds using your
fingers and your banjo. This is very important. The ultimate goal is to
make connections between your "musical mind" and the motor skills needed to
make the sounds. It is suggested that when you are learning, you should
hum along as you play -- but the key idea is knowing what sound you want
to make before (or just as) you make it.
Forget about speed
Making speed your goal is one of the worst things you can do when learning.
It is far more important to do what you do precisely and carefully, even if
it is painfully slow. You are programming your mind. Once you have your
mind programmed and things become automatic, speed will just "happen" as
necessary. Playing fast and sloppy will make sloppy habits permanent.
As a ski instructor once told me: practice does not make perfect, practice
makes permanent. Learning something wrong, then having to unlearn and
relearn it will take more time than practicing slowly and carefully.
Playing slow when learning is something that almost every teacher emphasizes.
Play it slow and get it right. Be patient and speed will come.
Almost every student lacks patience and jumps ahead trying to play too fast.
U.S. Special Forces have a slogan:
“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast”
Tips from Bill Evans
- Listen carefully to great banjo music.
- Set specific short, medium, and long range goals.
(short = this week, medium = in a few months)
- Practice regularly, even if for just a short time.
- Warm up, and stay in your comfort zone when doing so.
- Use tabs sparingly.
- Focus first on the right hand.
- Practice slow and in control, speed comes later.
- Learn songs one measure at a time.
- Play the right repertoire.
- Keep a record of your progress.
Play on time
Something my first teacher said: "It is more important to play on time than
anything else. People you play with will forgive a few wrong notes, but if you
cannot play on time, they will take you out back and beat you."
He might not have said exactly that, but that was the gist of it.
A metronome is recommended for a variety of reasons. Not just to play "on time".
If you expect to play with other people, you will have to learn to synchronize
yourself with timing you don't get to set. Also the metronome is a test as to
whether what you have learned is automatic yet.
Hard work, perseverance
I had the good fortune to hear Douglas Dillard play a concert, and afterwards
had a brief moment to speak to him. I told him I was learning the banjo and
asked his advice. He said what I hoped he would: "practice".
Earl Scruggs advised playing a tune 10,000 times to really learn it.
Talent
Most people are well aware of the book "Outliers" and the suggestion that people
who are "great" at anything have invested 10,000 hours practicing or studying it.
Maybe so.
Perhaps it is the drive or passion to practice 10,000 hours that is mistaken for talent.
Hard work; painful demanding practice are what are required to achieve
success, not some natural gift. Practice specific things with a focused goal.
If you settle for mediocrity, realize that it is your choice, not your destiny.
See this article on
what it takes to be great.
Talent may just be a discount on the hard work required.
Bobby Fischer spent 9 years in intensive study to become a chess grandmaster at age 16.
Deliberate and focused practice, not just hours banging away is what yields results.
Steve Martin
Steve Martin (yes, the comedian/actor) is an accomplished Banjo player.
Here are a couple of quotes:
- Obsession is a great substitute for talent.
- The banjo is such a happy instrument--you can't play a sad song on the banjo
- it always comes out so cheerful.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's home page / tom@mmto.org