Ask the Banjo Teacher - Wil Huckabay

What's the best way to start increasing your speed?

First, find out where your speed is. You can do this by playing a fwd/rev roll as fast as you can, then gauge the speed with a metronome. Once you've got the bpm number, log it down. Now try using that roll in a simple song, such as Banjo in the Hollow. Using the metronome, play it as fast as you can, clean. Keep in mind, speed means nothing if someone can't discern what you are playing. Once you have the bpm number, log it down. Keep doing these exercises weekly. Slowly start bumping up the met # to push yourself. You'll be amazed at how much speed you can build up by doing this simple exercise. Once you've gotten into the habit of this drill, start putting the met to other songs and use the same drill for those. You'll be increasing your speed in no time.

You can send a question to "Ask the Banjo Teacher" by emailing it to angiesumpter@aol.com

Read more "Ask the Banjo Teacher" in Silver Strings - a free monthly banjo ezine available only at Angie's Banjo.com

Wil

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How often should you practice?

As much as you can stand would be the best answer. There is a point sometime during a practice session where you stop moving forward mentally as you get tired. However, if you can stand it, that would be a good point to do some mindless exercising in order to build up your muscle memory. If you can play without tab, you will think of lots of things to practice after you get tired of sitting in front of a book and concentrating on tablature.

The answers to these questions of how often and how long are often left up to the student. You have to find what works best for you. For some, it may be a five-hour Saturday session once a week. For others, it may be 20 minutes each morning.

You should practice as much as you can for as long as you can and find what works best for your schedule and what is most productive. Determination and desire are the intangibles in setting practice time. If it’s fun, look out; if it’s chore, you’ll find the door. Practicing every day and at the time when you are most alert and focused is probably the best idea. I like to practice in 20 minute time segments breaking those up during the day. For example, practice for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening.

Keep on Pickin'

Angie

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What is a Capo?

What is a Capo?

A capo is a device used to clamp onto the strings to shorten the neck. It mounts behind the fret and holds the stings down in a straight line. What this does is changes the key being played in while you are using the same chord positions.

Example:

If you place the capo on the second fret and play in "G" you are really playing in "A". Third fret "B flat", forth fret "B", fifth fret "C" and so on. However bluegrass is usually played between "G" and "C" so you really only have to learn to play in "G".

Now for the fifth string.

The same capo does not work here. For this one you will have to install a fifth string capo. There are two different kinds. One mounts onto the side with two screws and uses a slide. The other are called "railroad spikes" and are tiny hooks that are nailed into the fingerboard that the string clips under. Then the string is tuned up a note if needed.

Keep on Pickin'

Angie

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Using Finger and Thumb Picks

You will need to have two metal fingerpicks and one thumbpick when playing Scruggs or 3 finger style banjo.

You can't go wrong in using the Perfect Touch Finger & Thumb Picks. They fit like a glove.

Customer testimonial:

"Hi Angie, I received the Perfect Touch Thumb Pick today (to go along with my Perfect Touch Finger Picks) and immediately chose to try it out. It fit perfectly over the knuckle on my thumb. Best of all, I experienced no “learning curve” in order to use the pick. It felt as though it was made perfectly for my thumb, and I began playing the banjo as though I had been using that style of pick for years. It needed to adjustment for me. It just seemed a part of me from the very beginning. Thanks for offering this product over your website! Feel free to use this unsolicited testimonial to encourage others to try out the Perfect Touch Picks, for they certainly exceeded my expectations. All the best, L.G."

Keep on Pickin'

Angie

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Does Practicing get boring?

When you get tired of learning ONE song, go on to another one BUT, continue to work on the song that's boring you -- two songs keep you interested in both songs usually.

Perhaps you need some software to play along with -- Band in a Box is expensive, but it's a great help in getting your timing correct and learning to "play with others." If you can't afford that, then download a free version of Tabledit or Tabwin and play along with the midi. Playing with backup should help with the bored, frustrated feelings -- nothing like having a band to play with you to keep you interested.

Keep on Pickin'

Angie

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Find it hard to play in front of others?

Do you find yourself able to play well alone or at home, and can't when someone is listening to you? It's an seemingly common reaction, and a LOT of students have this happen. They can play all right by themselves, but they freeze up in front of their teachers or their family! It's sort of like the advanced player who suddenly panics while being the center of attention in a contest. I've done that myself. It was very frustrating.

The fact is that most students CAN play better than they manage to do in front of the teacher. Anyone who has been teaching for a while will probably be aware of this. Here's the most common reason.

All through schooling you were constantly exposed to the idea that if your answers and performances aren't *perfect* to the teacher's standards you are going to be hurt in one way or another. A grade of less than 100% is the most common way, or being embarrassed or in some cases physically hurt. Only perfect is good enough.

Since it is pretty likely you are not going to be playing as perfectly as whomever you saw on TV or heard on a CD recently, there is the distinct imagined possibiliy of being hurt somehow by the teacher.

The natural reaction to anticipating being hurt is to tense up. If you tense up, you won't play as well as when you feel safer. Simple.

A primary need of a good teacher is to convince the student he is really supportive of their goals and aspirations especially if they are higher than the teacher's level of achievement, and to create a safe environment in the lesson. This is what all great teachers do.

Keep on Pickin'

Angie

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Practicing vs Playing

It should be pointed out that "practice" is a totally different realm than "playing." Remember that "practice" is thinking. Playing is not so much thinking. It's described as a kind of relaxed, detached maintenence in which you are the listener as well as the player. Everything learned in practice has to be under your fingers, COLD. Practicing with others develops the other realm of playing. In playing, you make mistakes, but still know where you are in real time to pick up from where you erred. You begin to learn how to hear.

It seems that practice is the awareness of your fingering, the chord you are on, timing and any other elements which are necessary to prepare you for *playing* with others. You then take those elements and try them with others in a safe playing environment which is ideally non-intimidating and therefore constructive. Workshops and slow jams are great for musical growth.

Another thing that was hinted at in the discussion of practice was "repetition." Everything bows down to repetition. I usually use hash marks on a page to keep track of a practice *goal* I've set for myself. Which, by the way is the next important thing for me.

A goal is very important. A general goal is maybe a repertoire of songs and specific goal is a phrase, lick, etc. Since you can only practice in a single "day," a goal specific to what you want to accomplish and the number of days in which you want to accomplish it is a good idea. If something seems more formidable that you had expected, that is, will take longer to master than you had originally thought, break it up into smaller goals until you have a specific song, phrase, lick or whatever to accomplish in a certain amount of time. Be reasonable. Don't bite off more than you can chew.

If something is chronically bothersome, like a fingering that makes you slow down when you feel it coming up in time, then consult your instructor as to whether you are encumbering yourself on a certain passage or phrase. Usually, the fingering is OK, but it may be how you THINK about the sequence that solves problem. Sometimes the process of tying together the various practice fragments, licks etc. is incomplete and all you need do is think about the transition differently.

Love your banjo. Pick up your banjo every day, even if you have only five minutes. Make a daily contact with your instrument. It wants to do great things for you.

Get a musical instrument stand and have a place to practice.

Get a calendar and have a written goal of how many hours, what you want to accomplish and your expected time for the overall area you want to master for each week or month. Check off the days you practice and what you did and how long you practiced.

Tape record your progress to offset discouragement. Know that that sparkle of notes you desire will come if you want it bad enough.

Keep on Pickin'

Angie

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