Developing good practice habits

Anybody who really wants to learn a musical instrument can do so. If you have a burning desire to learn, you will eventually be successful even in spite of poor practice habits. But why do it the hard way? Develop good practice habits early and you will progress much faster.

Practice EVERY DAY. As a beginner, thirty minutes per day is a realistic goal. An hour per day divided into two thirty-minute sessions is more than twice as productive. Make the practice session a daily regimen, like brushing your teeth. Try to practice at the same time every day, in the same place. If you must skip a day or two, try to make up by practicing extra the next few days.

Practice without distraction. You cannot realize the full benefit from your practice time if you have the television on, children playing in the room, other music playing, or any other distraction. Choose a time of day and a location that provides an environment conducive to study...the earlier the better so you will be alert. A bedroom, study or basement room is ideal.

Use proper position. Poor technique leads to poor results, extra effort and wasted time.

Use the recording. A carpenter would never think of building a house without a blueprint. This is an aural art. Use the "song blueprint" which accompanies the instruction book your learning from. The amount of time that it takes to learn a tune may be cut by as much as half if the essence of the tune is in your head before you ever attempt to learn from the tablature. Listen to the recording as you drive or work around the house. Even semi-conscious listening will speed up your learning time considerably. Use the recording to check your progress, playing along with the slow version until you are synchronized with it. Then move on to the next level.

PLAY SLOWLY! Learning music is much more efficient if it is done slowly and correctly the first time. It may not sound like banjo music until weeks later when your speed has increased, but valuable time will not be wasted going back to correct errors. Play so slowly that the spacing of the beats is uniform from the first time you play it. There should be no buzzing or muted notes.

Suggested Daily Practice Routine

Five minutes: Warmup. Just as an athlete must warm up and stretch before an event, the musician should loosen up the fingers and get the mind in gear. Play rolls, exercises and simple tunes you have already mastered at a medium to slow tempo with the recording or a metronome if possible.

Ten minutes: Exercises and problem areas. Identify the areas that are giving you trouble. Extract the two or four measure phrase that contains the problem spot and play it repeatedly with the recording or a metronome. Play the entire phrase, not just the two or three notes that you are having difficulty with. If you are having trouble with a certain technique such as a pull-off or slide, play an exercise that focuses only on that technique. Play so slowly it is absolutely error-free.

Ten minutes: Work on the newest lesson and on memorizing the two or three previous lessons. Keep it slow and read all the accompanying text every day.

Five minutes: Play for fun! The work is over...now just do whatever you feel like. You will be enjoying the banjo so much you will probably extend the session without even realizing it. This is a typical thirty-minute practice schedule. For a one-hour session, simply double the time devoted to each segment of the practice session. However, two thirty-minute sessions per day may be more effective than a single one-hour session for a true beginner's first few days or weeks.

If your a real beginner you will find the new DVDs put out by John Lawless a huge help. They are "Learning to Play Bluegrass Banjo - Lesson 1 / Lesson 2 / Lesson 3.

Keep on pickn'

Angie

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