Improvising or Memorizing

Improvising or Memorizing:

Being able to improvise isn't something genetic or a born ability that a select few have. This is a common misconception. The ability to improvise comes from experience and acquiring allot of banjo knowledge and some theory application. Any great player who can improvise is drawing from a reserve of stored licks, tunes, phrasings, chords, etc., but assembling them in a random manner. How would they know what works and what doesn't? It comes from developing the sensibilities and ear to feel/know what logically works in a given situation. This comes from practice, playing and experimenting.

This is why is crucial to learn all the established Scruggs licks, single string ideas, melodic ideas, chordal ideas-any and ALL things banjo. This is your future reservoir of ideas that will be where you improvise from.

Players that don't know many ideas and don't have much experience with using them are much less likely to be good at improvising. How good you are at this skill is based on how well you did your 'homework' in learning the foundation things. This is your basic 'vocabulary.' Once you've learned the standard tunes, licks and throw in some theory, scales, etc, you are adding to the pool of knowledge from which you'll draw your improvising.

Your rhythmic sensibilities, hearing, motor skills-all these improve over time and once the mind/ear/hands connection is made, it only improves with practice.

Getting great at improvising is work, just like anything else. But it rewards you with coming up with your own unique style and approach to banjo. That is the ultimate goal as a player.

Keep on Pickin'

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