What works for you?
There are so many ways to tackle the learning of a musical instrument in this modern day and age, and younger people today might not know of the struggles that older people went through as they tried to become proficient on their instrument. Technology has advanced in amazing ways, but in the "old days", there weren’t as many learning aids.
I thought it might be fun to conduct a little poll as a blog post today, to see just what you all are up to when it comes to getting this here banjo thing "learnt up". I’m hoping to see lots of discussion down in the comments area and lots of great comments and opinions. Please read on and then add to the discussion! We want to hear from you!
Playing by ear with phonograph records?
I’m sure there are a fair number of readers of this blog who have never seen a black vinyl record, let alone had the extreme pleasure of trying to place the needle in a precise spot within the grooves of the record so as to hear just a certain snippet of a banjo solo. (Huh? Needle? Groove? What are those?) But I have talked to many older banjo players who did just that as they were learning how to play the banjo. Heck, just the topic of playing by ear alone is quite amazing to me. Now that I have some ability and can manipulate the instrument fairly well, I can learn a banjo song by ear. But in the beginning, when I was first learning? Couldn’t do it. These guys and gals who learned by ear as their primary method are REAL MEN AND WOMEN!
What would you do if tablature wasn’t available?
I don’t know how long tablature has been in existence, but I have heard that commercially available tablature books for the banjo were at a premium before the 70’s…perhaps even the 80’s? They simply weren’t mass-produced as they are today and you didn’t have as wide a choice. Are you relying on tablature as I am? I don’t think I’d be the banjo player I am today if I hadn’t had access to tablature. Prior to banjo tablature becoming popular/widely available, you could get banjo solos written in standard notation, but for those of us non-classically trained musicians, that’s a tough row to hoe.
Cassette tapes? CD’s?
Ah, yes, now we’re talking! Playing by ear became easier for me by degrees as I got more and more experience under my belt, and the cassette tape is an item I utilized quite heavily in trying to imitate some hot banjo lick by my favorite pros. Cassette tapes were definitely much easier to use than vinyl records, but still not as precise as a CD. With the advent of the CD came huge relief for a banjo picker’s ability to learn by ear, because you can get greater pinpoint control over what you’d like to hear in the track you are trying to imitate. Small sections of a CD recording are easily repeatable/findable.
TablEdit? Instructional videos? Jam sessions? Divine inspiration?
How do you do it? What were your struggles as you were/are learning to pick? What are your favorite methods for learning how to pick? Have you purchased any instructional DVD’s and do you like learning that way? Do you hate tablature? Have you enrolled in an official lesson program with a live body or with an online resource? Enquiring minds want to know!!
I hope you’ll join the discussion below and share your experiences. Let us know what works and doesn’t work for you; what are you likes, your dislikes, your frustrations and your victories? I appreciate you chiming in and I can’t wait to read your responses! I and my other readers can probably learn a lot from your experiences. Thanks so much and as I always say: pick ‘em if ya got ‘em! Banjo Paul out!
Hi Paul,
Well, I’m just starting out really. Kind of sputtering because I’ve tried before. This time, I’m listening to versions of the song I’m learning (Grandfather’s Clock) on youtube, until I have the tune running through my head day and night, and then I’m following tab to try and emulate the sound I’m hearing on the videos. That makes it a bit tough, because their versions aren’t the same as the tab I’m playing, but close enough. I think I’m coming along…I just need more practice time.
Jubal, thanks so much for chiming in! It’s always interesting to hear how others are getting it done!
I’ve tried just about all of the above. I used to have phonograph records back when I was just a little shaver but by the time I got into banjo-playing they’d gone the way of the stick shift. I started out with a tab book and a Tony Trischka instructional DVD, but my favorite tool is to use Windows Media Player to slow a track way down and play it over and over until I can play it slowly, over and over.
Hey Terry,
Thanks for chiming in. And the Windows Media Player is a great tool for slowing down music for sure. I’m curious though: do you find that you are fairly able to learn a song by ear, just using the slowed down audio track? If so, that’s a real strength, especially as you are still at the beginning of your journey. When I was at your stage of picking, I couldn’t do it, but then again I didn’t have any “slow down” tools to work with.
Thanks Terry. Stay in touch!
Hi Paul
I have the book and cd (You Can Teach youself banjo) BAY MEY
but now I work just to play banjo rule hopefully with the best teacher on-line, touch, touch, touch, touch fingers to bursting. a Greeting
Hello Andoni,
Thank you for the comments and thank you for being an online banjo student with me! I appreciate you very much and I’m glad to work with you all the way over there in Spain!
In 1976 a pal’s Uncle showed me how to do my first banjo Rolls, how to grab the first and second position Chords, how to Slide, how to Pull-off and how to Hammer-on. The first tune I learned was to the song “Head Over Heels In Love With You”. My next tune was “Cripple Creek”. Next came “Foggy Mt. Breakdown”. Another picker showed me my 4th tune, “Sally Goodin”. Somewhere along the line I learned “Dueling Banjos” all by myself. These were all learned without the aid of any recording. I learned by memorizing how the tunes were performed by other musicians.
Three months after learning my first Roll, I was onstage as a performing musician. In truth, I only knew a little over 60 tunes by heart, but I could fake my way through similar tunes. That was enough to perform for a couple of hours. And yes, I did learn those 60 tunes in only three months, but I did it by eating, drinking, sleeping and picking banjo…to the exclusion of everything else…even girls.
I can only attribute this rate of learning to a natural ability and to practicing the basics…the Rolls, Chords, Pull-offs, Slides and Hammer-ons until they came very, very naturally. That’s the foundation you’ve got to lay down. Those are the tricks you build upon.
Eventually, I did acquire a record player and some 33rpm recordings. I didn’t have to put the needle in any certain place to learn from them. Thanks to the attention I’d paid to the basics, I could easily recognize when a Pull-off was being executed and I could tell the difference between a Slide and a Hammer-on. Likewise, the sound pattern of the notes being picked would clue me into which Roll was being used. Finding the Key wasn’t difficult and neither was finding the Chords.
Had I known about the existence of tablature, it may have been of some help. A pal had Pete Wernick’s book, but I didn’t examine it closely enough to figure it out. Years later, I would purchase my own copy. As for my pal, while he did learn a couple of tunes, he never learned to properly execute a smooth performance. I’ll not blame that on his learning by tablature, but I will say this, he couldn’t seem to learn to pick by ear. He’d always ask me to find him some tablature on the tunes I was picking. He couldn’t seem to learn by watching me.
I’ve never had an official banjo teacher. I have purchased John Hartford’s Videos on learning banjo, but that’s only because I love John.
I have performed onstage at the Music City Sheraton Hotel in Nashville, TN…at the IBMA awards. I’ve participated in too many jam sessions to remember.
Let me say that I’m not a teacher. Unlike Paul, I can’t seem to explain how I do what I do. I can’t even seem to explain it to Paul, and he’s one of the best qualified banjo teachers I’ve ever met.
Hats off to Paul and a hearty round of applause to those of you who are learning under his guidance. You’re in good hands. Meanwhile, practice those Rolls, Chords, Pull-off, Hammer-ons and Slides. If you can perform a Roll and still carry on a conversation, you’re right on track. -Jesse Taylor
Hey Jesse, thanks for the kind words and thanks for relaying your experiences. I will just tell my readers that they can’t fully appreciate all you’ve written without having listened to you pick. Your are an absolute technician and tactician when it comes to technique, and you play at a level that is tough for lesser players to comprehend. As a way to tease you I’ll say that you are like an autistic savant when it comes to playing banjo…except without the autistic part. But you have understanding and sensibilities about picking that are amazing to watch. I chuckled at the comment about how you can’t seem to explain what you do…I remember wandering over to your trailer at one festival and asking for some pointers on Foggy Mountain Special (I think it was at the Nova Ohio festival) and you proceeded to flabbergast me as you tried to show me the up-the-neck-part. And I say flabbergast because what you were showing me was so far above my understanding. You are an amazing picker.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Keep in touch!
Hello Friends
The outlet for playing with others is limited here. I joined the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Organization. Most of their tunes are familiar and they regularly jam at the local granges three times a month. The annual dues are cheap and the older members freely offer advice. My learning curve zoomed.
I consider myself a beginner on the banjo that hears all songs in the “G” scale, which is a bit high for my voice. I have a habit of dropping my right thumb on strings 5 through 3and picking up with the index finger on the 1 and 2 strings. A good example is chording (G,C,D7) the tune “Jesse James” with my ring finger while doing a thumb/finger melody.
Tablature helps me learn new songs and chord positions. I listen to a jingle and chord from lead sheets. After some success, I than transposed the melody notes (usually standard notation for fiddle), into banjo tablature. Big time taker! I learned of Tabledit from Paul’s website and Blog page. He offers very sound foundations to the banjo. The Foggy Mountain Banjo series provides a range of building skills. Paul, please catch the waves of gratitude I send.
Hello Grander Gander! What a breath of fresh air to read your message, and the waves of gratitude are clearly felt! Thanks so much for that. Sounds like you are doing what it takes to figure things out, “git ‘er done”, and make it work for you with whatever resources you have available. And you are living proof of something I tell all of my students: you have to get out and do this with other live bodies to truly excel at this art form.
Please stay in touch and I hope you’ll comment on other articles too. Keep me posted on your progress and let me know how I can help! Take care.
Well Paul, I had no interest in music till two& half or so years ago. What I have dune was to start with tab to learn the song and listen to a CD over and over to get the feel of the song.
I work and getting it down to memory in sections slow the try to work up to speed.
I have DVDs of Ross Nickerson, one is learning to play by ear.
And of course I go to Banjo’s Paul’s Banjo Rule as well to learn banjo.
Ken Noland
Hi Paul,
I started with books, cds, and DVDs. The only problem with that was I didn’t have anyone to tell me all of the mistakes that I was making. If I were to do it all over again I’d have started with a teacher. It probably would have saved a few years and stopped a lot of bad habits before they started.
Hey George, thanks for chiming in. I know I can always count on you. Your advice was right on the money! I, like you, started out self taught, except I kept on that way. That only led to years of unproductivity, bad habits, and taking way too long to get where I am. As long as I’ve been at this, I should already be in Nashville recording with the big names by now. But, I’ll have to be content at the helm of the Banjos Rule empire! Although I am teacher, I firmly believe that it’s worth the money if you truly want to get off to your best start.
Thanks George! I appreciate you always being there! Catch ya later.
Hey Ken, sounds like you are on the right track! Ross Nickerson puts out some great stuff, and someday I only hope I can be as good a banjo player as he is! I appreciate you “hanging around” my stuff and always being there to support me.