Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

2026 Virtual Guitar Cabin Camp June 9!

#1

Awwww, son! We’re doing it again, this time with Jake Workman and new special guest, Tim Stafford of Blue Highway!

Here’s the link for all the details: https://store.banjobenclark.com/products/banjo-bens-virtual-guitar-cabin-camp-june-9-2026

Like last year, we’ll work to become better all-around guitar players with a focus on rhythm, ear training, and soloing. Both Tim & Jake will teach things that make them uniquely them, like Tim’s floating guitar licks & Jakes approach to speedy head-blowing machine gun-esque licks.

I’m really excited for this one, y’all! Just remember you have to register b/f the event, and even if you can’t make it live, I’ll send you the recording/resources. Also, remember that Gold Picks will receive a discount code via email!

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

If you experience any technical issues during the live event, read the comments below!

Video Quality Issues/Freezing Video

  • You can select the gear icon in the bottom right of the video and change the quality. 1080p is the highest resolution. The higher resolution, the higher speed internet is required. Therefore, if you are experiencing blurry video, try selecting a lower resolution.
  • If the video starts to buffer or freeze, it may be your internet connection. Give it a few seconds and if the problem persists, refresh the page. If the internet speed is on our end, we’ll work to correct that as able. Watch the chat for any messages from an admin.

Audio Issues

  • If you can’t hear the audio, try listening to something else on your viewing device to verify it is in fact the live video that has no audio. Playing another audio source can verify it’s the output settings on your device and not the live stream. If other sources play audibly, there is a speaker icon in the video frame that can be muted. Make sure you’ve not muted the volume! If the problem persists, leave a comment to make sure you are or aren’t the only one experiencing audio loss!
  • If using headphones, some devices require you to change the “Sound Output” settings in your device. The default in this setting is typically your device speakers, so if you are using an external audio device, ensure you have selected the proper output setting.

Live Stream Interruption or Disconnection

  • We live in a crazy world, folks. Sometimes our connection to you can be cut due to severe weather, alien interference, or other rare circumstances that find themselves occurring in East Texas. If you lose the stream at any point, try refreshing the page and/or rebooting your internet connection. If the event is down on our end, we will email you a backup link. Keep your email handy and watch out for a new link if this does happen. We don’t believe we will have to utilize this process, but we have a good plan if so!

Remember, always ask yourself “is it me?” when you experience an issue with your connection, video quality, or audio. Sometimes a simple refresh of the page or a quick device inspection on your end can save you a headache. That being said, please feel free to leave a comment on the event chat feed! We want you to have the best experience possible, and someone on the chat may have experienced what you are experiencing.

Also remember, this entire event is being recorded. So, if you experience an issue with your equipment or internet speeds, you’ll be emailed the entire recording in the coming days.

  • If these steps do not resolve your issue, please text us at 615-512-6549.
8 Likes
#2

Hey, y’all can submit questions beforehand for the teachers and I’ll do my best to work them into the sessions. Just leave those here as comments!

1 Like
#3

A lot of folks at my level seem to just mash over the top of everybody else’s solo at jams. Could you go over tasteful ideas for backing up the various other instruments and how those ideas differ based on the volume and/or register of the soloing instrument? More than just play quiet over a guitar solo and play louder over the fiddle and fill in chops over mandolin. And how can you do this while still laying down the chordal foundation? It seems it doesn’t take much for the rhythm to get squirrelly when the only guitarist takes a solo or otherwise stops holding the basic chords down solidly.

3 Likes
#4

I am more interested in hearing a response to Lefty5string’s terrific question than what I’m about to ask, but, but here goes. Let’s say you are playing a song in Bb to accommodate a singer. Capo 3 playing in G shape. Any tricks for finding your place up the neck, since your usual fret markers are all off?

1 Like
#5

From a banjo players view point. This skill is learned over time. It’s like driving a car with a stick shift, you know where the stick is and and the location of the gears but you never take your eyes of the road to make the change.

advice

2 Likes
#6

I’ve experienced this, too, and I’ve also been guilty of this. This lesson from Ben about listening as a musican really hellped me understand how I should be playing with other people: https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/learning-to-listen-as-a-musician-intermediate?from_track=intermediate-guitar-checklist

Also, during Ben’s pick-along lessons, there are prompts on the screen that discuss how he’s playing and give tips and reminders for playing in a jam. These have also been really helpful to me.

#7

Welcome to the forum, @stolioly! Glad you’re here! To adde to what @Archie said, it becomes muscle memory. Not so much what fret number you might be on, but more where you are on the neck in relation to the nut, or the capo. Personally, I’ll practice playing things capoed on different frets to work on this. Sometimes it is easy, sometimes it’s not. It will come with time and practice.

#8

Thanks for the questions, keep them coming!

1 Like
#9

These are all finger pickin’ questions.

  1. Which is the best finger(s) to use for pickin’?
  2. Is it better to have long finger nails for pickin’ or short?
  3. How far in should your finger(s) go in for pickin’?

Edit,
That was a great session. Packed with so much information! A bit of a brain overload, but will be able to review the playback several times. Also I know you’ll be sending us resource material.
Thank you @BanjoBen

1 Like
#10

I hope y’all enjoyed the event last night! I think it was one of the best ever…SO much content covered! I think I asked all of your questions, or at least got really close to them. I’ll be sending out the link/resources later this week. Thank you so much for supporting these events!

3 Likes