Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Artist Works available through library app (Libby)

As an avid reader, I stay in constant contact with the public library. I use an app called Libby to access library materials (books, music, movies, etc.). Today I got a message that Artist Works is available through the Libby app. I gave it a try and it works great. I don’t know if it is the full version, but there was a lot of material available on-line. So if you are a fan of libraries like I am, I suggest you check your public library to see if they employ Libby to provide materials. Its free! Well, not really, you pay taxes to support the library. But you might as well take advantage of the services, after all you paid for them.

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Yeah I saw that.

Have you ever heard of a person starving to death in the midst of plenty? Some days I feel that way when I see all the different ways of learning the banjo.
I have experienced major sensory overload as I try to absorb all the helpful information I got from Ben & Russ & Kirsten & Jens & Tony & Earl & Willow & Noam & Bela & the list goes on.
I have over-eaten at the buffet and I feel uncomfortable.
I think I’ll just have a Whattaburger for now.
If I get hungry later, maybe I’ll try something different.

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I just signed up for a year with Noam Pickelny at ArtistWorks. Curious to know if you can access Full Lessons. Our local library has just upgraded it’s online services - not been able to get down to re-register due to covid.

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I don’t know if the full program is available through Libby or not. I only took a quick look at what is available and tried out a video, which worked fine. There is a lot there (including Noam) and I expect to browse through it at some point. But, I’m with @Banjoe, I’m already overwhelmed with resources available through Banjo Ben and the stack of books, publications, Youtube, etc. that I have available. I think it was @Stixx3969 who compared himself to a fly in a lampshade with the amount of material to learn. I felt the same way and resolved to sticking to the leaning tracks. That was the right approach for me and staying “on track” has greatly improved my picking. Although the wife was dismayed that I can now play “She’ll be Coming Around the Mountain” in either G or C. (I didn’t bother to tell her about the capo.)

If I could somehow accelerate myself to a velocity near the speed of light so that my wristwatch would run slowly, I might be able to catch up with everything. Of course, if I were able to do that, a sixteenth note would last for years and I’d never get through any of the songs. I guess that is why NASA won’t allow a banjo player to be considered for any future interstellar voyages. Sorry @archie, you are going to remain an Earth-bound banjo picker.

(Sorry about this video, I hate Star Wars, but this is pretty funny.)

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I have been with @BanjoBen so long I have worked through all the beginner lessons, about 2/3s of the intermediate lessons and about a 1/4 of the advanced lessons. I guess for new members that task may seem daunting but since I’ve had lots of time on my hands since retiring 9 years ago I can get through most lessons in about a day when I am on a roll. After a while most of what you learn in the beginner section is repeated in some form in later lessons. So I focus on the stuff I don’t know and the rest just comes naturally.

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I’m finding that to be true. The lessons seem to be getting easier, but the muscle memory is not speeding up as fast. But I’m learning more about where the notes are on the fretboard, so learning the song is a bit quicker. “The right note is just one fret away!”

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As I watched, I could help but think Jabba the Hutt could have removed R2’s head, turned it sideways and made a banjo pot out of it!