One thing I noticed with my playing Scruggs style (the only style I know), is that I keep making little mistakes, as if my fingers aren’t sure which string (RH) or fret (LH) to play. Even with tunes I think I know really well.
I watch (semi) professional banjo players jamming on festivals, and they play so clean.
So, question, is there some advice for cleaning up those little mistakes (other than “don’t make them” 
) ?
Thanks in afvance !
Avoid little mistakes
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Great question @Erwin1 and one that most banjo players encounter. Accepting the fact that you are going to make mistakes is the first lesson that we banjo players learn early on, the more you worry about them the more you’ll make.
If you find you are having a train wreck at the same point every time you play a tune. Then the best thing I find is ti isolate the phrase or lick. Break down the components and work through it. If you’re working from Tab I recommend you use TablEdit or TefView. highlight the problem area and practice it over and over again.
Play it dead slow and be sure to LISTEN. What you’re doing is training the brain. This can take a while to overcome. Patience and Perseverance is key to success.
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It’s not so much a train wreck, as I mostly manage to get out of the situation. So it’s not always the same point… But in many a tune I stumble somewhere…
Maybe it’s just psychological and I only need a good shrink 
!
The key is consistency. Break your playing down into its smaller aspects and learn every depth of what that roll or that lick feels like; practice them slow and consistently with a metronome. Perfecting your building blocks that tunes are made of will show through when you play a tune. When you notice something that isn’t clean, practice it slow until it gets cleaner.
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At the danger of going into philosophical meanderings, what do you mean by saying “learn every depth of what that roll or that lick feels like” ? Could you give/show an example ?
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Haha, to be honest… not really (it’s something that’s really mental and internal).
This could be put a lot of ways, but in simple form, I sort of mean paying close (but not overthought) attention to what each note, roll, phrase, etc. feels like. It’s a strong feeling when you play, being able to emphasize any note. Practice mentally without your instrument as well. The “feelings” stay the same whether you are actually playing the instrument or not. You play a phrase how you hear it in your head. If you choose to “hear” it like your ideal pro would play it, your touch and familiarity with the phrase will improve.
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That’s actually very good advice, thank you !
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I have had some success with altering the internal dialog I have with myself. Lowering hurtles by thinking positive. When practicing Kieth-style melodic picking, trying to visualize steady flowing stream of water to keep it from sounding choppy and helps to relax with imagery. For Scruggs style I think of the sounds of a steam train chugging because that has been enjoyable to experience and shares audio similarities with the style.
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That’s a very poetic approach 
I like it.
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