Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Banjo Beginner Learning Track

#1

Hi All

Just out of interest and i know this is subjective as people would be at different levels of ability and amount of time to practice etc… but what would be the consensus on how long it should take to get through the beginners section.

Thanks

#2

I’ve been a member well over a year and I continue to move around in the “Beginner Learning Track”.
I’ve added a few Intermediate lessons but continue to work on rolls & other techniques in the beginner courses.
I’m 62 years old and not a fast learner.:upside_down_face:

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#3

@Geno

Hi and thanks for the info as its so difficult to know when to move on or stay put and work on things

Doing a good job and keep picking :+1:

#4

Hi Lee The time to move on is when you feel good enough to take on the next challenge. When your ready to grow and kick off the training blocks. Sure you can flip between the levels. I do when the mood takes me

#5

Thanks Archie I know it seems obvious :+1:

#6

Good question to be sure. I can only speak for myself; and while I appreciate the naming convention of “Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced” to categorize the lessons, in some respects they are somewhat of a misnomer. Expert-level folks for example continually go back to the Fundamentals of playing at least to warm-up and make certain your fingers are not obtaining bad habits. So, essentially a player can never completely graduate from the foundations of picking. As @Lee_G and @Archie point-out, I also depend on my own body and ear to tell me when it’s time to move on to the next lesson; all of which varies based on practice-time, EFFECTIVENESS of practice-time, motivation etc.

One pitfall I sometimes see people make, is that they mistake “practice” for “effective-practice”. We must always be careful not to practice our mistakes by playing them over & over!! Practicing effectively with discipline, greatly accelerates your rate of progress.

The neat thing, is that the so-called “easier lessons” don’t sound any less attractive than the real finger-benders. Happy Picking!

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#7

Hi Neil

Nice answer and totally right that practicing correctly is key to successful progression :+1:

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#8

I’m always writing to and trying to convince myself, to get psych’d into doing what’s right. LOL! Happy Picking! :slightly_smiling_face:

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#9

Hey Lee,

I’ve been playing a little over a year and a half. I work on things in the intermediate and advanced sections, but I constantly go back to the beginners section to review, and to try to improve my chops.

I’ll probably do this for as long as I can continue to play. There’s plenty that I need to relearn, and it seems there are always things I didn’t learn the first time around.

You’re doing incredible, so I would have no concern at all about where you’re at level wise, or bouncing around a bit between learning levels.

Keep up the great work!

Jack

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#10

Good stuff Neil!

#11

Thanks Jack thats great to know and seems like i’m doing things the way others are :+1:

#12

I really like the learning tracks, I like tracking progress. I’m always cautious when I check a box, at first it was only concerned about the speed but as time goes by I’m learning its more about how comfortable & naturally I can get through a lesson. I like starting out with the tef. and progressing through the mp3’s at different speeds. I really try to feel feel comfortable playing along with the mp3s before checking a box. (probably a a little corny as I’m still working on good practice techniques).

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