Awesome! Glad you’re liking it. I’m only at about 60% speed right now. Hoping to put more time into it in the morning. I’ll feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I can play it at 100%.
Blackberry Blossom exercise
I’ve just about got it up to speed. Still working on cleaning it up.
I decided to use this exercise as both a study in running up and down the scale as well as a start on my journey to train my right hand to hold the pick like Ben teaches. It’s been TOUGH trying to break a 35 year old habit.
@BanjoBen is this video angle good for you to give some commentary on my picking hand and pick grip?
Nice Job! I should learn that to improve my picking speed.
Thanks Harrison! That’s exactly why I created it. My speed on mandolin is seriously lacking because out of all the instruments I own, I pick up my mandolin the least. I figure I better put in some practice time before camp. This exercise has proven to be quite a work out.
For me, (other than the fiddle) mine is the guitar, even though I started learning that way before the others. My learning jumps around based on what I’m needed to play, and how many players of a certain instrument there are in a group. Right now, my little band consists of a bass and two guitars, so that shows you what I’m working on right now…
Great job there! If that’s the mandolin playing you say needs serious help, you have nothing to worry about:
It wont be you, it’ll probably be me ! I’m glad you posted the video cuz I’m not able to do the tef files. Thanx for posting !!
Is there anything I can help you with on the TEF files? It would be much harder for me to learn new material without them.
Thanks for the encouragement!
This is the same way I worked out the same tune at first. It does make for a good exercise.
Later you can try alternating the up & down patterns on every 2 chords or each chord change if you want to take it further. It’s a toughy at first, but a good dexterity exercise.
Side note: the A part, done this way, is made up of what i call “circular licks” ()there is a real name for them, but can’t recall it) where you return to the beginning note. They are a very useful tool to as a concept to keep in mind when creating.
Oh man, that’s a great idea! I’ll start working on that today. Thanks!
We just have a really old computer is all. My son (the banjo picker son) built it out of old parts that had been thrown away. It was just intended to get by for a short time, till I got my windows vista (lol, yes) laptop stable again. Life happened & it kept getting put off & here we are 2 years later & it’s still somewhat working, but im leery to load anything new on there… same with the laptop…
I can watch youtube vids (sometimes) but not Ben’s site vids - even set on the most granular of settings. If I wanna see Ben’s site vids, I use my phone. Thanx so much offering to help w Tef files though! Maybe at some point I’ll get to try em! For now I print the lesson tab & sometimes play w the mp3 files of the song. Occasionally I play a lesson vid on phone if I’m really stuck! I’m thankful for any time I get to pick , high tech or no tech it’s all good !!
Vista? Blech! Man I haven’t seen that in years, and I’m an IT consultant.
I may be able to get you something a bit newer, Simone. Where do you live?
Thanx! Wasn’t aware of that!
Man, thanx!, truly appreciate that but dont worry about it. Banjo son has been after me (for 2 years!) to ditch the vista & let him build us an up to date one - with new parts & software etc. Im sure it wont be too long before that happens! I’ve fallen so far outta tech it’s not even funny… used to do vi programs & statistics reporting for Dow Jones, even some beta testing for ATT thru DJ. - lol I was the lucky one to get the very 1st windows computer at our DJ location. That’s a universe of time/tech away from what’s out there now! Thanx again! Smiling about the level of great folks in this community !
I like it! The thumb movement is good. I would love to see the the wrist move a bit more. DISCLOSURE: my wrist isn’t as free as it needs to be due to some bull riding injuries.
I’ll start working on that tonight. Many thanks!
Great job Mark! I don’t think you’ll be the worst mandolin player at the camp; I might take that title. I had a mandolin that I messed with for years, but I never really learned to play it, so when I couldn’t get in for the banjo I decided to sign up for an open mandolin spot. Even so, I’m enjoying practicing the lessons on the site, and having an objective is always a motivator. Looking forward to the camp!
Yes sir, Steve! That ticking clock is really starting to put my gears in drive. See you at camp!
Just wanted to take a second to thank you for this advice, Ben. I’ve been relaxing more and focusing on playing with more wrist action. Not only does it feel more natural, I can tell a difference in tone and picking accuracy.
It’s amazing how one little change can make such a huge difference. Good eye, and thank you!!!
Thanks again for putting this out here @Mark_Rocka . I work on it everyday. It’s almost like a tongue-twister for me. Also, it forces me to keep my time because I have a tendency to speed up as I go along (well at least I realize getting faster when my fingers get tangled up and my hands get out of sync )