You are absolutely correct and thank you for correcting me. That was part of the issue.
Discuss the Banjo lesson: Banjo Forward Roll Study
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Love the lessons! Quick question. When playing background in jams, is it okay to play a forward role the whole time while playing the chords. How do you play background in jams.
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Hi @aacbugle Arron 
to @BanjoBen 's Forum
Great Question. Yes it’s OK to play forward rolls over a chord progression that’s how most beginners start out. But having a better understanding of what BackUp is and how to execute it is the goal of all great banjo players.
@BanjoBen has grouped a series of lessons that will introduce you to playing backup and help you as you progress to the next level. Here is a link to those lessons. Just work through them at you own pace.
https://banjobenclark.com/courses/basic-banjo-backup?from_track=beginner-banjo
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Hello,
I have been practising this for about a month now, and I have managed to get to the temp up to 75 on the tef file.
To me it just seems flat with no rhythm and sounds nothing like what is played at 110 bpm.
Should I keep going until I can get to 110 bpm with out any errors or move onto the next lesson?
Hi @keeleydickinson Keelye to @BanjoBen 's Forum
This is a lesson that introduces you to the fundamentals of playing banjo. Essentially an exercise for you to practice and develop your skills. The goal for now is not speed. It’s better that you practice this slowly and cleanly. We all make mistakes so the chances are your going to be making many more mistakes. Your goal is to avoid becoming frustrated and to keep it fun not a chore. Yes by all means move on to other lessons. But remember to come back to this one regularly to practice your forward rolls. Speed will come when the time is right
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Move onto the next lesson, and I encourage you to take a quick video of your playing and upload it here to the forum 
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Thank you very much for the advice. I was starting to get frustrated and was considering giving up.
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I have been trying to take a video all morning, but knowing i am being recorded makes me make more errors and frustrates me more LOL
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This is part of the process, press on.
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Hi @Rara72 Neil
I had similar issues, how overcame the problem was to just leave the camera running as I messed around with the banjo. Eventually I managed to record myself and posted it on YouTube. See below
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I will give it a try, thank you.
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I can play a bit smoother but not when on camera for some reason. https://youtube.com/shorts/WnNPSWyL88w?si=hfNUAU2UCezSVAps
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Thank you, although it doesn’t feel like it at times lol
Hi @Rara72 Neil, I see your reading from paper tab sheets. I struggled with printed TAB Books. I encourage you to get TEFView or TablEdit and download the TEF TAB files from @BanjoBen 's lessons. Not only can you read the TABs on screen you can hear them play back. You can adjust the speed and play along with the TAB.
- It will help you develop your playing skills more quickly.
- It will help you build confidence as you learn.
- Overtime it will help you build speed.
Next to becoming a Lifetime Goldpick Member of banjobenclark.com purchasing TablEdit was the second best investment I ever made.
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I do normally use the tef file and with that I can play smoothly at 75 BPM, but when I read from the tab it alls goes wrong lol.
Trust me with regular study and practice you will get better.
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Persevere, Neil! You are where you are supposed to be right now. There are roads being built in your brain right now. Like all us, we think - I should be further along – I wish this sounded better – I wish I could play if faster – etc. Then one day, your left hand, right hand, brain, and banjo all decide it’s time to get along with each other. The reward is coming, keep after it, my friend.
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@Rara72 you are coming along great, my friend! Your pick strokes are accurate and you’re getting great tone! As @Brent.H says, the pathways are being built. It’s a painstaking process but more progress is being made than what you can measure at this point. Just don’t quit, because you’re about through the most difficult stage. Thanks for the encouragement @Archie.
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Well I have the tempo up to 100 now and what i play still does not sound correct, it just sounds like i am practicing forward rolls, there doesn’t seem to be any rhythm or melody to it - you certainly wouldn’t call it a tune. It sounds nowhere like the MP3s.
Should all the strings be played a the same speed?
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