https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/pick-along-jingle-bells-intermediate
The point of a PickAlong is not to use tab, but to use your eyes and ears to play along with me! Join me and the girls to play Jingle Bells in the key of C!
Discuss the lesson: PickAlong: Jingle Bells
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Man that’s good stuff!
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Loved it! Glad you posted this, cause I have a question regarding this, that I’ve been pondering lately. What is the “secret sauce” for playing melodies on the fly? I have a buddy who can do this effortlessly. Any quick thoughts? Would this possibly make a good lesson if there’s not already one out there?
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Practice 
But more accurately, practice playing from your mind, without tab/memorization. Trial and error is key!
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Nice and simple (looks)!
I’d add this to what Michael said for @Treblemaker.
Practice of C scale in C and A formats of CAGED system in this particular case.
Some use and understanding of double stops.
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Yes Mi
chael, I can totally get the trial and error. Lots of hours required. Wish there was some type of pattern or something to listen for that can help with quickly disseminating melodies.
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Thanks John. Actually, I’ve been studying CAGED quite a bit lately. Just hasn’t sunk in yet on figuring melodies. Maybe it will eventually.
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Yeah, it takes time! I’m no master either but going in that direction like you. I find pick-along’s great to push us in that! 
So if your playing a double stop over the chord, that will increase your chance of having a melody note correct? Hmmm. Seems to make sense.
I’d keep the double stop secondary. I’ll first find the melody notes. (Finding it comes by itself over time when you have the scale and other lessons practice). I’ll then try to incorporate the double stop to make it nicer.
In this case,
Over the fields we go
Melody notes in CAGED C format of C-scale:
e|----1--0--------
B|-----------3---0
G|-2---------------
D|-----------------
A|-----------------
E|----------------
Add double stop like the below, F chord notes transitioning to G chord notes.
That is, last melody note in this phrase, 0th fret of 2nd string, converted to 4th fret of 3rd string, with a slide preceding it.
e|----1--0------------
B|----------3---1-sl-3
G|-2------------2-sl-4
D|--------------------
A|--------------------
E|-------------------
From here will try to find the next melody notes in CAGED A format of C-scale.
The first thing that comes to mind is recognizing intervals- that’s one of the most important things b/c it allows you to more easily internalize a melody and be able to describe it using words if needed (though you won’t necessarily need to do that while playing). Ben walks through that process at camp- using different songs as examples for different intervals. E.g. “Happy Birth-day” (2nd interval)
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This is the answer. It’s something I desperately need to work on. I found a game in the Apple store called Chet that supposedly trains you on that kind of stuff. For some reason I never remember that it’s on my phone. 
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I’m no expert at playing melodies on-the-fly but getting better. One thing I know has helped is the concept of “unitar”. Ron Block has applied this to banjo (“unijo”). Start by playing notes of a scale on a single string. Once you’re comfortable with where the notes (and intervals) are, you can put on a backing track and make up your own patterns and melodies. Take a few days on each string. One and four are the same on banjo, of course. You can find some YouTube videos on the subject by Ron Block.
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Thanks Mark…will have to see if I can find an android version.
Cool. There is an android version of CHET. That didn’t take long.
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Who is the bass player?
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I must say – one of the best parts of this wonderful video was the email we received celebrating Ben’s dad (and be extension all dads – those here and no longer with us).
Love every moment of it!
Have a wonderful holiday!
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That’s the new bass player for the band, Sarah Birkeland from Minnesota!
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Abby Hartley moved on?
I was just watching a bunch of videos of Abby (and Caleb) today. She’s such a good guitar player!
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She’s a mom of 2 now. She has her hands full.
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