@Tx-gal I’ve heard Ben say that almost all songs (at least for bluegrass) will end on the root note of the key of the song. For instance, the melody line of Nine Pound Hammer in the key of G will end on a G note. Hope that helps.
Discuss the lesson: The Ideal Practice Session
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Trying to figure out the key is a great learning exercise, but if you’re totally stuck, you can use Chordify.net
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I have heard that too. Problem is if you are waiting on the LAST NOTE at a jam session you can’t participate in the jam till it’s over. 
Better solution is to ASK what key the tune is in.
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that would be a fun jam!
It is always better to ask, that way you can have fun and not just sit and listen.
I use Chordify all the time. It really fun and easy to use, especially since it shows when different chords come in.
If I need just the key and perhaps the BPM, I use https://vocalremover.org/key-bpm-finder, and that works as well.
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@Archie at a jam session, the person picking the song will also typically announce the key in which the song will be played. She was talking about playing along with albums…
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Hi @rspillers Ryan in my experience that is not always the case. I have come across people who learn a tune but have no knowledge of key, key signature or timing. But I take your point about albums.
I accidently found it when searching for a vocal remover app so I could practice different backups. I found it very useful and use it frequently.
Correct, though if you recorded a YouTube video as an MP3, you could upload it to find the key. That is a little bit more lengthy than using Chordify.
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The most consistent/convenient way to identify the key of a song will be to find the root note on your instrument. I know there are programs that can bring key and chord information up for you, but it is well worth it to put in the work to hear the key and common chords on your instrument… It’s how bluegrass music is made!
I want to stress that being familiar with chords, intervals, etc. is not any kind of mystical or un-attainable skill… yes, YOU can do it! You can get a great start learning what the 1, 4, and 5 sound like. The PickAlong lessons are fantastic for this.
I encourage playing along with simple 1, 4, 5 songs at the very start. You’ll have only three options to choose from and a high chance of getting the right chord. Once you’ve made your best guesses at the chords for one song, do the same thing with another one. And another one (try to pick songs you love!).
Learning to hear chords and play along with songs requires a huge amount of trial and error because you have to be familiar with how those chords feel to you. They start out as strangers, become acquaintances, and end up as old friends. I had to spend years as a kid sitting for hours at a time with a first generation iPod Nano, trying any chord I could think of (which was not very many 
) with the songs I longed to play. It gets easier as you go!
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This has been super helpful. I’ve been working to stay very disciplined with this structure. I set a timer for each 10 minute section and am keeping a notebook. One really interesting thing is that this makes an hour fly by!
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Having been away from gold pick membership and just returned I discovered this lesson on practice. Very, very helpful. Both encouraging and a bit intimidating to be honest. I think realistic goals for myself are probably to grow as a good rhythm player. Trying to figure out goals as well as which lessons to pursue to provide challenge and help in that area is my objective now.
I tried the full focus planner by Hyatt at one time, but lost focus and quit using it.
. Impressed @BanjoBen that you utilize it. In what you do I can see it as immensely helpful.
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Amen to realistic goals and growth in solid rhythm! Over the last few months I’ve gotten more deliberate with my sessions with similar goals as yours in mind. e.g. on my back-up practice days I take lessons like
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/bag-o-licks-the-1-5-1-turnaround-banjo and https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/waypoints-learning-the-banjo-neck-g-chord-banjo-intermediate and lay in the principles against a song I’m working on. For example, I’ve been working on both versions of Nine Pound Hammer, so Ill set Strum Machine to a slower tempo and practice the various 1-5-1 turnarounds for measures 6-8 and 14-16 for that tune. Been seeing nice improvements with my timing and left hand accuracy over several weeks. Best of luck and happy picking!
Praise Him with the strings - Ps 150:4
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Thanks for sharing what you’re doing in practice. That’s helpful.