Hi Shannon
to @Banjoben 's Forum and congratulations on becoming a new banjo player.
I am not really sure I understand your question. Having said that I know where your coming from since it seems learning to play banjo is a mammoth task and that journey starts out with a zillion questions,. I will say you are amongst friends and in the best place to ask these questions.
So I have a question for you. Are you a left handed or a right handed player?
The reason I ask is because it’s the picking hand that keeps the tempo whist the fretting hand frets the strings and creates the musical notes.
A common question beginners ask is “How long does it take” well it’s a bit like how long is a piece of string. For most of us (unless your gifted) learning to play banjo takes a lifetime. I didn’t pick up a banjo till I was 63 I am 75 now and still learning.
That said, if you work your way through BanjoBen’s beginner learning track you should begin to see good progress after about six months providing you spend time ( at least an hour ) each day on study and practice.
https://banjobenclark.com/university/beginner-banjo
What you need to understand is learning to play banjo is a complex process. By working through Ben’s lessons you’ll learn the mechanics of playing the instrument as well as learning to play music. Amazingly banjo players use both hands that work independently, they do different things at the same time. Banjo players use their eyes and more importantly their ears to help them remember where the notes are. That is complex multitasking.
Now don’t panic, the way Ben has set out his lessons, he leads you to learn the things you need to know at the skill level you are at. As you work through the lessons you’ll repeat a lot of stuff, so the task becomes easier as you progress.
At various stages on the learning path Ben will introduce more challenging stuff and as you work through that things will begin to make more sense.
Don’t rush through the lessons, work at your own pace, if you don’t understand something in a lesson ask away we are always here to help where we are able.
When it comes to learning / practicing / moving between chord shapes - If your struggling to play rolls at the same time - DON’T play the rolls, just work on moving between chord shapes.
A wee tip for you. Make an F Shape Chord anywhere on the neck where it’s most comfortable, Now keeping your Ring Finger and your Pinkie on the D strings, swap the Middle Finger and the Index Finger between the two middle strings, repeat the process. Do this whilst watching your favourite TV show. By the end of the show you should be able to move between the F Shape and D Shape Chords much more easily.
Stick with it Shannon, trust me, if you study and practice like I said, within a week or two you’ll be playing your first tune. ![banjo](//banjoben-discourse-upload.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/original/2X/b/b30bf8d587c3429c68ca2fc358478daff01f63c3.gif)