Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Getting back into Banjo after a long break, need tips

#1

Hi all, Im trying to get back into the habit of playing banjo like I once did for at least an hour daily but life has been kicking my butt this year, when I stopped I was a fairly advanced player I guess. I attended a weekly jam, could do rolling backup over most songs in G over the book as they lend themselves to banjo well, its a old timey gospel bluegrass jam. I put my banjo down for all of this year to assist my mom as a caregiver before she passed in August and also met my now girlfriend in March, and found out girls were a lot more interesting haha… anyways she’s been nudging me to get back into playing but I have no idea where to start…

initially I went thru Jim Pankeys youtube years ago getting started, spent some time with Jam Along music method, now I was gifted a Banjo Ben membership for my birthday this year. I’m just a bit overwhelmed what to pick back up. Im familiar with rolling backup, vamping, inversions, etc… but I just don’t know what to tackle first.

I suppose my goals would be:

  1. become a better at scruggs style backup

  2. Build my own breaks to songs found in our book, in the keys of G, C and D in 4/4 and 3/4

  3. build up the habit of daily practice

  4. Be more confident on the fly when playing.

Any tips on which lessons or coursework to start out with? Ive browsed some but its a lot, theres so much I want to get better at I dont know where to start.

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#2

Hi @aaron.turner99 Aaron welcome to @BanjoBen 's Forum.

May I just say I am sorry for your loss. I know what it is like to loose parents and siblings.

Clearly you are not a rank beginner and I see you have set yourself some important goals. I have worked through some of Jim Pankey’s lessons and tried the Jam Along method so I know that coming here and seeing what’s on offer might seem overwhelming at first glance. But I can assure you you have landed lucky when you received that birthday gift.

I too have been in the doldrums a lot this past year, my focus has been on other things. Three years ago I had major surgery and in the first year following I didn’t pick any banjo. So your not alone when it comes seeking motivation, most students here are in the same boat as we are. I signed up as a Lifetime Gold Pick Member 12 Years ago and I am still learning but enough about me.

So where should you start? I always encourage newcomers to work through the Beginners Learning Track if for nothing else it eases you in and lets you get familiar with @BanjoBen 's Teaching Method and how he structures his lessons. Here you’ll learn ALL the fundamentals you’ll need going forward. As you probably know most of the stuff in here you should be able to nail this section fairly quickly. What I will say is LISTEN to what Ben tells you and WATCH his hands closely. Jim Pankey is a great teacher but Ben really goes into a lot more detail and you’ll learn much more.

Most beginner students working through this section can confidently move into the Intermediate & Advance sections with ease. So if you feel like a challenge select a lesson from each of these sections as a long term goal and as your working thru the Beginner Learning Track use these challenges to measure your progress.

Don’t rush, work at you own pace, don’t be tempted to skip lessons. Make the most of your membership by carefully studying the material Ben presents in his lessons. But above all have FUN

If you have any questions ask away and we will do our best to respond quickly.

When you feel confident post a video of your progress in the Video Swap Area and Ben will give you some feedback’

Enjoy your membership

#3

Welcome back to the banjo, Aaron! Thankful to hear how you honored your mother, thanks for sharing that.

Couple things I want you to start with.

First is a series of lessons on rolling backup called the Real Deal Pick 'n Fill. I have them for G, C, and D. Find those here: https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/filters/collections:real-deal

For some real Scruggs sounds, try these:
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/banjo-pick-a-lick-foggy-mountain-special-lick-banjo-advanced
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/boogie-woogie-backup-1st-edition-banjo
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/boogie-woogie-backup-2nd-edition-banjo

All my build-a-break lessons:
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/filters/instruments:banjo;collections:build-a-break

How to practice:
https://banjobenclark.com/courses/the-theory-of-practice

Keep me posted on your progress!

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