I can’t do another lesson. My brain is so full of lessons from all over the place.
From Banjo Ben to Jens Kruger to tips on the Forum to anybody with a banjo on the internet. My brain now contains a lot of very good information, but it’s not quite reaching my fingers yet.
I have to take a break from learning and relax with doing. With luck I will incorporate some of what I’ve learned. But it’s time to tone down the pressure & increase the enjoyment.
I have the feeling others have been here before me.
I've Reached The Burn Out Point
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Maybe music also needs treated like honey! 
Reminded of this Proverbs 25:16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
I don’t do too much music, mostly only as pastime, so I didn’t get tired of it yet though.
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Yeah, sometimes you have to slow down a bit and wait out the lag from learning to playing.
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It’s good to let the brain & fingers catch up with the information input!
Have some fun with it for a while!
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Sounds like maybe you’re trying to do too much, too quick! This can be a huge “Fun-Robber”!
It’s ok to take a “sabbatical” once in a while! (Not too long or your fingers and muscles will get out of whack). Do something completely different than music maybe. You’ll possibly be amazed that when you come back, you may be able to actually play some of these pieces better and simply pick up where you left off!
Just make it fun, as Dave stated!
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Just going through one of those phases myself @BanJoe I have been here many times. Time for a break to recharge the brain cells.
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Lots of wise advice above. I especially like the bit about treating it like honey. I gotta go find some biscuits.
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Hang in there and let it simmer. Most importantly, don’t feel guilty for doing so. All of us have been or will be there.
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Hey BanJoe. I can relate! One trick I often do to break-up the monotony, is to choose a difficult measure or passage (preferably memorized) and sit down and watch a favorite movie and very slowly go through that passage over and over and over again. It makes for an enjoyable diversion while still training those fingers. Just don’t forget your banjo mute though…
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Oh it’s simmering. All I want to do now is the G scale with rolls. It’s teaching my fingers how to behave. And I’m getting much smoother at the F chord, thanks to a tip from Archie.
As a hunter, I understand patience. As a gardener, I understand waiting for planted seeds to sprout. As a banjo player, I’m still enchanted by “that sound.”
Just don’t look for me in the Video Swap this week! 
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This kind of reminds me of an old Seinfeld episode. “Anybody can take a reservation…” I’m always surprised when people say they worked through the beginner banjo (mandolin, guitar, etc.) learning tracks in six months. I’m probably a slow learner, but it frequently takes me a month or more to go through just one of those multi-part lessons. I can watch the lesson and move on to the next one, but I haven’t absorbed what was presented. (That is the parallel to the Seinfeld car rental scene, hopefully not too obtuse.)
You may be suffering from a little bit of cabin fever being iced in and all. Don’t shoot the refrigerator (an innocent beer can might be injured). It is always a good idea to take a break from something you’ve been concentrating on for a while. Knowing that you like canoe rides I’d suggest that, but considering the season and your location, you might want to strap on the skates and head over to the Erie Canal.
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I’m about a 2 hour drive from the Erie Canal and only 90 minutes to Lake Placid.
(I know. Alligator season open soon.)
Trout season open April 1st, but there’s still plenty of snow in the woods for snowshoe season.
I’m with you 100% on doing the lesson, understanding the lesson, practicing the lesson, but not fully absorbing the lesson. That’s what I’m going to do now.
Kinda like any project around the house. Sure, you did it, but you still have to go back and clean it up.
I found this little exercise, and doggone it, it’s fun!
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Gotta take a break if you are tired or lose interest. I typically get in 15 hrs+ per week and have not really touched it in 10 days- 2 weeks. It’ll come back around.
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