Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Kenny S class and chat

#1

Wow. Tonight’s class with Ben and Kenny S was amazing. I sat guitar in hand and tried to play and apply what they talked about. I am so stinking pumped, I can’t wait for tomorrow to practice this stuff.
For this who attended, what was the one “Take-away” that spoke to you?
I had two:

  1. that glorious idea of layering arpeggios, where you play the Dom7 arpeggio (say a D7 - D F#A C) and then play the major 7 arpeggio of the chord ONE STEP below that Dom7 chord (C E G B)… holy schnikees… that is all.
  2. Targeted practicing… pick an idea and work it for a week.

Thanks, Ben… great stuff tonight.

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#2

It was an incredible class. So many tidbits of wisdom. I had many takeaways but here are the top ones that stuck to me!

  • practicing improvising while aiming for the 3rd of each chord. And then the 5th, then the 7th. So you’re not always just hitting the root. I couldn’t believe how much more colorful and creative the music sounded as Kenny was demonstrating over a simple 1-4-5 progression. I’m excited to try this out.

  • practicing arpeggios with the major 7th added. And then practicing improv out of just those 4 notes.

  • what Ben said about how you’re always only 1 fret away from the right note. And if you get these arpeggios really well under your fingers, you’ll always find a safe place to land.

  • pressing the left hand as lightly as possible to make the note strong, and keeping the fingers close to the strings - not flapping away between phrases. I realized I often do both bad habits and that slows the left hand down!

  • just picking up the guitar every day. This was huge for me. I really connected to the way Kenny was explaining this - you just have to play the guitar every day, regardless of whether it’s comfortable or challenging material, or for how long you play. I thought it was really interesting how he said you lose the feel after just a couple days off. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in another project, like writing, that I take days away from my guitar and then I have these major guilt moments like I’m terrible and never going to get better. :rofl: That last part may still be true… but Kenny’s tips to just keep the muscle strong by daily exercise really resonated with me.

Sorry for the rant. I really enjoyed the class as you can tell!

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#3

The quadrophonic scale!

That is really comforting. Bend it (or slide)!

Guilty as well. My pinky often has a mind of it’s own. I am sure that is part of why my pinky is significantly less useful than the other 3 fingers.

Glad you all enjoyed it!!!

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#4

Here is a short video I did to reinforce what I heard last night from the class…

My take-away from Kenny’s class last night…

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#5

So, I watched your you tube video, and I think I was able to grasp it. Arpeggiated chords a half step, or step below the approaching tonic?

Anyway, I really enjoyed it. Did that have a spanish flavor to it, or am I imagining that?

#6

arpeggiated chords a whole step below the dominant 7 chord (A C Major arpeggio over a D7 chord, for instance).
Spanish flavor? Cool! Not intentionally! Although I used to play Flamenco guitar a bazillion years ago.
Mr g

#7

That’s cool. I really love music theory. I think about it a lot. Long, long ways to go though. One of the first things I did when I joined the forum in 2017 was to watch all your theory lessons. Really enjoyed them.

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#8

thank you - I m honored!

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