Hi Michael_Mark
Thanks for the reassurance - When first started flat picking back in 2004 it was quite a challenge. I think what threw me most - learning today - was once I’d used to be able to pick things up quite quickly - back then - it seemed to hold in my mind better. I seemed to get comfortable with what I knew and I was so pleased to make steady progress back then.
Just about all of the stuff Ben’s tabs want me to do shouldn’t be too hard in someways. I can even cheat just about all the parts by playing the same sort of riffs but adding in some picked notes rather than the whole combination of hammer offs, slides and pull offs. It’ll sound pretty good too. But I’ll know I’m not doing it right…And Ben’s way sounds better. .My fixed habits are constantly trying to stop me learning new stuff. Which is so annoying, And it just seems to be harder to get stuff to stick and flow - which makes me feel very old…but I hope I’ll get there…
Also, thanks for sharing your thoughts about the banjo. One of the other reasons I subscribed was to try and learn to play banjo. I was trying some banjo rolls, with simple chords, but kept getting lost on how to understand what on earth I was doing with my picking fingers. I can Travis pick on a guitar. But banjo rolls are somewhat different. . The constantly rolling notes still confuse me…So I’d hoped I find some time to work on those but I’ve not had a much time to work on my banjo playing since I started to realize how much I’d have to concentrate on my guitar flat picking technique.
The banjo exercises look great and ironically - because I’ve not got any bad habits to break I seem to pick things up (slowly) when I get the chance. Or maybe I’m just not as anxious about playing badly, because I don’t know any better and without the tabs I’d sound terrible… I’m quickly pleased to find something that works as I tried to do it myself but it really wasn’t working out .I just want to learn to play back up banjo rhythm first, as looking back I really should have got my rhythm and chord transitions in the pocket on guitar before I even attempted the melodies. But I can get too carried away with all the fancy parts in melodies and forgot the overall song. I’m not at tall interested in learning to play any melodies on banjo yet and will only try it once I know that I can play a whole songs smoothly as a chord progression. It’s been interesting too because I can also hybrid pick (using a flat-pick instead of a thumb pick) telecaster style - so I’ve been having a lot of fun with the banjo trying to do some Brent Mason/Albert Lee style hybrid picking licks. So I am constantly able to amuse myself with some bizarre banjo effects… I know for a fact that I will never be very good on the banjo, but I do like it. It is so loud!
So thanks for sharing your thoughts…
I am a quite stubborn and like to learn things correctly. So pretty sure I won’t give up… even if it is driving bananas…
Thanks again!