I am a beginning banjo player and new to Ben’s site. Does anyone have a recommended order to start learning with his videos?
Recommended order to start
Bumpity Bump - I’m a new ‘lifer’ and am curious if there is a solid lesson progression plan for the banjo?
I see the progression through 107 - is it user’s discretion after that?
Pleased to make everyone’s acquaintance.
Welcome to the site! In a nutshell, you can get many opinions on what order to do things beyond the obvious fundamental lessons. Part of the beauty of this format (in depth, short lessons), is that each student can progress towards what they want to achieve. It is not a “one size fits all” approach. With that said, many people request an order to do the lessons so you are not alone in your desires. A list could be compiled, but there is no absolutely right order or wrong order.
My suggestion for an order (once through the fundamentals), is this listen to the songs on the preview tab. Find one that sounds appealing and try it. Try to make your instrument sound like Ben’s. This is important as you develop the connection between your ear, brain and hands. When you have the first song well on its way I’d pick up another song to learn while I continued to work on the first one. If the first one is taking too long to learn, pick an easier song. If you need help identifying the easier songs, people on the forum (or Ben) could help. Keep reviewing the fundamental lessons and drills in your routine to keep your fundamentals solid.
You can learn right hand technique by repeating roll exercises hours a day for weeks on end or you can learn songs as you hand gets better. I think more people are likely to stay motivated by learning something different and new as their skills progress, but that is just my opinion. A lot of people (especially younger ones) I have worked with on guitar really enjoy doing things like seeing how many chord changes they can do in a minute… they make it a game. Different strokes for different folks.
To echo Mike, I’ve been on the site for a few years now and I’ve just picked the songs that sound appealing and given them a shot. With each song I’ve picked up new licks and advanced my learning just by nature of the learning.
Having fun with it will be your best and most engaging strategy.