Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

So, what did you practice on today?

Still working on the first few beginner songs. Boil dem cabbage, Working man blues, and Cripple Creek (slides). Can finally do Boil Dem Cabbage Down forward rolls at the 110 bpm pretty consitently without mistakes. Only took about a month. So, I figure, if I can learn something pretty well (okay, just okay) in a month, I’ll be able to call myself a banjo player in just a couple years. Pretty exciting!

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Just guitar Forked Deer drop d tuning. I love that sound too. Will check out Away in a Manger right now. I bought Forked Deer banjo lesson elsewhere, hoping to do a double instrument video but haven’t got the app yet.

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Learning Salt Creek Intermediate Revisted from Ben and playing Cripple Creek with his rhythm track to get my timing better.

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Thanks again for the tip. It really is coming much faster than I expected. It’s not perfect, but at least now I can keep my ring & pinky down while I move the other two. Yesterday it looked like an 8-legged spider on the fret booard and all the legs were wiggling!

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As you work through @BanjoBen 's lessons you’ll find you learn a lot of partial chords that makes the task easier. But that exercise is really great for learning full chord shapes which you will use when playing backup.

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I have been working on blackberry blossom intermediate, salt creek intermediate, red apple rag and Cherokee shuffle and the 2 octave scales and B major scale study.

I recorded myself playing the other day and thought it didn’t sound like I thought it would. I could hear the sound of the pick on the strings - I’m using a Dunlop prime tone 1.4 . And my playing sounded more note to note and not as smooth and flowing with feeling. Any tips on how to improve that or is it something that will improve with time and practice.

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We all hear pick noise Annie, Just pretend it’s not there :grinning::grinning:

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I sometimes have that too, a very bright additional disturbing tone. have the feeling with the goodtime two, i had heard this tone more than with my sierra … but i think it also helps to change small things, hand position, position of the banjo, clean strings, other picks, etc …

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I hear it playing my Stelling it’s not the banjo it’s the way I play it. I’ve even heard Earl’s pick noise so we are in good company.

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It could be the angle of your pick that is creating the noise. I occasionally use the Primetone too, but I almost never get any pick noise.

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I heard Jens Kruger talking about pick noise. 99% of the time it’s because your pick is hitting a vibrating string, and the noise is your pick damping the vibration. The closer you pick towards the bridge, the shorter the wavelength…so you will get less pick noise there.

I wonder if rubber picks would help?

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Did you mention picks:wink:

Not Ben’s lessons, but:
in G, A, Bb , B
Major scale & arpeggios in different directions & combinations
Maj 7 " "
6th " "
a few licks that move between the tonic, maj 7th & 6th notes

in Bb
Maj scale 2,3,& 4 notes at a time in different directions
Maj scale in thirds in different direction/combinations.
simple ascending and descending enclosure patterns through the scale in different directions
Breaks to Kenny Baker’s Washington County

In A (just a few times through each, then cleanup on missed licks)
2 breaks to Little Girl of Mine in Tennessee
2 Glen Duncan Breaks to don’t Let Your Sweet Love Die (G & A)
Joe Meadows’ Break to I wonder Where You Are Tonight in G

Now it’s about noon…time for coffee, book & nap…then back to it for more fun

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