Hi, right now my main goal is to just be able to play at the local jam. My basic strategy is to learn arrangements of songs from banjo ben (or songs I already know fairly well) until I can play them (or at least a decent version of them) well enough without the tab. I then have a jam list of songs on youtube from a channel (Bluegrass Backing Tracks) where I just play the list and try to play them (solos and backup). I think I’m getting to the point where I’m not going to be able to remember the solos as I’ll have too many of them to remember. Is this a good strategy to learn them? My end goal is to be able to play a song that I do NOT know in the jam. I have no idea how to get there from here.
What's the best way to practice for jamming?
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Since you’re already familiar with (and have memorized) a good number of Ben’s arrangments, I would suggest you make a few of your own arrangments to some tunes of your choice (If that’s too daunting, start with making up little variations within Ben’s arrangments). You’re super good at learning arrangements, so this will give you a great exercise to think more about the behind-the-scenes of how they are constructed!
I suggest this because your end goal is improvisation. Improvisation is simply composition (but on the fly).
Ben’s arrangments (especially Build-a-Breaks) aren’t just one piece. They’re more akin to Legos. You can find lots of little building blocks that could be used in any bluegrass tune. For instance, find a lick over a certain chord and use it in a different song that also has that chord. I’m sure you can find instances where Ben has done just that over years of writing arrangements.
My recommendations for specific lessons to follow would be Bag O’ Licks and Make-a-Break. Make-a-Break will get you started with improvising, and Bag O’ Licks will give you “ammunition” with which to improvise.
This process will feel different than playing a memorized arrangement note-for-note. Don’t be afraid to mess up! Exploration/experimentation is a huge part of gaining a better “understanding” of your instrument. It can also be a great source of fun.
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FWIW- Go jamming now. It sounds like you have enough tools to get you started, and there will be more songs you do NOT know, so you will reach your goal sooner.
Sometimes the only way to know if you’re ready to go swimming is to jump in the water!
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Man, great ideas for lesson content here! yes, the make a break lesson is where you’re wanting to head @ambergkeith
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I do go to them, but want to not be so lost on the songs I don’t have arrangements for.
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Then you’re doing fine!
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So, went to the local jam last night and would say that it was my best one so far. I took a break on most of the songs and the only ones that I kind of felt lost on were some of the fiddle tunes (June Apple, Whiskey Before Breakfast and a couple others). Not sure what to do to get used to playing them on the fly other than trying to memorize arrangements which seems kind of unpractical.
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Work on some arrangements then use those jam tracks to play through them a bunch, modifying or simplifying little pieces to fit your own style/direction. Internalize those tunes and run them.
Bill Evans, one of the best banjo pickers on the planet, told me that until recently he had a hard time with Whiskey Before Breakfast and didn’t really know what to do when he had to play it in a jam. So, he went home and worked out a version and memorized it and played it a lot, then it began to loosen up as he found alternative ways to play parts. Now, when it’s played, he chooses from various options that he intentionally developed for that specific song. That encouraged me to hear.
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Amber - your post really resonated with me. I’ve been going to a local jam now for a couple of months and quickly realized that I’m never going to know even a fraction of the songs that are called in a way that makes me setup for a prepared “break”. Actually, it kind of drives me crazy watching all these YouTube videos where the person says “here’s a great break for XYZ” song - as if I’m going to practice it and then remember it if and when that song comes up weeks or months from now. And then even worse, when a song gets called and I’m like “hey, I actually kind of know that song”, they call it in some crazy key like “E” and I’m out. Forget it.
I’ve resigned myself at this point to just try to quickly find the chord changes and hear the basic form of the melody and hope that by the time the break gets to me, I can pick out some form of the melody (sort of Ben’s stage 1 to 2 in the build-a-break lessons) and throw in a few “Scruggsy” kind of licks if I see an opportunity. That’s a win for me at this stage of my journey. And I’m finding fun learning how to do backup stuff (little fill licks, etc.) which covers most of the actual jam time.
I have to admit that for a classically trained musician, this whole experience is a little frustrating and is taking some adjustment because I am used to practicing and getting the music “right” and I’m realizing that in a jam, it’s not going to work that way. I’m not that good at improvising that my breaks are something I’m proud of - nowhere near the quality of the songs that I spend time learning at home from Ben’s lessons, tabs, etc. Some day I hope that the difference will be less stark. Focusing on enjoying the journey.
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One additional thought: the place where practicing an actual song really pays off is when it’s your turn to call the song. This is when you have a chance to do a great banjo “kick off” to the song - where you get to choose the key and the tempo and hopefully put all that practice at home into action. My goal this year is to have about 10 “kick offs” that I can play confidently - songs that I can do in my sleep so when the pressure is on, the jam comes around to me and they say “Steve, whatcha got?”, I can pull out a favorite and get the next song going and be proud of the result.
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Always good to have some in your pocket, ready to go!