Foggy Mountain Breakdown is such a cool song and I can't wait for the Mark version :) I just started working on it a few months ago and it is a lot of fun.
The advice about not squeezing the thumb to stop bending the string is something I will have to try out with my practice tomorrow. I find myself bending the string when I use my ring finger on the 3rd or 4th string. One thing that helped curb it a little bit was sizing up on my strings. I was using a medium-light gauge because that was what came with my banjo and so I thought that's what I should be using. But as soon as my teacher mentioned that I might like medium gauge better, I saw an improvement. However, it is still a bit of a problem. I am hoping that paying attention to if I squeeze or not will help!
In general, I am putting way too much pressure on the strings. I'll be struggling to break this habit for a while. Maybe heavier strings will help, but I am holding out for a whole new banjo. I promised myself a Nechville banjo once I hit 1000 hours. I'm almost halfway there. I hear Nechville banjos are a dream to play. I suppose I'm cheating a bit by buying my way out of a bad habit on this one, but I sure can't wait to get that Nechville.
@@2000HoursofBanjo I also put too much pressure on the strings and have been trying to break the habit. My top frets are already showing small signs of wear and I've only had my banjo 11 months. A Nechville would be a dream!
Foggy Mountain Breakdown is such a cool song and I can't wait for the Mark version :) I just started working on it a few months ago and it is a lot of fun.
I hope you're patient, lol. I'm getting off to a pretty slow start.
The advice about not squeezing the thumb to stop bending the string is something I will have to try out with my practice tomorrow. I find myself bending the string when I use my ring finger on the 3rd or 4th string. One thing that helped curb it a little bit was sizing up on my strings. I was using a medium-light gauge because that was what came with my banjo and so I thought that's what I should be using. But as soon as my teacher mentioned that I might like medium gauge better, I saw an improvement. However, it is still a bit of a problem. I am hoping that paying attention to if I squeeze or not will help!
In general, I am putting way too much pressure on the strings. I'll be struggling to break this habit for a while. Maybe heavier strings will help, but I am holding out for a whole new banjo. I promised myself a Nechville banjo once I hit 1000 hours. I'm almost halfway there. I hear Nechville banjos are a dream to play. I suppose I'm cheating a bit by buying my way out of a bad habit on this one, but I sure can't wait to get that Nechville.
@@2000HoursofBanjo I also put too much pressure on the strings and have been trying to break the habit. My top frets are already showing small signs of wear and I've only had my banjo 11 months. A Nechville would be a dream!
There is a video somewhere in youtube world the guy was talking about getting a twangy grassier sound in songs he bends on purpose on slides and such
That's right! I'm bending the string on purpose ;)