I've really enjoyed the handful of your recent videos I've watched. As a Wernick Method teacher (and others will back me here) your goals 1-4 would benefit from a WM class or camp in 2025. Meanwhile here are some things I suggest looking into: 1. Learn the 3 most common moveable major chord shapes for banjo. >85% of all Bluegrass is played with major chords only. Minor and 7th chords involve adding or changing these shapes slightly. "Backup" starts with playing the right chords in time - whether rolling or just "chopping." 2. Learn to "read" the guitar player's left hand. Capos and Nashville Numbers work together, and ease you into "music theory." 3. Sing! Its the fastest way to get the melody in your head, and the instruments (even banjos!) follow, or at least refer to the melody. Work on picking, pinching or even strumming chords along while you sing. That will move you rapidly toward getting in the groove and feeling the music. Try these to help you with your 2025 goals, and we'll see you 'round the circle sometime!
My big musical goal is to learn all the tunes I know in all 12 keys up to at least a 140bpm, metronome set at quarter notes without using a capo. I feel like it can be done, while other keys will clearly sound better than others, it will really enhance my ability to be flexible at any situation in a jam. Mandolins and guitarist can do it, I have no doubt we can do it like that as well. Also, whenever I learn a new tune, I want to break apart each part measure by measure and be able to smoothly improvise with these new pieces of language at least up to 140bpm in any key as well. Another goal is to play melodies of tunes I’ve never heard before at jams on the spot like I’ve already knew the tune.
@@2000HoursofBanjo I'm coming up on 1 year of bluegrass. I started guitar in 1973, at age 11, didn't play from 2000, till 2016. Started up again thumb picking till a year ago when I switched to flat picking. Took up banjo a few months ago, and it's like an old friend, cause I really missed thumb picking. I can already kinda play it, though not super smooth yet.
I usually play without a capo, but the songs can sound quite different; without a capo you have no open strings, so doing triple double-pull-offs, for example, is not possible. A capo is a tool: it offers some advantages while removing others. Even Alan Munde and Noam Pikelny will use a capo on occasion.
Goal 1 is great! Learning backup and going to jams will help a lot! You might also try learning some tunes by ear rather than with tab - both are great but learning by ear can help build Intuition
At the 2 jams I attend around here, a music stand is tolerated, but I quit bringing one, cause it blocks sight lines to other players, impedes spontaneity, and is just one more thing to manage. My enjoyment went up after becoming fully present.
Going to jams, and backing up others, by listening, and "catching on", will really help goal number 1. For me, the key was singing. Easiest way for me to feel the music is to sing it. I was already on my way, (willing to sing in public), then I met Gail. She is the joy of singing embodied. Her husband Mike, (my banjo teacher), is a gem as well, he plays everything, and the joy of the music cannot remain inside of them. How lucky am I. I just sing ones that I like; Bluebirds are singing for me, Will the Roses Bloom, Dooley, Columbus Stockade Blues, Dark Hollow, Blueridge Cabin Home, Handsome Molly.... Learning new ones all the time.
@@2000HoursofBanjo I am ok with where I'm at, even while striving to improve. Enjoyment is a wonderful companion along the way. You have made it past finger pain, and embarrassment, it's all good from here! Keep in mind this is not a contest, everybody wants to have fun making music. Your teacher, Mike is crazy good on the banjo. I'll never get that good but it don't matter for having fun.
I have really enjoyed watching your videos these last couple of years. I think you are doing a wonderful job with your progress and these goals are great ideas. When it comes to getting some music theory in you, I would suggest finding some books. There are a lot of concepts to know and that would be the best way to digest it.
@@stvnnmnn Hey Steve. I was just thinking I hadn’t heard from you in a bit. I’m happy to see a comment from you. I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year. And yes, I’ve picked up a few books on music theory and have started reading them. I even made some flash cards. Lol.
I think all of your goals for 2025 are meaningful for a person in the early stages of learning. But, I also think each one is a significant undertaking in and of itself. You can certainly work on all five things over the course of the next 12 months but I think it will be hard to fully accomplish all five of them before the year is out. This is totally your journey so you control it. Setting attainable goals is more than possible without being guilty of being too easy on yourself or not pushing yourself hard enough. A couple of others have commented very similar to what I would share as well. Best of all goals to achieve is your practice discipline. Achieving that goal is likely to be a major factor in accomplishing to any extent, any of the other goals. Next I would focus on learning the chord shapes that are most often used in Bluegrass music these being the barre, the F and the D shapes. Learn the major chords in G tuning (G, C, D, F & A). And with respect to your number one goal of getting into the music better, I would suggest you play standing up rather than seated. I started my learning journey sitting down to play but quickly transitioned to standing and it helped a lot when I was able to freely sway with the music. I wish you the best of luck in meeting any or all of your goals in 2025. My 2025 goal is to have fun and just keep grinding forward.
@@audrybella6405 Thank you for your wonderful comment. You are absolutely right. My wife was just saying the same thing. I have to pace myself so I don’t burn out. These goals are ambitious. And I will meter them out accordingly once I get a feel of how much work each will be. Oh, and I’m one step ahead of you…although I record most of my videos while sitting, I make sure I spend half of my practices standing and moving around the room.
To start feeling the music, put the music away and sit with your banjo and just noodle. You will stumble on to things that you won't learn off the page.
Will you be attending the Great 48 Hour Jam in Bakersfield next week/weekend? Free lessons, Slow beginner jams and 24 hours per day picking. I'll be hosting two jams and the banjo workshop.
If I could offer a suggestion that has helped me, I notice that you focus on your left hand mostly. I would suggest taking some time to focus on your right hand technique. I noticed your index finger has a lot of excess movement happening
I haven't watched the whole series, but do you do anything to increase your speed? I think a little speed will help you feel the music. The other key to feeling the music is to move your body. Heres a master class on feeling the music, notice his body never stops keeping the beat. ruclips.net/video/IHE6hZU72A4/видео.html
That was the best one and a half minutes I have ever watched. I all of a sudden must have a star-shaped banjo. Great tips, I will start incorporating that into my practices. Thanks, man.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I've really enjoyed the handful of your recent videos I've watched. As a Wernick Method teacher (and others will back me here) your goals 1-4 would benefit from a WM class or camp in 2025. Meanwhile here are some things I suggest looking into:
1. Learn the 3 most common moveable major chord shapes for banjo. >85% of all Bluegrass is played with major chords only. Minor and 7th chords involve adding or changing these shapes slightly. "Backup" starts with playing the right chords in time - whether rolling or just "chopping."
2. Learn to "read" the guitar player's left hand. Capos and Nashville Numbers work together, and ease you into "music theory."
3. Sing! Its the fastest way to get the melody in your head, and the instruments (even banjos!) follow, or at least refer to the melody. Work on picking, pinching or even strumming chords along while you sing. That will move you rapidly toward getting in the groove and feeling the music.
Try these to help you with your 2025 goals, and we'll see you 'round the circle sometime!
i have a Nechville Phantom and it is the best!!! get one!
My big musical goal is to learn all the tunes I know in all 12 keys up to at least a 140bpm, metronome set at quarter notes without using a capo. I feel like it can be done, while other keys will clearly sound better than others, it will really enhance my ability to be flexible at any situation in a jam. Mandolins and guitarist can do it, I have no doubt we can do it like that as well. Also, whenever I learn a new tune, I want to break apart each part measure by measure and be able to smoothly improvise with these new pieces of language at least up to 140bpm in any key as well. Another goal is to play melodies of tunes I’ve never heard before at jams on the spot like I’ve already knew the tune.
Ambitious, good luck.
Wow! Please report back at the end of the year on your success!
@@2000HoursofBanjo I'm coming up on 1 year of bluegrass. I started guitar in 1973, at age 11, didn't play from 2000, till 2016. Started up again thumb picking till a year ago when I switched to flat picking. Took up banjo a few months ago, and it's like an old friend, cause I really missed thumb picking. I can already kinda play it, though not super smooth yet.
I usually play without a capo, but the songs can sound quite different; without a capo you have no open strings, so doing triple double-pull-offs, for example, is not possible. A capo is a tool: it offers some advantages while removing others. Even Alan Munde and Noam Pikelny will use a capo on occasion.
@@Boysenberr I’m still going to try it hahahahhaha 💀
Goal 1 is great! Learning backup and going to jams will help a lot! You might also try learning some tunes by ear rather than with tab - both are great but learning by ear can help build
Intuition
At the 2 jams I attend around here, a music stand is tolerated, but I quit bringing one, cause it blocks sight lines to other players, impedes spontaneity, and is just one more thing to manage. My enjoyment went up after becoming fully present.
Thanks. I will keep that in mind. I think learning all the major and minor chords up and down the neck will help me recognize a chord when I hear it.
Going to jams, and backing up others, by listening, and "catching on", will really help goal number 1. For me, the key was singing. Easiest way for me to feel the music is to sing it. I was already on my way, (willing to sing in public), then I met Gail. She is the joy of singing embodied. Her husband Mike, (my banjo teacher), is a gem as well, he plays everything, and the joy of the music cannot remain inside of them. How lucky am I. I just sing ones that I like; Bluebirds are singing for me, Will the Roses Bloom, Dooley, Columbus Stockade Blues, Dark Hollow, Blueridge Cabin Home, Handsome Molly.... Learning new ones all the time.
That sounds amazing. I hope to get to where you are one day.
@@2000HoursofBanjo I am ok with where I'm at, even while striving to improve. Enjoyment is a wonderful companion along the way. You have made it past finger pain, and embarrassment, it's all good from here! Keep in mind this is not a contest, everybody wants to have fun making music. Your teacher, Mike is crazy good on the banjo. I'll never get that good but it don't matter for having fun.
I have really enjoyed watching your videos these last couple of years. I think you are doing a wonderful job with your progress and these goals are great ideas. When it comes to getting some music theory in you, I would suggest finding some books. There are a lot of concepts to know and that would be the best way to digest it.
@@stvnnmnn Hey Steve. I was just thinking I hadn’t heard from you in a bit. I’m happy to see a comment from you. I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year. And yes, I’ve picked up a few books on music theory and have started reading them. I even made some flash cards. Lol.
I think all of your goals for 2025 are meaningful for a person in the early stages of learning. But, I also think each one is a significant undertaking in and of itself. You can certainly work on all five things over the course of the next 12 months but I think it will be hard to fully accomplish all five of them before the year is out. This is totally your journey so you control it. Setting attainable goals is more than possible without being guilty of being too easy on yourself or not pushing yourself hard enough. A couple of others have commented very similar to what I would share as well. Best of all goals to achieve is your practice discipline. Achieving that goal is likely to be a major factor in accomplishing to any extent, any of the other goals. Next I would focus on learning the chord shapes that are most often used in Bluegrass music these being the barre, the F and the D shapes. Learn the major chords in G tuning (G, C, D, F & A). And with respect to your number one goal of getting into the music better, I would suggest you play standing up rather than seated. I started my learning journey sitting down to play but quickly transitioned to standing and it helped a lot when I was able to freely sway with the music. I wish you the best of luck in meeting any or all of your goals in 2025. My 2025 goal is to have fun and just keep grinding forward.
@@audrybella6405 Thank you for your wonderful comment. You are absolutely right. My wife was just saying the same thing. I have to pace myself so I don’t burn out. These goals are ambitious. And I will meter them out accordingly once I get a feel of how much work each will be. Oh, and I’m one step ahead of you…although I record most of my videos while sitting, I make sure I spend half of my practices standing and moving around the room.
To start feeling the music, put the music away and sit with your banjo and just noodle. You will stumble on to things that you won't learn off the page.
Will you be attending the Great 48 Hour Jam in Bakersfield next week/weekend? Free lessons, Slow beginner jams and 24 hours per day picking. I'll be hosting two jams and the banjo workshop.
Unfortunately, no. I didn’t even know it was a thing. Is this an annual event? I will have to look in to going next year.
If I could offer a suggestion that has helped me, I notice that you focus on your left hand mostly. I would suggest taking some time to focus on your right hand technique. I noticed your index finger has a lot of excess movement happening
Hey, thanks for pointing that out. I will start working on it.
I just bought myself a banjo! lets see if I can catch up!
That's awesome. Welcome to the addiction!
Love your commitment! I wonder if "noodling" would help you feel the music? I wonder if other, more experienced would agree?
?
I haven't watched the whole series, but do you do anything to increase your speed? I think a little speed will help you feel the music. The other key to feeling the music is to move your body. Heres a master class on feeling the music, notice his body never stops keeping the beat. ruclips.net/video/IHE6hZU72A4/видео.html
That was the best one and a half minutes I have ever watched. I all of a sudden must have a star-shaped banjo. Great tips, I will start incorporating that into my practices. Thanks, man.