As a beginner with a year into playing, I also recommend practicing 3 different times a day. Morning, afternoon, and evening about 15 min to 30 min per session. Every other day, I use RU-vid backing tracks for different songs which you can slow down while using RU-vid if needed. One more thing, If you can video yourself with your cell phone, you can see where your making mistakes.. Mike, thanks for all that you do to help beginners like me..
I’m 14 now. Summer is my favorite time to practice because I don’t have school. Last summer I practiced 4-6 hours everyday. Your method actually seems very smart.
I started learning the Banjo at the start of the lockdown in my country and I have not given up. I can't read or follow tabs, just by ear looking for slow or medium speed gospel or country music to follow. I practice almost every morning while the children are at school. Mike, thank you for this video. It has helped tremendously. Now I can confidently play back up with average speed playing. I love Gospel Bluegrass & Country. Though Banjo is not at all a popular instrument in my country I am enjoying it even at 58.
Great instruction video with some sound advise and tips. I appreciate your common sense comparisons as well as it really helps with making your points clear and concise. I have just taken up the banjo (at age 62) as my very first venture into learning an instrument and your instructional videos have taught me a great deal (already). Thanks Mike!!
Fantastic lesson, Mike! Really helped me to get my head in the right place since taking up the banjo again after a long hiatus! Your brain remembers how you "used to play" and frustration with that can really get in the way of getting your proficiency back again!
Thanks for the great tips, Mike! I'm right at that 85-95 BPM speed wall. Noticed that my right hand was making extra movement and I was playing with a lot of tension in my shoulders. Also need to warm up more... Great video!
This information is so clear and good that I now want to learn to play one. Where may I get a beginer's beginner banjo? Something small, light, super simple, and cheap enough, but good enough. A few brand recommendations would be helpfule. Thanks in advance.
I'd check out the Deering Goodtime series. That's a good starter banjo that I usually recommend to students. Either the open back model or with a resonator. - Mike
Speed should NOT be your goal. You should strive to play evenly no matter how slow you play. Practice slowly with a metronome. Once you can play evenly and make your chord changes at a slow speed your playing speed will naturally increase. There is NO SHORTCUT, you need to practice, practice, practice.
I’d work it into every practice session a little bit but it will depend on the individual musical passage you’re working on. For me, the more difficult the piece, the more time I’ll spend playing it really slow. - Mike
