Continued from NWBN July/Aug 1999

Pat Cloud

PEOPLE OFTEN COMMENT about their playing not improving and I always ask “Do you practise?” The reply is often “Well, yes, but I find it hard - I mean to, but it doesn’t work out, somehow.” So it’s to these people that the following notes are targetted:

Rules 7 to 9 of How to Practise!

(7) Solve fingering problems before speeding up.

Solve fingering problems that hinder you first before increasing speed. Problems in fingering can be a hesitation that is caused by lack of physical advantage or leverage you have over the left and right hand activities. Strengthening the right and left hands by slow repetition can help. Always have a finger ready for the next indicated move. Often, when you break up a song to learn it in fragments, the transition between the sections looses continuity and this may be where some fingering problems exist. A good instructor will tell you if your approach is going to yield results before you invest time in a certain fingering. Playing a song or exercise slow doesn’t give you that final satisfying effect so patience is required and soon your efforts will start to sparkle as you gain speed. But take your time and make absolutely sure that your fingering is accessible and fluid. For the right hand, try to eliminate unneeded movement in picking.

(8) Don’t bite off more than you can chew!

It’s a good idea to set reasonable, attainable goals for a certain time period. You have only now to practise. Specifically, this day and when you sit down at your practise area, that moment. If you decide to make an hour a day your goal, then you will progress greatly by knowing how much time to spend on each exercise. Decide what you want to accomplish in that hour or week and note it on your calendar. If you bite off more than you can chew in an hour, then divide your original goal in half and see whether it can be done that way. A timer set to 10 and 15 minute intervals for each exercise can help you move through your practise hour effectively. Eventually you will find what is realistic for you. As you progress, you will be able to do more in one hour than in five hours before. The surest way to defeat and discourage yourself is compulsive stabs at something that is too difficult for your current level. Consulting your instructor at that point is wise. Always relax and take a break at 30 minutes.

(9) Use a tape recorder.

The use of a tape recorder is not only wise, it is mandatory! Much can be learned by recording yourself and playing it back. It is encouraging to make recordings of practise sessions, play them back and see your progress as the days go by. Preferably, you should get a tape recorder with a half speed control. Recording your favorite player and then playing it back at half speed gives you insight as to how speeding up a song completes the effect of a final sound. When you are learning, you can’t play fast enough to get the completed effect you are looking for. Listening to something slow gives you the feel of the finished product before it is speeded up. This way, you move from over-dependence on tabulature into dependence upon sound. You can never go wrong with sound. When you get down to it, that’s all there really is.

Many tape recorders have a half-speed control. The brand name that most comes to mind is Marantz. There are also mini-cassette recorders that have a slow speed button for recording lectures and are useful for slowing down music.

Best Regards

Pat Cloud,White Mountain Publications, P.O. Box 1764 Bishop, CA 93515, USA.
Write to Pat

The above excerpt is from The Key to Five String Banjo, Mel Bay Music Publications. Limited numbers of the original printing may still be available from the Acutab website

See the new Mel Bay Publication “The Key to Five String Banjo” website

26th Nov 1999