I just received this short video of 10-year old Paige singing "Slewfoot" at the MABC Talent Contest Friday night. Her harmony singer is 13-year old Makayla. The Bluegrass Shack is sure proud!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Contest Results
Friday night was the Youth Fiddle, Banjo & Talent Contest sponsored by MABC (Missouri Area Bluegrass Committee, a/k/a Bluegrass America). There were a total of 34 entrants, and the talent was simply amazing. If you missed this, you need to be sure to see it next year. All contestants had to be 16 years old or younger. Here are the top three winners in each division:
Fiddle:
1st - Jake Hammel
2nd - Jennifer Robbins
3rd - Martin Hill
Banjo:
1st - Dillon Scott
2nd - Nicole Warnecke
3rd - Makayla Smith
Talent:
1st - Jennifer Robbins & Rachel Neel
2nd - Flora Caudill
3rd - Nathan Jacobson
Here are some photos with my thanks to Nick!!!
Fiddle:
1st - Jake Hammel
2nd - Jennifer Robbins
3rd - Martin Hill
Banjo:
1st - Dillon Scott
2nd - Nicole Warnecke
3rd - Makayla Smith
Talent:
1st - Jennifer Robbins & Rachel Neel
2nd - Flora Caudill
3rd - Nathan Jacobson
Here are some photos with my thanks to Nick!!!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Methods of Learning
I received this e-mail from someone in Tulsa, OK over the weekend and thought I'd share it, and my answer, with you:
Hi There -
I certainly think that there is more than one way to learn to play an instrument, and each person will have a way that works best for them. As a teacher and a musician, I don't consider banjo and fiddle on equal par. The reason is that fiddle ONLY plays the melody notes in the beginning, and banjo must incorporate lots of other notes into the melody (rolls). That makes banjo much harder for most beginners because many times the beginning banjo player can't play fast enough to make the song sound like the song. I teach by ear, but that doesn't mean that my students never use tab or notation to help them. They also take home a CD of the song played very slowly and faster. I think it is very important to memorize as you go, regardless of whether it is "robotic" in the beginning. The feeling you put INTO your music will be what makes it real music. I also teach people how to interchange parts of one song with another song ("licks"). Changing bow patterns, changing rolls, and incorporating new licks into songs are all ways to "make them your own."
As far as not looking at either hand, if that helps you then go for it. I tell my students to watch their bows when they play fiddle, and to watch their left hand when they play banjo. The reason for this is that these are the two main areas that hinder banjo and fiddle players. For fiddle players, the bowing is of utmost importance. Of course, playing in tune is, too, but even if you play all the correct notes, if the bowing is not good the music won't be good. You much watch that your bow is straight across the fiddle and that it stays straight. You must also make sure the bow does not get too close to the bridge or the fingerboard. For banjo players, it is important to watch the left hand because the banjo is already tuned to a chord (normally G), and so if your left hand is in the correct spot, even if you miss a string with your right hand, it will still sound okay. It might not be the melody or what you had intended to play, but it will at least sound okay.
Rhythm is one of the most important elements in playing. I like to teach beginner banjo players how to play backup immediately. Even a banjo player that has played for two weeks can play backup in a group if they have basic rhythm. You take the G, C and D7 chords, along with a capo, and just about all basic bluegrass songs are within reach. This allows the beginner to develop better rhythm, camaraderie with other players, and learn what all the songs sound like and their chord changes right away. Then as you get better, you know what everything sounds like. When you don't know how something is supposed to sound, you can't learn it. You wouldn't even know if you were doing it right because you wouldn't know what to listen for. Every once in a while I get a student that has no natural rhythm whatsoever. That is the most difficult thing to teach someone, and it is one thing that will keep them from EVER playing with other people if we can't fix that.
Now, I certainly don't believe that my way of teaching is the only way to learn or even the best. I do believe it works for me and my students, but I am also flexible. Flexible with what songs to learn, what order to learn them in, and even coming up with new ways to teach things if a student seems to be having trouble learning something. If your method is working well for you, then you should stick with it. Especially since you don't have a teacher. The more you get together with others, the faster you will get better. You might want to check out this website to look for jams in your area: www.folkjam.org.
I think on banjo if you understand WHY you are learning certain rolls and licks, and HOW to put them into other tunes, that will be the most help to you. You should start to notice patterns that repeat themselves in more than one song. If you just read tabs, you won't understand the logic behind them. You might get very good at reading tabs and not looking at your hands, but you won't understand why you are playing what you are playing. I hope this helps you. If you have other questions, feel free to ask!
Chris
Hi Chris, I live in tulsa, ok and there are no banjo teachers here, so I decided to struggle on my own and so far I memorized 5 tunes and I can play them decently. I feel good I can memorize but isn't a ROBOT can memorize and act?, so I decide to do what I did with the fiddle. I am been learning the fiddle with the fiddle on my own ( no teacher here ) and my approach is if i can play the notes without looking at both my hands and without worrying how the tune or melody sounds, just like scale practice ( the only difference is , in this practice I am practicing on the real tune themselves), as a result in just 3 and half months, from a complete beginner , I can play standard 1st position tune relatively smooth without lookin at both my hands , just looking at the notes. And I feel good, and may be in a month or two i may start learning the melodies or songs.
My big qestion is can I start doing the same thing what I did with the fiddle ? that is can I just practice at the banjo tabs without looking at both my hands? So that eventually my hands will be free. Is this the best approach ? Do you have other alternatives? It is hard without a teacher. I am dying for you advice
Hi There -
I certainly think that there is more than one way to learn to play an instrument, and each person will have a way that works best for them. As a teacher and a musician, I don't consider banjo and fiddle on equal par. The reason is that fiddle ONLY plays the melody notes in the beginning, and banjo must incorporate lots of other notes into the melody (rolls). That makes banjo much harder for most beginners because many times the beginning banjo player can't play fast enough to make the song sound like the song. I teach by ear, but that doesn't mean that my students never use tab or notation to help them. They also take home a CD of the song played very slowly and faster. I think it is very important to memorize as you go, regardless of whether it is "robotic" in the beginning. The feeling you put INTO your music will be what makes it real music. I also teach people how to interchange parts of one song with another song ("licks"). Changing bow patterns, changing rolls, and incorporating new licks into songs are all ways to "make them your own."
As far as not looking at either hand, if that helps you then go for it. I tell my students to watch their bows when they play fiddle, and to watch their left hand when they play banjo. The reason for this is that these are the two main areas that hinder banjo and fiddle players. For fiddle players, the bowing is of utmost importance. Of course, playing in tune is, too, but even if you play all the correct notes, if the bowing is not good the music won't be good. You much watch that your bow is straight across the fiddle and that it stays straight. You must also make sure the bow does not get too close to the bridge or the fingerboard. For banjo players, it is important to watch the left hand because the banjo is already tuned to a chord (normally G), and so if your left hand is in the correct spot, even if you miss a string with your right hand, it will still sound okay. It might not be the melody or what you had intended to play, but it will at least sound okay.
Rhythm is one of the most important elements in playing. I like to teach beginner banjo players how to play backup immediately. Even a banjo player that has played for two weeks can play backup in a group if they have basic rhythm. You take the G, C and D7 chords, along with a capo, and just about all basic bluegrass songs are within reach. This allows the beginner to develop better rhythm, camaraderie with other players, and learn what all the songs sound like and their chord changes right away. Then as you get better, you know what everything sounds like. When you don't know how something is supposed to sound, you can't learn it. You wouldn't even know if you were doing it right because you wouldn't know what to listen for. Every once in a while I get a student that has no natural rhythm whatsoever. That is the most difficult thing to teach someone, and it is one thing that will keep them from EVER playing with other people if we can't fix that.
Now, I certainly don't believe that my way of teaching is the only way to learn or even the best. I do believe it works for me and my students, but I am also flexible. Flexible with what songs to learn, what order to learn them in, and even coming up with new ways to teach things if a student seems to be having trouble learning something. If your method is working well for you, then you should stick with it. Especially since you don't have a teacher. The more you get together with others, the faster you will get better. You might want to check out this website to look for jams in your area: www.folkjam.org.
I think on banjo if you understand WHY you are learning certain rolls and licks, and HOW to put them into other tunes, that will be the most help to you. You should start to notice patterns that repeat themselves in more than one song. If you just read tabs, you won't understand the logic behind them. You might get very good at reading tabs and not looking at your hands, but you won't understand why you are playing what you are playing. I hope this helps you. If you have other questions, feel free to ask!
Chris
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Beginner's Instructional Jam
This particular group of students has been meeting every other Monday to learn how to play music and jam with others. We cover just about anything you can think of in this instructional jam session, including song structure, chord structure (the Nashville Number system), taking breaks, "fake" breaks, singing lead & harmony, how to find your "key" to sing in, fill-in licks, jamming etiquette, etc.
We always have a really good time playing, and most of the time someone brings some food for us to share. Yea!!! I am posting a video of our latest session. Everyone looks like they are either scared to death or bored, but believe me, we were having a great time until I got my camera out!!! I am SO PROUD of everyone. Each person in the group sings lead on whatever songs they have chosen. We all sing on the choruses, and several sing harmony as well. It is amazing to see how far each individual has come since we started.
We always have a really good time playing, and most of the time someone brings some food for us to share. Yea!!! I am posting a video of our latest session. Everyone looks like they are either scared to death or bored, but believe me, we were having a great time until I got my camera out!!! I am SO PROUD of everyone. Each person in the group sings lead on whatever songs they have chosen. We all sing on the choruses, and several sing harmony as well. It is amazing to see how far each individual has come since we started.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Simple Guitar Runs
I had an e-mail today from someone asking how to do simple guitar runs for the chords G, C & D. I thought I might as well just post it up here for everyone. This video is just a very short and simple explanation of how to make the runs. Look below the video clip for some more links.
To hear what the runs sound like, listen to these short mp3 files. They are good to practice with because they keep playing the individual runs over and over again.
G Run
C Run
D Run
All three runs - G C D G
Worried Man Blues with runs
Here is tab for the runs (click to make it larger or to print it):
To hear what the runs sound like, listen to these short mp3 files. They are good to practice with because they keep playing the individual runs over and over again.
G Run
C Run
D Run
All three runs - G C D G
Worried Man Blues with runs
Here is tab for the runs (click to make it larger or to print it):
Monday, February 25, 2008
Practicing or Playing?
Which one do you do? Did you even know there is a difference? How much time should be spent on each one? These are very valid questions, and certainly worth looking at to get the most out of your time.
In my opinion, "practicing" is time spent working on songs that need work. You are in the process of learning them. You have issues such as:
1) Memorization
2) Speed
3) Left-hand clarity and/or dexterity
4) Right-hand fingering or bowing
and so on...
"Playing" is the time you spend having fun with the songs you already know pretty well and/or maintaining what you already know.
As your reportoire increases, it becomes impossible to play through every song you know every time you play, so you must spend some time practicing and some time playing.
Generally, I work on (practice) several songs at the same time. I spend the majority of my time practicing. I may practice the same song, or part of the same song, over and over again 100 times in one practice session. If I'm memorizing something, then I like to do it while I watch the news on television. I work on memorizing a small portion of the song during the commercial breaks (with the TV muted), and then I watch the news when it comes back on. This works very well for me because I have to keep trying to remember what I did during the last commercial break. Since I have to keep dredging up what I just tried to memorize 10 minutes ago, I stand a much better chance of remembering it the next day.
If I'm having an especially bad practice session, then I might turn it into a playing session. At least I get some playing in that way and I can maintain some of the songs that I already know fairly well. It also keeps me from getting too upset with myself and not enjoying something that I usually enjoy very much.
If you are just starting to learn an instrument, then it is important to try to practice every day. Even if it's just for a short period of time. The most important day to practice is the same day as your lesson (if you are taking lessons). When you can come home after a lesson and go through what you learned in the lesson, you will find that you can remember much better what you are supposed to do. That will stand true for all of your practice for the remainder of the week, too. Several shorter practice sessions are better than one long one. For instance, practicing 15 minutes every day of the week is better than practicing for one hour one day a week. Your mind will be fresher, things will feel more natural, and your memory will be better. If you can't do this, then do whatever you CAN and don't make yourself feel bad about it. If your progress is slow, so what! At least it is progress however slow it may be! If you enjoy what you are doing, that is all that matters.
So, keep playing and keep practicing!
In my opinion, "practicing" is time spent working on songs that need work. You are in the process of learning them. You have issues such as:
1) Memorization
2) Speed
3) Left-hand clarity and/or dexterity
4) Right-hand fingering or bowing
and so on...
"Playing" is the time you spend having fun with the songs you already know pretty well and/or maintaining what you already know.
As your reportoire increases, it becomes impossible to play through every song you know every time you play, so you must spend some time practicing and some time playing.
Generally, I work on (practice) several songs at the same time. I spend the majority of my time practicing. I may practice the same song, or part of the same song, over and over again 100 times in one practice session. If I'm memorizing something, then I like to do it while I watch the news on television. I work on memorizing a small portion of the song during the commercial breaks (with the TV muted), and then I watch the news when it comes back on. This works very well for me because I have to keep trying to remember what I did during the last commercial break. Since I have to keep dredging up what I just tried to memorize 10 minutes ago, I stand a much better chance of remembering it the next day.
If I'm having an especially bad practice session, then I might turn it into a playing session. At least I get some playing in that way and I can maintain some of the songs that I already know fairly well. It also keeps me from getting too upset with myself and not enjoying something that I usually enjoy very much.
If you are just starting to learn an instrument, then it is important to try to practice every day. Even if it's just for a short period of time. The most important day to practice is the same day as your lesson (if you are taking lessons). When you can come home after a lesson and go through what you learned in the lesson, you will find that you can remember much better what you are supposed to do. That will stand true for all of your practice for the remainder of the week, too. Several shorter practice sessions are better than one long one. For instance, practicing 15 minutes every day of the week is better than practicing for one hour one day a week. Your mind will be fresher, things will feel more natural, and your memory will be better. If you can't do this, then do whatever you CAN and don't make yourself feel bad about it. If your progress is slow, so what! At least it is progress however slow it may be! If you enjoy what you are doing, that is all that matters.
So, keep playing and keep practicing!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Angeline the Baker
This is a student of mine, Rick, playing the banjo. I just love the way he plays this song. Rick is very good about taking what I teach him and "making it his own." He uses his thumb on this song to strum down from the 5th string instead of picking just the 5th string by itself (Part B of this song). Also listen to the way he combines multiple hammer-ons and pull-offs with simple rolls. Angeline the Baker is an old-time fiddle tune, but I think Rick has just made it a great folk-sounding banjo tune.
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