You sound like my instructor. lol. He told me to prioritize this over speed, timing, and song memorization. He said getting this down will really make me stand out above other players in the long run. He hasn't been wrong yet :)

Thanks! Sounds like we are both on the right track. We just need to keep at it.

@@2000HoursofBanjo 👍

Thanks for the comment. I found Paul Davids channel just recently. He runs a great channel, and of course, that beard of his is epic.

Thanks for the encouragement. I will work on my backup skills. I look forward to joining my first jam session. Trust me, you will all hear about it when that happens.

@@hellodomo8003 thanks for the thoughtful comment. I think practice structure is a very underrated topic. I don’t see a lot of people talking about it. I would like to do a video on “how many times you need to learn a song” - sitting, standing, slow, fast, good lighting, poor lighting, in full sun, in the shade, hot, cold, you get the picture. The environment poses a big challenge even when you know the song. I hope you stick with the channel all the way to 2000 hours and beyond!!

@@Kodama666 My brother bought me a guitar years ago. I never picked it up. I still have it. My wife bought me a banjo, and I can’t put it down. It’s weird how one instrument does nothing for me, and another instrument is a complete addiction.

@@stvnnmnn Thanks, Steven. And thanks for being part of the channel.

Thanks, Mack. I appreciate all your support.

Thanks, I hadn't heard of Allen Shelton. That is some pretty amazing playing.

@@2000HoursofBanjo his bounce is the best!

This is 3-finger style (aka, Scrugg's style) bluegrass. But I am doing it on an open back banjo, which is traditionally used for clawhammer. I picked an open back banjo because they are cheaper than resonator banjos. Check this video out for clawhammer...kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6fYaqajeqebaMU

If you buy a resonator banjo for playing Scruggs style, you can remove the resonator (the back) and have an open back banjo for playing clawhammer style. That's what I do.

@@stvnnmnn great advice! I never thought of that. It’s basically two banjos in one.

Thanks, Danny. I'm glad you like the videos. Are you learning banjo, too, or another instrument?

@2000HoursofBanjo banjo, I practice at least an hour a day and take lessons once a week, I'm improving week by week with timing, tone and accuracy.

@@dannyburke4155 What you are doing has been working for me. too. We are on the right track to make progress.

Your comment sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I didn't listen to Hendrix growing up (more so Tom Petty and ZZ Top), so this issue with his timing is new to me. But from what I gather from the Paul Davids video, if Hendrix played with different timing on a song every time he played that song it's a fair question to ask if it was intentional or not. It looks like some call his playing sloppy and some call it genius, and some call him a sloppy genius. Being sloppy and being a genius are not mutually exclusive. Do we argue Jackson Pollock is a sloppy artist because he didn't stay between the lines? Some might, but he is a genius none the less. Your statement, "If Jimi didn't have the genius of Mitch Mitchell who could just follow Jimi wherever he rambled, Jimi would never have been famous", is an interesting perspective. I suppose you could just as rightly ask if Mitchell didn't win the coin toss against Aynsely Dunbar which won him the spot in Hendrix's band (which is a crazy story, if true), would we know the name of Mitchell outside of his child acting? Maybe. Regardless, Mitchell and Hendrix played together and made music history for the likes of Paul Davids to analyze on KZbin and for me to watch so I can figure out what the Banjo Bounce is...and in the end, that's all that really matters ;) Thanks for the thought-provoking comment!

Ask 10000 people who Jimi Hendrix is and then ask them who Mitch Mitchell is. Mitch Mitchell was an amazing properly trained drummer who JUMPED at the chance to play with Jimi Hendrix. If you really believe he was the catalyst for Jimi’s fame I’d like to hit whatever you’re smoking for real. Lastly: please provide a link to Jimi playing without a drummer in which he’s out of time.

You sound like my instructor. Lol. Great advice. Do me a favor and check out my recital of Cripple Creek at the beginning of this video and let me know what you think...kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5LXqamwl5KBodU

@@2000HoursofBanjo kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqTEfmd-g9B0gsUsi=4ruCZiW4HyFyFgoX ok I see you have worked on CC. The link above is one of the best versions I have heard and I think I have seen them all on YT. I hope you can add some of what you hear and see in this version I linked. He even buggers up the ending for us to let us know that no matter how good you it…it happens

@@Themheals That is an amazing rendition of Cripple Creek...something to aspire to. Thank you!

Thank you very much!

@@markburry9989 Wow, how did I miss that? LOL

Thanks Steve. Be sure to watch the "Jimi Hendrix Taught me that video" I just put out. You play a part in it. Cheers.

There's 5 other stacks of wood that I didn't photograph. Taxing, yes, but it's good exercise. My dogs hightail it to the back of the house as soon as I grab the banjo. Neither want to hear me play, I guess. I'll see if I can get Mike to comment on the speed drills.

Let me see if I can get Mike to respond in the comments.

Hey. This is Mike Leatherman, Mark's banjo instructor here at Morgan Hill Music Lessons. One obvious drill is to practice a song one or two times through to a metronome set at a slow speed... say around 60bpm. Then increase the speed 10bpm. Repeat process until it becomes too fast to play cleanly. Now turn the metronome off and try to play the song a few times through "almost too fast". Don't be worried if a few mistakes are made. The point is to stretch the mind and physicality until it is a little uncomfortable. Important! Don't spend too much time playing "almost too fast". Repeat this process daily for a couple weeks and you'll find your speed increasing and accuracy at higher speeds improving. Hope this helps. If you have any further questions feel free to contact me at Mike at Morgan Hill Music Lessons.

Man of constant allegro sorrow

Thanks for checking back with the channel. I appreciate your comment. An honest portrayal of the learning process is what I am trying to present. I do take private lessons. I take one lesson per week. I started out with half-hour sessions but have bumped it up to one-hour sessions in the past few months, and I may keep it that way for a while because I think it is helping. Are you learning an instrument?

@@2000HoursofBanjo The most recent Instrument I learned was the cello. I was driven and was able to get to the point where I was able to play Bach Cello suites by the third month...of course I was practicing about 3 hrs per day. I do have an advantage in that I can read music, and play a number of other instruments as well. I also have a pretty good ear as I have sung in a few acapella quartets and ensembles. I am considering trying to learn the banjo so I was doing some research when I found your channel and was encouraged by your progress.

That's a good training strategy. I will give that a try.

That's awesome. Keep it up!

That's crazy...I had to go back and re-watch the video. You're absolutely right. I had no idea I was doing that.

@@2000HoursofBanjo Getting over 150 on a song you have been playing over and over and over is a great feeling. You are making decent progress! Pretty soon your be dazzling us with 200+ :)

Thanks. I really appreciate it!

I love the frank honesty of your comment. Learning something new is not a clean process. It's messy and full of setbacks and hurdles, but ultimately very rewarding. That is so weird. It sounds like your sheet music is acting as some sort of security blanket, yet it's holding you back. It reminds me of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," where Bruce Wayne couldn't successfully climb out of the pit until he forwent the safety of the rope. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2bdlaB3bK2Gpacsi=XtxM1MKm219yk4Wa

@@2000HoursofBanjo This response was awesome and that scene is great! My practice session today will be focused on just that: working on ditching my security blanket! Thanks so much for your input!

I will give this a try. Thanks!

Awesome! How long ago did you start?

Thank you for your thoughtful comment!

Hello from California, Claudio. Thanks for the encouragement and the suggestion. I will give it a try!

Thanks for the comment, and welcome to our channel. Everyone here is very helpful and supportive. Just like what you did, many comments will have practice tips and suggestions in them. I suppose my tip would be to record yourself every once in a while to document your progress. This will help you get through those periods where you don't feel like you are progressing...and then start a KZbin channel. lol. I look back at this video and think, "boy, have I come a long way in just a year." All with just an hour a day of practice. You can do it!

@@2000HoursofBanjo Thank you so much!

Thanks for the encouragement. I am still enjoying practicing, more so every day. "Focus on the enjoyment and let time do the rest." I say that to myself and others all the time...that's why the recent hang-up on progressing is a bit of a shock to me. I was never concerned about it before. Maybe it's all just a part of the phases we go through as we learn to play. As for you, KEEP IT UP! Have you reached Cumberland Gap, yet? It took so long to get my pinky to cooperate on that one. If you end up having the same problem, just stick to it, it will come along eventually.

@@2000HoursofBanjo Thanks! I have got to part A of Cumberland Gap and just looked at the next lesson.....I see what you mean. I'll stick at it, little by little 🙂

Thanks, Steven. That's what my instructor says...at some point the banjoist inside me will awaken. Don't get me wrong, I do see my own progress, but I am approaching the 1/4 mark. The thought of going from where I am now, skill-level-wise, at almost 500 hours to someone who can play in a band at 2000 hours feels doubtful at this point.

@@2000HoursofBanjo You are at 446 hours and it has taken a year and a half. That means to get to 2K at this pace, you will be at this for another 4 and a half years. That's a boatload of time. Just think how cool the songs you "know" now are going to sound when you figure out how to get that bluegrass bounce in them and get up to full speed. You have a long way to go. The important thing is to have fun and enjoy it. Don't put any pressure on yourself. Everyone is different. Just keep playing and having fun. Maybe you should find a jam session somewhere in your area. I have never gone to one, but I think if you really want to play in a band, that would be a great way to get exposed to playing with others and get you where you want quicker.

@@stvnnmnn You're right, you're right, you're right. lol. Not sure where my recent concern on progress is coming from. It's all about the journey...banjourney ;)

I think if I brought my banjo to work I wouldn't get any work done...but I'd get a lot of practice in ;)

I couldn't help it.

That's right! I'm bending the string on purpose ;)

I hope you're patient, lol. I'm getting off to a pretty slow start.

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!

Thanks! I really appreciate it.

The view ain't bad, for certain. Thanks for tuning in.

That's awesome! I recently brought my banjo to practice while I waited for an oil change at the dealership. I'll be posting a video on it shortly. No "pity cash", but the dealer got my oil change done 30 minutes faster than promised. If you want someone to do something for you fast, I guess playing a banjo poorly and loudly will light a fire under them. lol.

@@2000HoursofBanjo😂