Free Banjo Lesson: Ten Tips To Improve Your Speed

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[@audrybella6405]

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!!

[@joepilot-jones9634]

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!

[@cooloutboards1012]

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 KZbin backing tracks for different songs which you can slow down while using KZbin 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..

[@samuelhorner6200]

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.

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Sounds like you're doing all the right things! - Mike

[@mutangpadan5311]

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.

[@clivechilton9787]

Hi Mike,everything you've advised is spot on. Kind regards from Clive. England.

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Thanks Clive! - Mike

[@glenbelson5485]

Thanks, Mike. Great tips.

[@myname7914]

thanks Mike

[@alexclark836]

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!

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Thanks! Yes, it's very difficult to play fast without a proper warmup. Keep picking and you'll increase your speed with time. - Mike

[@DARKSIDEART2022]

great lesson, mike.. even for someone like me who has been playing for 25 years. Bravo~

[@budbranch]

thank you Mike

[@kylecybrowski1198]

Excellent.

[@LaMartina1000]

Great video, very helpful and it confirms that I am doing things right!

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Good to hear! - Mike

[@ronnieblanchet4072]

This was helpful. Thank you and God bless you. Godspeed

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Glad it was helpful! - Mike

[@harmvonlintig7146]

Thanks!

[@woutvdborne5874]

Hi Mike Again a good lesson thanks! You talked about warming up. Do you have here a certain methode for? Could jou show that in a next video? Thanks!

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Sure let me think about it and I can create a lesson on warm up tips! - Mike

[@jeanneannvalfre9581]

Thank you great lesson….relax the roll…count the measure….☮️🎶🔛🌎

[@sarahbeattyca]

Super good stuff in this vid. My fave line: "Once you're tense, it's hard to become untense."

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Spoken with the eloquence of a banjo player. - Mike

[@sarahbeattyca]

@@MikeHeddingMusic I got a pretty good giggle of it... A little slice of life to go along with thoughtful teachings.

[@commenterperson4481]

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.

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

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

[@rhino4321rhino]

Well said buddy.

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Thanks! - Mike

[@marnel7787]

Metronome. Yes! 👍

[@Gigitobanjo]

very good

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Thank you! - Mike

[@derekavery9986]

how much time should i play really slow for?

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

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

[@derekavery9986]

ok thnx ill do that

[@omarsalama9074]

Let's make a song at the Pyramids

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

That sounds cool!

[@eugenelayton5231]

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.

[@minnesotaoutdoorsnorth]

another key to playing fast is play slow...

[@samuelhorner6200]

Yes

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Yes the goal is to have control over the instrument so you can play fast or slow! - Mike