Learn Songs or Learn Skills? | Brainjo Bite

[@nerfnerfification]

Thanks Josh - however I do have one thought that if you learn 20 or 30 songs of say Earl Scruggs exactly like he plays them - you will then have a fair number of his moves you can apply to other songs. I have also found it very useful in learning foreign languages to learn a fair amount of text off by heart since you can then immediately pick a similar phrase to what you want to say and just slot in the different word or two needed.

[@mountainman4774]

Oh man, Josh, this is so true. I think one of the differences between children and adults is that they approach learning to play an instrument with different perspectives. I started on the banjo when I was 16. At that point in my life I wasn’t really good at anything, so my expectations with the banjo were pretty modest. Just making a musical sound was rewarding, and working on the fundamentals didn’t bother me a bit because it all felt fresh and exciting and fun. I remember thinking that hammer ons were about the coolest thing I had ever learned to do. It certainly never occured to me to quit at that point because, in my mind, I was pretty hot stuff. But when you get older you become more knowledgeable and sophisticated. Now, learning a simple skill like hammering on doesn’t seem like that big a deal when you are comparing yourself to Bela Fleck. Add in all the sundry demands of adulthood, and the mountain of mastery starts to look awfully intimidating. At that point many people either get discouraged and quit or decide to short cut the whole process by jumping ahead and, as you say, just learn songs instead of skills. My advice is two fold: First, understand and acknowledge that playing the banjo, or any instrument, requires skills that can only be acquired with hard work and practice. It is going to take some time. There are no shortcuts. The journey is rewarding, but it is still a journey, so don’t set your short term expectations too high. Second, try to summon your inner child and find magic and satisfaction in the learning process. The songs will come.

[@drewby613]

Great stuff!! I agree. Kids do have a massive advantage when it comes to language acquisition, and it has been argued that music shares some of the same domains in the brain. The key is, kids learn language partly by imitation, but mostly by talking-*imperfectly*- most of the time. If you’re practicing playing a song right, but not “playing with” your banjo, just fooling around with chords, recombining note patterns in new ways,trying to work out a melody you don’t yet know how to play, and making tons of mistakes, then you’re stuck in the paint by numbers approach. I think avoiding mistakes may be one of the biggest differences between adult and child learners.

[@ClawhammerBanjo]

Yep - totally agree.

[@brokenst33l]

I'm a language instructor, and you're on the money! Fun and fulfillment are key for all skills. Mathmatic formulas and history are facts, and can be memorized for use. Musical ability, phisical ability, mental abilities start from a guided base and are developed by discovery and experimentation! Thanks for the pep talk. I'm just about to get back into playing after a looong break, so this put me in the mood to play!

[@ClawhammerBanjo]

Couldn’t agree more!! Thanks for your comment!

[@jaysmith2873]

I’ve been very focused on putting together a list of old-time tunes with vocals to sing in the jams, a la Tommy Jarrell, and of learning to accompany the folk songs of my weekly folksinging on banjo well enough to leave the mandolin at home. This overwhelming multitude of objectives has led me to a revelation about the nature of learning, to wit, while my clawhammer journey is guided by a huge master plan of a divergent mix of goals and activities, actual learning happens only in moments of intensely focused hands-on practice.

[@brucejohnston6184]

I like that key phrase about aligning learning with what one wants to achieve. I am a believer in my neuroplasticity at 60. Fostering innate curiosity does get harder after years of internalising that there's a "right way"

[@johnprince7445]

Thanks Josh, its just what I need to get through those difficult (read boring) exercises. I now see their place in the process rather than just learning some song I would like to play. Thanks again.

[@dorindacontreras1094]

Thanks so much for another great video!

[@suemacias667]

This is so true. It’s similar to learning to solve problems when doing research for a theses or dissertation. Same thing. You are so right so I tend to start with something like written music and then I want to learn how to learn music.

[@taftphotography]

I am reading your book “The Laws Of Brainjo - The Art And Science of Molding A Musical Mind” and it is really good and very helpful for my banjo learning process. Nicely done!

[@cynthiarossi3180]

Learning to learn - now that's a lifetime journey! Thanks for the reminder. I'll be thinking about this as I journey with Adam tomorrow in the fiddle class. 😄

[@jasonwarren213]

Good job Justin

[@philippeelsener2744]

Great - it confirms once again that we humans learn best when we play.... thanks for making awre.of it.

[@derekegidio2723]

New to your channel, really like what you're saying - will definitely keep watching! Do you have any clawhammer technique books you might recommend?

[@ClawhammerBanjo]

Thanks! I actually have a beginning course, which you can find here: www.brainjo.academy/clawhammer-8-essential-steps-to-clawhammer/

[@davidd7197]

If Jack wants to paint like Van Gogh he need prodigious amounts of Absinthe.

[@donniehopkins8439]

I must be a twit I failed to hear the actual learning technique?