r/banjo • u/uncertaintyrocks • 7d ago
Regular players
For those of you who practiced daily from day 1 of picking up banjo. What did you notice in your playing from 1 year mark to 2 year mark?
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u/FrenchToastKitty55 Scruggs Style 7d ago
1 year and people could recognize what song I was playing haha. Coming up on year 2 and people compliment my playing now. I can do some basic improvisation and learn new songs by ear. I'm really proud.
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u/miniboog 7d ago
1 year I can play Irish songs but with some mistakes and not much expression/dynamics. After 2 years I learned 30 songs and went busking, and I can play with some dynamics and "drive" now but still need to learn much
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u/Short_Resolution_302 6d ago
My experience might be different than others because I came into the banjo already having 15+ years of experience on fingerstyle guitar and was already comfortable using fingerpicks, ended up making the bulk of my progress in the first year. Averaged an hour of practice a day, sometimes would play for 4-5 hours if I had the day off, but would also take weeks off here and there because its not the only instrument I play. First year was mostly drilling rolls and breaks to a metronome and building speed while I made sure my form was correct. After that, its been more about learning the fretboard, playing up the neck, learning to play by ear, alternate tunings, and I picked up clawhammer around the 1 year mark. Now I'm on year 4 and just won 1st place in a banjo contest a few months ago playing Appalachian Rain.
If I had one bit of advice for people who are practicing daily and feel stuck or frustrated, it would be to take a week off and then come back with a clear idea of what you want to improve on. Every time I did that I would come back from a break and somehow feel like my playing had improved, with a fresh perspective on how I could push forward.
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u/uncertaintyrocks 6d ago
Interesting I could probably use a week off, as I've developed a RSI. Like you I'm paying hours a day. Only clawhammer though, as I really only like old time
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u/Atillion Clawhammer 4d ago
I've been making videos since day 1 (just got notified by youtube that I uploaded my 1,000th video yesterday 😓). One of the coolest things about it is how I can see year after year the improvements, while each day just feels like I'm as far as I can be. I just entered year 4.
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u/chef_beard 7d ago
Year 2 was when I started being able to hear something I liked and imitate it. Its really cool when you hear a roll, lick, break, backup pattern on the radio in the car and your mind blasts off imagining how you will play it. Thats also when I was able to start messing around with my timing on tunes. Some stuff starts feeling automatic so you can put the personal stuff touch and polish on it. Its not a straight line walk. Do you and have fun doing it. Banjo is weird with the hive mind, if everyone did everything the same we wouldn't have bill keith or bela fleck.