The Banjo Guru

Yes, that is how you get to Carnegie Hall.  Practice (or “time on board” to the fretted instrument player–the fingerboard) is necessary if you’re to reach any of your goals as a musician, whether you’ve taken up banjo, guitar or any instrument.  The discipline of practice when playing an instrument should be fun rather than a chore; approaching it with at least a general plan will make your practice time both more enjoyable and more productive.

Start each practice session by getting in tune with a good electronic tuner.  Other tools you should have at the ready include a metronome and some kind of recording device.  The metronome is particularly important for guarding against bad timing; that can easily crop up when playing alone.  Listening to a playback of your practice will make areas of needed improvement only too apparent.

Remember to repeat material you’ve already learned, but keep in mind that one of the most important principles is to “practice what you can’t play.”  It’s easy to fall into the trap of simply playing what you’ve already mastered, since it’s naturally more enjoyable.  But put in time practicing the tunes and licks you’re having trouble with, at whatever tempo is slow enough for you to play cleanly and in time (again, the metronome is essential here).  Proficiency is more important than speed.  Worry about speed last, only bumping up the metronome a few beats per minute once you feel confident at a given tempo.  If you can play as well at the new tempo as you did at the old, great; if not, dial it back and practice again at the slower speed.

Practice, and learning how to practice, is a lifelong challenge!  More later. .