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SUMMARY
OF THE BEGINNERS BLUEGRASS METHOD
From
a work in progress, Copyright by Pete Wernick
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PHASE
ONE: BARE BONES BANJO
Prerequisite:
Get a banjo in playable condition (see pages 124-5 of Bluegrass Banjo)
Non-playing assignment: Get a songbook (page 13, BGB), records (pp
138-41 BG B,) strap for the banjo (p 126, BG B). Find a regular place to
practice.
Practicing steps:
- Learn
to tune the banjo. If you can't do it very well, find someone who
can teach you to do it. (pp 9-10, BG B) Before playing, you must always
get the banjo in tune.
- Learn
the basic chords. Learn G, D7 and C (p 11, BG B). When holding each
chord, pick the strings one by one to see if each is ringing clear.
If not, make adjustments. Learn to change chords in a second or less,
continually checking to see that each string rings clear. Work toward
not having to look at your left hand while changing chords quickly and
accurately.
- Learn
several songs. With either a songbook or a teacher, start with songs
using just G and D7, then try some with G, C and D7 (pp 14-17, BG B).
Brush or strum the strings any way that feels comfortable and sing along,
or at least say or hum the words to yourself. To consider a song "learned",
you should be able to play through it smoothly without stopping and
without looking at written music.
- Learn
some more songs and some more chords. Learn at least a dozen or
so songs before going on to Phase Two. Learn how to transpose songs
from one key to another (p 12, BG B), so you can learn songs not presented
in G in a songbook. This will also enable you to put songs into C or
other keys when they're hard to sing in G.
Learn
chords such as F, A, G7, D, Em, Am, E, and B (page 14, BG B) as new songs
require them. Some of the harder chords like F or Am may come slowly.
Keep working on them while you move on to later steps.
Goals of Phase One: Develop basic left hand ability, sense
of rhythm, sense of chord changes. Build confidence to continue.
Pacing: If you are of average aptitude and have a medium
level of dedication (three or four hours a week of goal-oriented practice),
you are likely to get through Step 3 within a month or even a week. Step
4 might take another two weeks.
Pep Talk: These few steps will prepare an excellent foundation
for learning three-finger picking. However, if you never progress past
this point, you can still consider yourself a banjo player and get great
enjoyment from playing.
While it's not a necessary learning step yet, you can now play with
other musicians. Doing just that will help your playing in a variety of
ways. If you have the chance, do it!
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PHASE
TWO: GETTING ROLLING
Prerequisite:
Steps 1, 2, and 3 above.
Non-playing assignment: Listen to your bluegrass records, especially
the banjo playing. Get a set of fingerpicks (p 125 BG B). Observe good banjo
players as often and as closely as possible.
Practicing steps:
- Learn
two rolls (p 19 BG B). To consider a roll "learned" you
should be able to play it perfectly, continuously six times in15 seconds,
without looking at written music.
- For
each roll, learn to change chords once every two measures without
breaking the speed of the roll. Work from easier patterns (G, D7, G,
D7) to harder ones
(G, C, D7, C, G). Make up your own. Learn to change chords once each
measure.
- Play
some easy, familiar songs from Phase One. Play them just as before,
but instead of brushing the strings with your right hand, play one of
the two rolls you know. Be sure to play one full roll for each two down-beats.
Re-learn several songs from Phase One this way. Before proceeding to
the next step, be sure you can play at least two three-chord songs with
each roll, without breaking time.
- Learn
two more rolls and learn to use them in two songs each (p 19 BG
B).
- Learn
to vary the strings your thumb hits while maintaining a particular
roll (p 21 BG B).
Goals
of Phase Two: Develop basic right hand dexterity, develop steady
right hand timing. Combine left and right hand moves without breaking
time.
Pacing: If you are of average aptitude and practice hard
for at least three hours a week, you can aim to get through Phase Two
in about two months.
Pep talk: Once you get through this phase you will already
be able to impress people at parties, accompany singing with a roll, and
provide yourself with endless entertainment.
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PHASE
THREE: PICK OUT TUNES
Prerequisite:
An in-tune banjo
Practicing steps:
- l.
Pick out do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do starting with the third
string open (G). That is a G scale, and songs in the key of G use those
notes. Learn by sight the notes on the first, second, third, and fourth
strings that are in the G scale up to the 5th fret. No need now to know
their names.
- Pick
out, by trial and error, the melodies to several songs in the key
of G. Memorize them.
Goals
of Phase Three: Develop sense of melody. Learn locations on neck
of most-likely-to-be-used notes.
Pacing: There is a great deal of trial and error here, which
can be frustrating. For some it will come much slower than for others.
Natural aptitude or experience (especially at singing or playing a melodic
instrument) has an influence here. However, with coaching, even someone
with very little natural ability should be able to develop this skill
in a few weeks by spending an average of a half-hour a day on it. Include
both Phase Two practicing and Phase Three practicing in your practice
sessions. Both are prerequisites for Phrase Four.
PHASE
FOUR: PUT IT TOGETHER AND PICK TUNES THREE-FINGER STYLE
Prerequisite:
Phases One, Two and Three (Optional: Phase Five)
Non-playing assignments: Get a capo for playing along with records
in the key of A (pp 125-6 BG B) . Listen very carefully to records featuring
good basic banjo playing. Learn how to read tablature (p 18 BG B).
Practicing steps:
- Learn
two elementary solos from tablature (pp. 25-28 BG B). Commit a measure
or two at a time to memory. To consider a song "learned" you
should be able to play a 16-measure solo in 25 seconds, smoothly and
accurately, without looking at the tablature.
- Carefully
read and play through the segment in Bluegrass Banjo (pp. 22-25)
about constructing an arrangement to Coming Round the Mountain.
- Try
to construct an arrangement of your own the same way. Use one of
your favorites among the simpler songs you worked on in Phases Two and
Three.
- Check
the accuracy of the arrangement. Have a music teacher or someone
else you trust musically tell you whether your arrangement is melodically
and rhythmically correct. Correct as necessary.
- Construct
arrangements of two more tunes.
- Play
your arrangement of a song along with a recorded version of that song.
The recorded version could be a home recording with you or someone
else chording along on banjo or guitar.
- (Optional)
Learn some more elementary arrangements from tablature.
Goals
of Phase Four: This phase is the critical point where in my estimation
a person crosses the magic line over to "bluegrass banjo player".
Using a three-finger roll to play a simple melody line surrounded by other
notes, is the essence of the bluegrass banjo style. At this point you've
got it and everything else is embellishment!
Pacing: Since this learning step is a jump in learning,
and not based just on memorization and practice, it is hard to predict
how long it may take someone to truly learn it. For a somewhat dedicated
student it shouldn't take longer than a year. It could take as little
as a week or two if you've got the momentum and you're gung-ho.
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PHASE
FIVE: BLUEGRASSY LEFT HAND EMBELLISHMENTS
Prerequisite:
Know how to pick at least two tunes from Step 3 of Phase Four, straight
through without having to look at tablature. (Note: As noted in Prerequisites
to Phase Four, it's possible that slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs may be
learned before Phase Four. However, for the sake of reaching the Phrase
Four plateau as soon as possible, it may be easier to tackle these left
hand techniques after the basics of picking out tunes are learned.)
Practicing steps:
- Learn
how to hammer-on, first on a single picked string, then as an embellishment
on the first note of a roll (p 29 BG B). Be careful that the hammer-on
doesn't affect the even right hand flow of notes.
- Learn
slides the same way (pp 29-30 BG B).
- Learn
pull-offs the same way (p 31 BG B).
- Learn
some stock licks using hammer-ons, slides and pull-offs. (pp 29-36
BG B).
- Incorporate
some of your newly-learned licks into arrangements you are working
on from Phase Four.
Goal
of Phase Five: These left-hand techniques combined with the hard-won
right-hand knowledge gained in Phase Four are what makes your playing
sound like bluegrass!
Pacing: If a somewhat dedicated student avoids rhythmic
difficulties adding the new moves in, it shouldn't take more than a week
or two to incorporate them comfortably. As in Phase Four, it's a good
idea to have a better player listen to you and let you know if you have
rhythm problems.
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PHASE
SIX: NECESSARY LICKS
Prerequisite: At least three arrangements with left-hand embellishments
learned and comfortable.
Practicing steps:
- 1.
Learn more stock lead-in licks, tag licks, endings. (pp 38-45 BG
B).
- Apply
each new lick within an arrangement.
- Revamp
your arrangements to include lead-ins and tags wherever appropriate.
Goal
of Phase Six: These licks are the last link in constructing convincingly
bluegrassy arrangements. You now have the skills to do the main things
required of a banjo player in a bluegrass band: play along in rhythm and
take a solo. You are no longer a beginner! From now on you can think of
yourself as intermediate level. To become advanced technically now just
means learning to sound better and learning more material. In a manner
of speaking, having built your boat, you are now ready to put it out on
the river.
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