How
And Where To Get A Banjo
Lesson
Learn
To Play Banjo
Just to
humble myself, my first banjo
lesson was a complete tragedy.
Well, I suppose it wasn't
technically my first banjo
lesson. Actually, I had been
taking online banjo lessons for a
good while, and honestly thought
that I knew what I was doing.
I found a
website with videos of some guy
strumming which you could
download, and tabs which you
could pick along to to your
hearts content. I had my first
banjo lesson online months ago,
and although I was a bit of a
slacker about the whole thing,
only learning those songs and
techniques that interested me,
and ignoring the rest, still, I
thought that I had started to get
somewhere.
The
First "Real" Banjo
Lesson
My first
banjo lesson certainly smothered
that illusion under a half ton of
disappointment. I got there and
tried to show off. He looked at
me and I immediately missed a
chord. This is my first
instrument, and the first time
I've ever played in front of
someone else on it.
I figured
that it would be a piece of cake.
I've never had any problem
speaking publicly to a whole room
full of a hundred people, so what
should be so hard about a banjo
lesson where it was only me and a
teacher. The whole thing should
be easy, right? Wrong. It was
terrible.
What I
don't understand is how I am ever
going to learn anything from my
banjo lessons if I can't even
play in front of my teacher. I
mean, I guess he is nice and
accommodating, and besides that a
hell of a banjo player.
He showed
me some great exercise which I
could use and practice for my
next banjo lesson, and that was
definitely very helpful. Not to
mention how much you gain just
from having the opportunity to
closely observe and work with a
great player. But really, will I
sound any different during my
next banjo lesson?
If I can't
play in front of him, how will he
even know if I'm making any
progress. For that matter, how
will I even know if I've learned
anything from one banjo lesson to
the next.
It just
isn't possible to get feedback if
I can't play with the teacher
present. I've decided to start
recording my own playing to play
back to him. At first, it might
be hard to play, knowing that I'm
recording to show at my next
banjo lesson, but eventually it
will get easier.
So, Where
Do You Go To Get A Banjo Lesson
?
A new
enthusiast seeking a banjo lesson
might visit local music stores or
turn to fellow musicians. There
is perhaps no better way to learn
to play an instrument of any kind
than by spending time with others
who have mastered or even just
enjoy the craft, and the best
banjo lesson of all may be to
spend a warm summer night by a
campfire with someone who can
fill the air with sweet bluegrass
music and soft country
twang.
Local
Music Stores And Colleges Are A
Good Starting Point
A local
music store, a college of
university with a music
department and a continuing
education center are all possible
places you can find a banjo
lesson. New enthusiasts could
always ask where they might find
someone to provide a lesson or
ongoing training from the shop or
individual who sells them their
first instrument. In fact, many
music stores offer discounted
lessons to their patrons who
purchase an instrument.
Taking
Banjo Lessons
Online
When
thinking of learning to play an
instrument, the last place one
might think to look for
instruction is online. It seems
that music should be heard, felt
and experienced first hand to be
learned and appreciated, and an
online banjo lesson may not seem
at first to offer much to a new
musician. Surprisingly enough,
more than one concise, complete
and informative lesson can
actually be found on the
Internet.
DVD
Banjo Instruction
There are
also DVDs available offering a
banjo lesson or series of
lessons. Often these come with an
accompanying manual or
instruction book so the aspiring
musician can easily follow along.
While there
is no substitute for making music
with others, there are many
enthusiast sites on the web that
provide general information, and
an introductory free lesson.
Learning
To Play Banjo Or Putting It
Together
What an
online or in-person banjo lesson
might entail depends upon the
needs of the individual. It is
possible to find a lesson on very
introductory topics such as
assembling a banjo that does not
come already put together, banjo
tablatures, or building a banjo
bridge.
A more
advanced player can benefit from
a banjo lesson focusing on
different playing techniques such
as claw hammer.
Many of the
resources online for those
seeking a lesson, or information
on associations, or ways to
network with other players, are
free. These are a priceless
resource for someone just
becoming acquainted with the
instrument.
Taking
Banjo Lessons Means Daily
Practice
There is
probably no banjo lesson more
valuable than that warm summer
night around a campfire with
someone who loves the craft and
plays their instrument from their
heart and soul. But there are
many resources out there for
enthusiasts of this age-old
instrument. Likewise, there is no
substitute for daily
practice.
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