Tips for Playing Banjo Faster

Tips for Playing Banjo Faster

Tip #1: Play on the Tips of Picks. Playing on the tips of your picks will alow the picks to move over the string quicker. There is less surface area touching the string. This also results in less pick noise. Experiment with your pick hand position and play on the tips with a simple roll or an exercise like our one finger workouts. When working on foundations and subtleties of technique it's best to do it in a controlled way and on something simple and repetitive. Put the focus on the pick hand and work on accuracy and developing a good habit before you increase your speed. When you push your speed do it incrementally.

Tip #2: Practice Pick Resets. You can't pick a string without resetting it. You have to move it back into place each time. This motion will literally be your saving grace or downfall in regards to speed. As I mentioned in the video do this with a simple exercise like the one finger workouts. Ideally, reset your picks in the air. For your fingerpicks reset them just a millimeter or two below the string you're about to pick. For the thumb-pick, reset it just above the string.

At first, you may want to do this without the pressure of having to play in time. That can cause anxiety and tension! First...breathe-several times. Then, play the 1st string with your middle finger. Reset the pick below the string. Relax the muscle tension in the finger and hand. Once it feels relaxed, pick again and repeat the process several times. Keep breathing, put in some reps and try this basic pick, reset, and relax exercise with your index finger on the 2nd and 3rd strings. Then use your thumb on the 3rd, 4th and 5th. Do 5-10 reps for each string.

You could also reset by practicing the planting method I mentioned in the video and actually touching the picks or fingers to the string. This is a great method for practicing the rolls: Plant, roll, stop, repeat. Touching your picks to the strings really helps develop your spatial awareness through your sense of touch.

Tip #3: Move From the Second Joint. Ideally, you are having most of the pick hand motion in your index and middle fingers coming from the second joint. That's the one in the middle of your finger. Watch the video for a clear demonstration of this. Try to minimize the movement from your 1st joint that's closest to your finger nail. A lot of this will happen naturally if you have good pick hand posture. Again, watch the video for a detailed view. Try to minimize movement of your thumb at the first joint. Having the motion come from the "bigger" joints gives us more speed and power potential. This is a concept borrowed from classical guitar technique.

Tip #4: Don't Hold Your Breath. Use breathing as a warmup. A little light stretching is good too. Do a few breathing exercises. Then, get a simple roll going and try to maintain some nice relaxed breathing. Try it with the one finger workouts. You may even start breathing in time! Try a square breath to accustom yourself to the tempo you are about to attempt when listening to the Tunefox player or a metronome: In for four counts, hold four, out for four counts, hold four, then repeat. Do that a few times and start your playing session. You may even try doing this while playing. It's a great way to get used to time feel. I think Sam Bush would approve!

Tip #5: Master Common Scruggs Licks. If you have played Scruggs style banjo for long, then you know it is built on the back of the banjo vocabulary that Earl Scruggs perfected. The same riffs are used so much in so many different songs. Get great at the foundational licks and the tunes will come so much easier, cleaner, stronger and faster! Check out our Essential Scruggs Licks and use the focus feature to get a great workout - one lick at a time. Start at an attainable speed and push your speed bit by bit. I mention a few methods to work on the licks at tougher speeds in the video above. Make sure to watch that. Also check out this Blog Post for Two Effective Practice Strategies You've Never Heard Of for some other effective practice strategies that work great when using the focus feature.

Tip #6: Be Dynamic. Only playing at one volume is a sign of poor musicianship. You should be able to play the same speed at multiple volume or dynamic levels. It requires a lot less muscle tension to play quieter, but it does demand more control. Again, if dynamic practice and playing is new to you, start by experimenting with something simple like the one finger workouts or a simple roll. I have found that playing at higher speeds can be achieved with a lighter touch and not picking as hard. Sacrifice some power for speed. First, you'll have to learn to play with less tension, and learning to play more quietly can help greatly in that regard.

If you start to develop some control and comfort with your dynamics you might try the Essential Scruggs licks. If you are familiar with melodic banjo try some dynamic practice with a G melodic scale workout. Remember to use the focus feature. Simple and repetitive. The notes need to be easy and easy to play so you can focus attention on your dynamics and pick hand posture. If you are more into single string then check out some single string workouts for your pick hand while working on your dynamic control. This multi-level metronome exercise is also a great vehicle to work on dynamics and accent control.

With each of these, start at a comfortable speed and put in a lot of reps. When it's easier to get right than it is to accidentally play it wrong, increase your tempo by a few BPM. Rinse and repeat.

Eventually, you want to be dynamic with the songs you play. To maximize results and avoid frustration set achievable and manageable goals. Be realistic. That's why it's good to start simple, small and repetitive. You could also do this with a measure of a song, but if you can master this concept with foundational techniques then that will more easily spill over to everything you play. Even though I've played banjo for almost 15 years and guitar for 30 I will still practice foundational concepts with simple exercises, rolls and scale workouts. It is hard to have truly great musical foundations. It's hard to play with them consistently. It demands and deserves focused practice. It is not, has never been, and will never be just for beginners. Strong foundations are important for all musicians and require regular maintenance and upgrades.

Tip #7: The Three Tempo Workout. It goes like this, play a tune or exercise at a comfortable BPM. Use a speed that you can truly achieve, where you can play almost everything correctly, in time, and most importantly where you can be relaxed and feel at ease. This may be painfully slow. That's ok. Let's say for you that's 60 BPM. The second tempo should be a bit higher, maybe 70 BPM. At this tempo you might make more mistakes, but you can hang on for the most part. At this speed, take a moment before or after a play through. Think about how your body feels at the slower, easier for you 60 BPM. Try to play with that relaxed feeling. Then the third tempo should push out of your comfort zone and into more mistakes. Again try to bring that relaxed feeling but don't beat yourself up about the mistakes.

Doing the breathing exercise before you start each of these tempos will be a great way to get relaxed before playing. A lot of people will start to physically tense up just upon hearing a fast tempo before they play a single note. Try to maintain breathing while playing some. Stop every now and then to relax your hands and catch a few breaths. While this exercise was intended to be played with entire songs, you can totally apply it to individual sections or measures. Playing the song, section or measure once and just listening on the next repeat is a great way to introduce relaxation and pacing into your practice. I've found this a great way to increase my speed, especially when working with a tough lick, or measure. I mention this in the video several times.

Conclusion

Practice is an art. It's just like playing. You'll improve and add techniques to your "repertoire" over time. Everyone is different. Somethings may work better for you than others. Also everyone is different at different times. An exercise that seemed to tough, didn't make sense or didn't seem to be valuable a year ago might be the thing that helps you out of a plateau at another time.

Practice is important, but don't postpone joy. That's why we do what we do. Give yourself grace. Take breaks. Don't hold your breath. While intense and focus practice is great for improving, making sure to keep the fire burning is always the most important thing. Listen to music you love, enjoy the sounds you make with your instrument and be proud of every little success you have. Keep picking and stay tuned y'all.