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Yes, you want to practice playing your slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs with either 8th notes, triplets or 16th notes..
If you’re hearing a swing feel though, that would more likely have to do with your right (picking) hand than your left. How you’re picking the notes would give it a swing feel or not.
But if you want to do 8th note slides, practice giving the first note just a little more value and don’t slide too quick. That will probably help you get 8th note versions rather than triplets/16th notes.
– Mike
Two things you could try:
1. Drop your thumb of your left hand down behind the neck. This will help you squeeze your thumb and index finger together to make the barre chord stronger.
2. Use the side of your index finger to make the barre chord instead of the flat part of your finger. If you use the flat part of your finger, you’re naturally working against the joints in your finger which makes it hard to get a good sound. If you use the side of your finger, the bend in your joints won’t affect the sound and you’ll get clearer notes.
– Mike
My guess is it will just take some more conscious effort and practice. This is a very common issue though many people have (myself included).
Instead of trying to “quiet down” your thumb, you could try the opposite approach for a while, bring up the volume of your index and middle finger to match your thumb.
Once you get all three fingers the same volume you could then work on turning the overall volume “up or down.”
It’s hard to say without seeing the banjo but it’s possible you’re hitting the string too hard which is making it sound “sharp.”
– Mike
I’d check out the Soundslice player I have or software called the Amazing Slow Downer if you want to loop certain sections of the practice track.
I’m not sure what you mean about creating loops of each of the exercises. I recorded the tracks playing through the exercises as written so it’d be difficult to create a loop with the recording without additional software like Soundslice or the Slow Downer.
I’d focus on 8 measures at a time when you’re practicing it and I’m sure you’ll get it up to speed with some more practice.
– Mike
Sure, let me think about how to incorporate that into a lesson.
What songs did you try to put the bluesy licks in?
It’s possible it wasn’t the correct song or it could be the “place” within the song that wasn’t working.
One lesson I’ve already got that some of the bluesy licks would work well in is Shady Grove (capo 2).
You could add a lick in measure 9-10. There’s a space in between the melody there for a nice lick.
Also at the end of your solos is a great spot to throw a lick. So instead of just ending in measure 17 you could add a measure or two and play a lick. This is very common in bluegrass and normally the vocalist would just wait to come in on the next verse/chorus.
If you have any other questions let me know.
– Mike
You can check out the full lesson here:
https://mikeheddingmusic.com/lessons/basic-right-hand-workout-beginner-banjo/
The Basic Banjo Rolls video is just the first part of the larger lesson “Basic Right Hand Workout.”
If you have any other questions let me know.
Best,
MikeNo I don’t currently have that song in Scruggs style.
I’d check out the Earl Scruggs banjo book. There’s a version in there in C tuning. I believe he called it Old Folks.
– Mike
Sure, you can check out this lesson I did:
https://mikeheddingmusic.com/lessons/three-finger-chords-beginner-mandolin/
The lesson tab has all the three finger chord shapes listed.
– Mike
Good question.
A two finger chord just means you’re using two fingers on your left hand. Two chords usually involve hitting some open strings as well.
Three finger chords mean you’re using three fingers on your left hand to make the chord. These are helpful because you can move them around the neck easier because you aren’t relying on open strings. Not all the chords sound as good with open strings so that’s where 3 finger chords can be handy.
All the chords have a 2 finger version and a 3 finger version and sometimes even 4 fingers. Once you learn the different chords you can decide which version you’d like to use.
If you have any more questions let me know.
– Mike
Hey Jon,
Good question. This is one of those times where you have a difference in “theory” and in “practice.”
Yes, you’re definitely correct, sliding from the 3rd fret for a Dm chord would be better theory wise.
But what I found when I was playing the song is that you need to do the slide with your 1st finger, not your 2nd finger (your 2nd finger is already on the 3rd fret).
To me it didn’t feel as comfortable to try and get my 1st finger onto the 3rd fret while sliding.
I try to make my tabs as close as possible to the way I really play the song.
You could certainly try the 3rd fret though and see if you can make the slide sound smooth.
Same thing happens in the 2nd chorus, sliding from the 1st fret on the 3rd string (over F chord) instead of 2nd fret (better theory wise). But in practice, I found it was easier to move my first finger up and start the slide. Which means you start the slide from the 1st fret even if it doesn’t work as well with theory.
Hope this makes sense. If you have any other questions let me know.
Best,
MikeDonald,
I’m doing pretty good. Did you have a question I can help with or are you just saying hello?
– Mike
Timothy,
I’ve tried to build the same functionality for the mobile site as the desktop/laptop version of the site but sometimes the mobile version presents unique challenges.
Can you be more specific as to what isn’t working for you?
And what mobile device are you viewing the site on?
I can certainly see if I can improve it. Glad you enjoyed the Silent Night lesson. Thanks!
– Mike
