by Barney Moss

NEW   (performing)      ARTICLE BELOW

THE TALE OF MANY TAILPIECES

A tailpiece here a tailpiece there a tailpiece everywhere.   How important is the tailpiece you select or get by default with your new or used banjo?  An important question you ask?  Absolutely, I say is the answer.  Over the years I have tried and unfortunately died using just about every tailpiece you can imagine.  The pictures with this publication are only a few that I have selected and found to be fair to excellent tailpieces. 

Banjo performers have come full circle in the last 25 years.   With the advent of Earl Scruggs and Grandpa Jones, the traditional sound was sought by banjo aficionados.  During the 70’s and 80’s a more contemporary sound was prevalent for melodic or chromatic banjo styles.  Now with banjo performers such as Terry Baucom, Sammy Shelor, and my personal favorite today, Jimmy Mills, the traditional 1930’s Granada standard is sought after again.  Do tailpieces really give you that certain sound, that special difference that can be heard by the best of the best today?  Only you can be the judge.  This article is one humble banjo players (ME), opinion of the pictured tailpieces. 

Putting sound aside for a while, lets talk about stability.  The biggest issue I have with a good tailpiece is, does it hold up during performance?  Simply put, if I break a string do the rest stay in tune?  Does the bridge easily shift up or down due to hard driving songs?  The PRESTO and EAGLE CLAW are notorious for shifting during performance and after a string break a major tuning must be done quickly to finish the song.  The KERSHNER and WAVERLY pieces are a bit better but still tend to shift a bit during performance.   Some say I might play to hard.  That may be true but I have found tailpieces that hold the bridge in place very well during performances i.e. PRICE and POTTER tailpieces.  Those two are my current choices today.   I have a 1995 Earl Scruggs Standard all original except for the PRICE tailpiece.  I also have a 2004 Osborne Chief all original except for the POTTER tailpiece.  Both hold the strings at the same tension across the entire bridge with little to no movement. Also both the PRICE and POTTER keep the banjo closer if not in tune after a string break.

Now for the sound portion. To the non-musical ear a different tail piece makes no difference, but AH! HA! to this humble pickers ear, WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Only your tailpiece manufacturer knows for sure! Oh well enough of that. I have found that adjustment of your tailpiece up or down from the banjo head can make a big difference. If you like more low end or bass then adjust your tailpiece higher. If you like a more high end or treble banjo then adjust it down towards the banjo head. But be careful either adjustment, too high and the bridge will shift easily, to low and the banjo will loose it’s sustain. I like mine about 1/4 inch from the banjo head. Since it is difficult to adjust the PRESTO and EAGLE CLAW either way. I simply choose not to use these tailpieces. All but the PRICE and POTTER compress the strings into the tailpiece causing a bridge shift or tuning problems during a string break. Because of the tension caused by these tailpieces I have stopped using the KERSHNER and WAVERLY style tailpieces. The PRICE and POTTER are what I use currently. I have had some difficulty with the PRICE because of its length. With the PRICE adjusted down to 1/4 inch from the banjo head, it tends to bend upward. Thus when a string breaks the tailpiece will release down to some degree causing the strings to go out of tune, but not to the degree of the other tailpieces, except for the POTTER. The POTTER being shorter does not bow up as much. With the right settings almost no tuning is required after a string break. If this continues with my Osborne Chief I will possibly purchase a POTTER for my Scruggs as well. Time will tell. Let me know what you think. Drop me a line and let me know your situation.

barney@banjobarney.com
 

A Bridge over Troubled Banjos

In my previous article I discussed the tailpiece and the different variations that I have tried.   With the 5 string banjo bridge, the river of choices is large and sometimes confusing.   They all say they make your banjo sound great.  I have tried most of the current bridges on the market today.   Here are some of the ones that caught my attention enough to try.

  The Emerson

  The Moon

  The Nechville

  The Sampson

  The Scorpion

  The Snuffy Smith

  The Compensated

There are additional bridges on the market but most are either copies or similar to the ones I have shown above.   Now let’s get right to it.   This is purely taste and what kind of sound you want.   Again to the un-trained ear a different banjo bridge may not sound any different.   I disagree; the sound can be changed dramatically with a different bridge.   Some performers love a tinny or close to archtop banjo sound, and some like the more bassy deep tone mastertone flathead type banjo.   I prefer the later and especially a throaty cracking banjo, like my new Osborn Chief (I love it).

The Emerson boasts of more volume and sweeter tone.   This bridge accomplishes what it says.  If you want your banjo to be sweeter sounding and louder, then this is the bridge for you.  Beware, the bridge legs are small and move easily during hard driving performances.   While I was using this bridge I found myself adjusting it quickly during performances as it move quite easily.  I stopped using this bridge because of the easy movement.

The Moon is supposed to give you a great mastertone type sound with correct fretting intonation all the way up the neck.   I found myself adjusting the bridge to get the appropriate intonation to the point where the bridge would be at an angle.  Due to the shape of the bridge it got in the way during performance and I frequently found myself getting my picks and or fingers caught up on the corners.   I was happy with the tone, but I stopped using it because of it getting in the way.

The Nechville is supposed to help stop the middle string from buzzing as banjo heads often cause the middle of the bridge to sag.  They defeat this by making the middle leg of the bridge a bit longer to compensate.  Also the bridge is compensated for the strings similar to the moon bridge.   I really liked this bridge and used it for quite a while.   The problem I had was during adjustment of the head after wear and tear would cause the two outside legs of the bridge to not be set on the head,  again causing the bridge to move during hard driving performances.  

The Sampson I tried simply because it looked different and I wanted to see what sound it produced.   I did not like the muddy sound I got from my instrument with this and did not use the bridge during a performance.   I think I used it on my daughter’s student banjo when she broke her bridge during adjustment and it is still there today.

The Scorpion was smaller and thinner and it made my banjo sound very tinny.   That might be what some performers want if they like the archtop banjo sound.   I don’t like an ear piercing sound, so I didn’t use this bridge during a performance as well.   I think I gave it to a friend learning the banjo a few months ago.

The Compensated bridge while making the intonation almost perfect up and down the neck was not durable enough to last.   I liked the intonation and sound that this bridge produced, but with wear and tear I purchased several of these because they often broke at the compensated edges.   I simply got tired of breaking bridges.

The Snuffy Smith bridge is my bridge of choice.   I heard JD Crowe perform in Indiana a few years ago and I loved the sound of his Gibson.   After the performance I managed to get up enough nerve to ask him what his setup was.   He informed me that he was using a Snuffy Smith original bridge 5/8 with Crowe spacing.  JD Crowe spaces his strings apart a bit wider than the standard bridge.   I purchased one with standard string spacing and really loved the tone, quality, and stability.   I have not had an issue with bridge movement or breaking.   The Snuffy is a bit thicker than most bridges and thus gives you a bit bassier sounding instrument.  

To wrap it up I haven’t switched to any other bridge since I’ve been using the Snuffy Smith.   I have purchased a new Sosebee bridge which is supposed to be made out of very old wood, but I haven’t tried it yet, guess I’m just scared to mess with what is working for me.   And that’s the key, find the sound and stability you like and go with it.   I once exchanged email with one of the Reno brothers and asked about the gutty sound of the banjo.   He informed me that he placed a piece of tape underneath the bridge on the inside to deaden the sound somewhat.  I tried that and didn’t like the sound.   I also have experimented with thinning the top of the bridge to get more crack out of the banjo.  It certainly does help the punch, but if you thin it too much then it will break sooner.   You will then have to thin another one down to replace it.   I simply like the Snuffy the best for overall sound, stability and durability.     I use the original Snuffy standard spacing ¾ inch bridge.  It’s a bit higher than the normal 5/8 bridge.  The reason I use this is my fingers are very long and with the 5/8 bridge I get a lot of pick scraping noise.  The ¾ inch bridge fixes a lot of this problem.  Well this is just one humble pickers opinion, drop me an email and let me know what you have experimented with.   I would love to hear your ideas.

barney@banjobarney.com

Tools of the Trade

Thinking of purchasing a new banjo?  Confused about what to buy?  Nervous you’ll spend a lot of money and get a bad sounding instrument?   Well all these questions I’ll try to answer for you in this article.   In my 34 years on the banjo, I have owned or played just about every name brand banjo that is made today.  Sound, ease of play, sturdiness, size, weight, answers to all these questions and more to follow.

There are many brands of five string banjos.  From the name brands to the not so known brands all have there place and sound to fit the style of five string you play.  Here are the brand names I will talk about;  Deering, Gibson, Gold Tone, Nechville, Ome, Osborne, Oscar Schmidt, Stelling, Sullivan, Tennessee, Washburn..  First of all I would like to classify these banjo brands into 2 categories; Beginner and Professional.

Beginner brands are; Gold Tone, Oscar Schmidt, and Washburn.  For those of you looking for your first banjo, I would look at these and for the prices you can’t beat them.   My first banjo was a Washburn.

GOLD TONE (Beginner)

OB-250 approximately $800

Gold Tone banjos are extremely well made instruments and make an excellent first banjo for any student.  I have not owned a Gold Tone, but I have played many of them.  The tone is very good and with adjustment the instrument can obtain a near professional quality sound.  The neck of Gold Tone banjos is somewhat larger than most professional grade banjos.  For young beginners this could cause chording to be somewhat more difficult.

OSCAR SCHMIDT (Beginner)

OB5C (with case) approximately $500

Oscar Schmidt banjos are truly beginner or student model banjos.  The craftsmanship leaves a little to be desired.  If you think you might want to play the banjo but aren’t sure, I would purchase one of these.  They cannot be made or adjusted to give you quality professional sound.  They are very rugged and would make a young beginner a good student model, especially if you don’t want to invest a lot of money into something you're not sure about.

WASHBURN (Beginner)

B-16 with case approximately $800

Washburn was my first banjo.  Of course they didn’t make this model back in 1970.  I have played this model and for a beginner class instruments it rates right up there with the Gold Tone.  Craftsmanship is pretty good and with adjustment the instrument can sound at near professional quality.  Again with this banjo as with the Gold Tone the neck is a bit bigger than most professional grade banjos.

DEERING (professional)

Sierra, approximately $1900

Deering Sierra is a fine banjo if you are looking for a good professional grade but don’t want to spend a fortune.  I have owned two Deering Sierra’s and have found both of them quality instruments.  My only issue with this banjo is responsiveness.  With my style of performing I just couldn’t get the volume out of it.  I sold my first one to a friend and my second one took a long fall down a flight of stairs.   I never got it repaired and traded it in the shape it was for a Gibson.

NECHVILLE (Professional)

Classic, approximately $3200

Nechville banjos are unique in the design and structure of the tone ring, flange, and tension hoop.   I have not owned a Nechville but I have played many of them at different festivals and at IBMA world of bluegrass week.  While this banjo is well crafted and is much lighter than most professional grade banjos, it just doesn’t have the sound that I am looking for.   I found the sound to be unique.  If someone could make a banjo that was half the weight of a normal one that sounded like a 1928 Granada. I would invest in that company and own one myself.

TENNESSEE (Professional)

TNF, approximately $4100

The Tennessee brand banjos are very well put together.   I have not owned a Tennessee but have played many of them at festival and award shows.  I found the price to be a bit high for the sound and craftsmanship of this banjo.  While it was a good banjo, the sound was very bassy and the neck was very slow and seemed to need more sanding and finishing to get it smoother and easier to play. But a lot of professionals like a muddier sounding instrument, i.e. Alison Brown and Bella Fleck.

OME (Best of Breed Professional)

Columbine Artist, approximately $7500

OME banjos are the most under rated and under seen banjos that I know of.   I have played and looked at some spectacular instruments from OME.  They are as good sounding as they are beautiful.  I don’t see a lot of professionals playing OME banjos, which is a shame as far as I’m concerned.   I don’t own one simply because they are too expensive for my pocket book.   However if OME is looking for a sponsored musician my email is barney@banjobarney.com  hehehe.

SULLIVAN (Professional)

Greenbriar,  approximately $2800

I chose to place the Sullivan in this article because they surprised me at IBMA in 2001.  I had a chance to play one in a jam session the folks at the First Quality Music booth were kind enough to let me try it.  I was impressed beyond belief, this banjo really sounded.  I had great responsiveness and the tone was perfect for me.  If I would have had the money, I would have purchased it on the spot.  However my love took me to another place which you will see below.  I wouldn’t turn down and offer from First Quality to be a musician sponsor (I guess I’m dreaming).

STELLING (Best of Breed Professional)

Staghorn, approximately $6000

Stelling banjos are awesome, that is pretty much all I can say.  I have owned two Stellings.   A Bellflower and a custom made Staghorn that had black chrome with gold plating underneath.  In reality I would still have both of these banjos, but I had a run of bad luck and had to sell them for money to eat.  I miss my Staghorn tremendously and would love to have it back.  I bought them early in 1980 and performed with them until 1990.  I would love to have another custom made.  The same Stelling that I paid $3000 for in 1980 would cost over $12,000 today OUCH!

GIBSON (Best of Breed Professional)

Scruggs Gold, approximately $6000

Ever since I started teaching myself banjo by using Flatt and Scruggs records at sixteen speed, I dreamed of owning a Mastertone.  Well I finally bought a Scruggs Standard in 1995, after a four year dry spell of playing.   I basically didn’t perform or even practice much between 1991 and 1995.  I probably forgot more banjo than I know now, but I’m working hard to get it all back.  What can I say, love the sound, love the quality, and love the name.  I have placed a Price tailpiece with a ¾ inch Snuffy bridge and this baby turns a few heads.  I worked out a deal with a local music store owner to teach banjo in exchange for this beauty.  And I am happy I did that.

OSBORNE (Top of the Line Professional)

Chief, priced at $3855 with Calton case and much more.

I heard Rob McCroury give a banjo workshop at IBMA in 2000 and he was playing his chief banjo.   The sound was mind numbing.  I knew I was in love and it was bad, I wanted one, but knew I couldn’t afford the price at the time.   So I waited, but the Lord say’s, “good things come to those who wait”.  I still love my Gibson, but wanted a second banjo in case of string break during performances.  With 4 years gone by my financial situation is much better than it was in 2000.  In January 2004 I found one at Gruhn Guitars and told them it was mine, but I had to wait a day to get it.   It was one of the longest days in my life.   I purchased it the next day.  Actually would have used the Osborne as a second banjo, as I was used to the Gibson and loved the sound.  Of course the Gibson is much more expensive than the Osborne so I figured it would suffice as a great second banjo.  Well I had a chance to jam with it at Jefferson City Missouri, during the SPBGMA awards and WOW!  This is the best sounding banjo I have ever heard in my opinion.  The chief is now my primary instrument and the Gibson is my second banjo.  My daughter is learning the banjo, so she uses the Gibson now.   I gave it to her as a new years present with the understanding that I could take it as a backup instrument when I am performing.  Sonny Osborne says this banjo is for serious banjo performers.   If I wasn’t serious before I am now. 

Rating System

I have devised a rating system for each banjo so that you can view this and hopefully it will help you decide what instrument fits your style and taste.  I only have one other piece of advice.  Don’t buy a banjo that you have never played.   Even if you have to travel to a store that has one somewhere, do it before you buy a new one to insure it handles well and is comfortable.

I am using a scale of 1 to 10.  10 being the best and 1 being the worst.  In the case of tone a 1 is bassy and a 10 is trebly, ideally you want a 5 in this category which means balanced.  For size and weight the same applies, i.e. a heavy banjo would rate a 10, a banjo to light would rate 1.  The overall column is a total of the previous columns.  This gives you a quick look at a rating number to help show where the banjo rates with the rest of the pack.  The perfect banjo would have a score of; tone=5+quality=10+ease=10+size=5+weight5=35(the perfect banjo)

T=tone, Q=quality, E=ease of play, S=neck size, W=weight

ALL=overall rating

Disclaimer;  These rating are my opinion only.  In the end you can be the judge of what you like.  

As you can see above I like the Osborne, Gibson, Stelling, and Ome.  The Deering and Sullivan are very close behind.  

If you are a beginner, buy a Gold Tone.  If you are looking for the perfect banjo similar to a prewar Gibson, buy an Osborne Chief.  The Gibson and Stelling banjos are much more expensive than the Osborne.  For the price a Deering and Sullivan would also be a great choice if you didn’t want to spend over $3,000.00.   Well that’s pretty much it, drop me a line and let me know what you like or think about this article.  Any suggestions for future articles also let me know.

barney@banjobarney.com

Banjo Players are Picky about PICKS

I have been performing for many years and one of the hardest things for me was trying to use picks that were more durable.   I learned to play the guitar and then switched to banjo.  I learned to play with picks that aren’t used that often, Ernie Ball’s and metal thumb picks.   However the metal thumb pick always seem to be louder than the finger picks causing me to have sound balance problems.

Choosing the right pick for you can be the difference in playing faster, cleaner or slower and/or mumbled.   I have played with just about every pick made today.   I got tired of the Ernie Ball picks wearing out so fast.  I was never able to pick with the speed or the accuracy that I could with Ernie Ball picks.   I use them now and will not change again unless something like Ernie Ball comes around.  I use the Propik metal thumb pick with a plastic tip.  The sound is more balanced between my fingers and thumb.

Here are pictures of the picks that I have used in the last 10 years.

  ACRI Picks

ACRI picks were incredibly large and cumbersome for me.  My accuracy went way down.

Ernie Ball   (Banjo Barney’s choice)

Great tone and accuracy for me.  I will not switch to another again.

National

National picks weren’t to bad.  They do make lighter gauge which helped.  I kept hitting the picks together as I had to bend them pretty good to get a good tone.

ProPik

ProPiks really stayed on my hand very well.  They do make a pointy version as well which I used quit a while.   Again they were to cumbersome for my right hand angle.

Showcase 41

The pick surface was not as long as the national or ernie ball picks.  My accuracy went down to far.

Goldengate

The Golden Gate slipped off of my thumb quite frequently.

Propik all metal

Good pick and I really like them.  However the metal made my thumb picked strings to loud and I wasn’t getting enough balance

Propik metal with plastic tip (Banjo Barney’s choice)

This propik I have used now for a while and I will continue.  I get the metal to help keep it on my thumb.  The plastic tip helps with balance between the thumb and finger picks

There are lots of articles and books about the way you are supposed to hold your right hand, angle the picks, and rest your pinky and ring finger.   I don’t do any of those the way the book says.  I learned to play guitar with finger and thumb picks before banjo and used my thumb and picks on my 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd fingers.   Since there was no one around to show me banjo when I started playing I learned it with thumb and three fingers.   You can imagine a 4 finger role was pretty strange, although I could play many more notes with ease since I had an extra finger.   That lasted for about 4 years then I met a gentleman at a luthier shop in Ralston Nebraska.   He informed me that you only used the first and second finger.   So I took off the 4^th pick and started playing without it.   Because of this I was used to resting my pinky only and not the ring finger as well.   Also my right hand is angled over the bridge and my fingers hit the strings at a 45 degree angle.   When I started playing with other picks like Showcase 41’s I had to angle the blades to help me get better tone quality.   The angling of the picks made them fit strange on my hand and the 1^st and 2^nd fingers often hit each other causing even more picking problems.  

Well you can imagine some of the problems I was having.   It got to a point where I was extremely unhappy with my performing.   So my number one rule for finger and thumb picks is choose the types that fit your style of playing and the position of your right hand.   I have jammed and watched hundreds of banjo performers and each has a distinct way of holding the right hand and the type and way they bend there picks.   Don’t listen to someone telling you not to use a certain type of pick.   If you are starting out, try them all and see which one fits your right hand and helps your accuracy and speed.   The Ernie Ball picks are very light weight and can be bent easily to form fit your fingers.   For me it’s like playing without picks.  If you hit the strings at and angle without picks bend the ones you’re using to allow your right hand to stay in the same position. 

Choosing picks is in my humble opinion a personal matter and a comfort matter.   Choose the ones that are comfortable and give you ease with speed and accuracy.   It is very frustrating when you can play certain songs or licks on a banjo without picks, but it’s almost impossible to play the same licks with picks.  

If someone could invent a finger pick that was hard enough to get good tone but form fitting to your finger without being so bulky, I would buy stock. 

Some call the other types of picks like Nationals, spoons.   Each one of these that I have tried are simply to big and bulky for my right hand.  

I have purchased more Ernie Ball picks and it is my intention to have them COBALT plated.   I have performed with these plated picks and they last much longer and stay fixed on your right hand.   Believe me there is nothing more embarrassing then having a pick fly off in the middle of a break. 

I have tried gorilla snot and other treatments to help keep the picks on your hand,   they are messy and smelly.   The best glue that works for me is saliva.  Lick your fingers before you perform and place your picks on.   You’ll be surprised how much better they stay on.   Some people might think that’s disgusting, so wash your hands first  HEHEHE

Having trouble?  Can’t decide what to try?   Drop me an email and let’s discuss it.   Sometimes it helps to hear another who is having the same problems.

 Next article I’ll tell you about my practice patterns and what has helped me get better accuracy with speed.

barney@banjobarney.com

The Trials of Performing with the Banjo OFF and ON

One of the most difficult areas concerning playing the banjo is keeping your right hand in shape.   This is a difficult and often frustrating area for me in particular.   When you play banjo for your own enjoyment and learn song after song and play it well with yourself that is a wonderful thing, and I still do that as often as I can.   However, I do love to perform with the banjo and make wonderful lonesome music.   Performing is an entirely different feeling and ability than playing and learning songs and occasionally jamming.  It is an art that the best of the best have perfected and we are all in awe of the ones that are lucky enough to do it for a living.   Performers like Alan Munde, Sammy Shelor, Steve Dilling, etc…   Performing all the time will keep you in shape simply from the shear volume of it.   However pickers like me are not in the right area to make a living at it.   I am very happy for the opportunity to perform with Sharon Graeff and Heritage and I hope it is a long and wonderful time.  At the best performing occurs every weekend or every other weekend and when times are slow (gas prices), maybe once a month and that’s certainly okay.

            The thing to remind ones self is the old story, PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.   However with jobs, and kids, and all other life’s journeys sometimes practice takes a back seat OUCH!!!!   This is where the right hand can become mushy and lack stability and become tired at fast songs or sloppy at slow songs.    There is a cure PRACTICE and CONDITONING, PRACTICE, CONDITIONING, PRACTICE, CONDITIONING.   Not just picking songs and learning new licks but CONDITIONING is even more important for those of us who are blessed enough to perform with the very best even when it’s not that often. 

STATEMENT;

Once you learn to play a song you never forget and you can remember the licks you did, say on a CD cut.

RESPONSE;

This is false, I for one if a song is not played again and again when a band is practicing is not like riding a bike you WILL forget.

STATEMENT;

I don’t need to practice I’m good enough

RESPONSE;

Well, that is totally not true.   I have played the banjo for well over 30 years and I listen to cuts I did 15 years ago that I couldn’t begin to play today without extensive practice time.

STATEMENT;

I don’t need to condition and do exercises over and over

RESPONSE;

Yes, you definitely need to condition and play roles and simple exercises over and over to keep you right hand in shape.

I have at times neglected my right hand and paid the price, especially during performances.   Show up to a show cold and do not warm up on the way or exercise and you’ll regret it.   Believe me I’ve been there, and it’s not pretty and you’ll get questions from fans after the performance like,  “What happened did you injure your hand or something?”. 

            Fear not there is a cure and it will benefit you greatly.   I struggle with this issue now more and more every day as age takes it’s tole on me as it does on everyone.   Quickness, dexterity, stability, drive, DRIVE, DDRRIVVE!!!    All these can be yours if you want them, BUT THERE IS A PRICE,    “TIME”.    I will offer up some of the things that I do to help.

1. If you can’t practice the actual banjo everyday, make sure you exercise everyday to keep things loose.
2. Even if it’s 15 minutes don’t skip, (this is the area I don’t do well in some days when there are many other things to do).
3. Set up a rut to follow and STICK WITH IT!!!

Here is my schedule and what I try to accomplish.

1. Stretching, this might seem funny but just as a karate expert must maintain flexibility to kick over someone’s head, the banjo picker must maintain good finger flexibility.  I do the following; 
   1. Use your left hand and spread two fingers at a time starting with your first and middle finger on your right hand.   Do this between each finger set, I try to keep this up for 1 minute on each finger for 15 to 20 minutes.  Don’t forget your thumb.  DON”T CRACK YOUR NUCKLES.   Hint;  your making a V shape as big of an opening as you can between each finger set.
2. Dexterity, this is also a funny thing but it works.   You know the live long and prosper hand gesture Spock does well do it.
   1. Keeping your first and middle finger touching each other and your pinky and ring finger touching spread both sets apart making the live long and prosper sign.  Put them all back together and then spread them again as far as you can go.   Do this over and over.  
   2. An option you can do with this as you get better is when you bring your fingers all back together simply keep the middle and ring finger together and spread the pinky and first finger apart as far as you can.  Do this over and over.
   3. When you get comfortable with this alternate using a. and b.
   4. For fun do it with both hands and alternate them between hands (THIS IS HARD)
3. Stability;   you’ll need to buy or make a practice board you can get one at www.janetdavismusic.com see the picture below
   1. Using your picks play forward and backward roles until you’re ready to throw up from the tediousness of it.   Seriously the more you can do this the better.    Do them slow and methodical and make sure you stay as clean with your picking as possible
   2. When you feel you’re ready play some of your favorite songs and pick roles along with the song for the duration of the song.   This is important as the more songs you do this with the more stability and stamina you will build.   Believe me when you’re performing 2 hour shows, you will appreciate this one the most.

4. Drive DRIVE DDRRIIVVEE!!;  This is the fun one of the bunch
   1. I make a CD of my favorite songs, both vocal and instrumental with about 20 to 30 songs in the order from slowest song to fastest.    Play along with each of these on the banjo using as many licks and runs that you have and if you like what the banjo is doing on the song mimic it, learn it and play it exactly.   This will build you’re drive and skill at performing.   Try standing during this part and build up your back as well. 

Well these are the things that I do to try and help keep me frosty and ready to pick.   Just like everything else, sometimes I can’t do 3 and 4 because of time constraints and the loudness of practice.   You could try a mute and tape the practice board to reduce the sound.   However 1 and 2 can be done anywhere anytime.     There’s no excuse and I should listen to my own advice.   

GOOD LUCK and GOOD PICKIN

Banjo Barney

barney@banjobarney.com

Barney Moss
of Sharon Graeff & Heritage Band
with his NEW OSBORNE CHIEF BANJO