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Walking The Walk, Talking the talk
Teaching
One of the best things you can do to help yourself learn the banjo is to teach someone else.
As soon as you can play the basic frailing strum start showing your friends how to do it. By studying a task in order to find a way to explain it to somebody you wind up with a deeper understanding of the subject.
The more you teach, the more you know.
That's kind of cool when yo u think about it.
When you do start teaching, don't try to over-explain things. It's a mistake to give somebody all the answers. A good teacher isn't concerned with the right answer. The real magic of teaching is getting a student to ask the right questions.
Improvising
The only trick to improvising is to stop making a big deal about improvising.
In this book you have been presented with the basic skills and building blocks to make great music. Go use them.
Improvising isn't a magic trick. Improvising is nothing more than a constant string of creative compromises. You start to play a song and you work with the notes, chords and rhythm as you go along.
That's why they call it improvising.
Stage Presence
When you start to play for and with people it helps to develop some stage presence. The easiest way to have stage presence is to be yourself.
Speak to your audience directly, honestly and from the heart. Be proud of yourself. Not prideful, proud. Stand up straight. Yo u don't have to dress up, but it helps to at least look like you care a little bit about the people looking at you.
Do your job and then get off the stage.
Moving On To The Next Level
I get asked all the time, "How do I take my playing to the next level?"
I hate to tell you this, but when you're really ready you won't have to ask anybody for directions. |
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