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My Practice banjo also is available in the left handed
style.
February lesson 2003 showed the
first part of how to play Amazing Grace on the banjo. Part two was
added to make it complete. If you need this part you can review
this lesson.
What is an improvisation?
The performance of music that is composed on the spur-of-the moment by the
performer. The word improvisation comes from the word improvise.
In the section below, I show how to play
Blackberry Blossom on the guitar one way. Any time that a song is played,
it should always be the simple version on the first time through so that
everyone knows which song that you are playing. The second time that
you take a break, change it a little. The next time change it even
more. Once you have set the melody of the song in the listener's mind, you can
change it all that you want as long as the chords follow the same basic
pattern and you make it back in time to finish at the right
place. It is best to work out your lead in detail, but first
you have to try some things to see what happens. These attempts are
called improvisations. Experienced musicians play this way often.
Listen to Tony Rice when he
plays; he starts out simple and on the second time around, he will put in
a run that will delay his starting point, then he works his way back to
end up at the right point. The next time around, he will delay even
further and again he works his way out to end correctly again. Once you
have learned some of the sections on my site, try getting lost in a song
and see what you can come up with to get back. This is true with all
instruments. There is an art to covering up your mistakes and making
it sound like you meant to do it. If you hit a wrong note, improvise
and see if you can use that note. If you can pull it off, act like
it was the plan all along.
A child once said, " If
you are drawing a picture of a dog and it looks like a horse, then it is a
horse."
Guitar
How
to Play "Blackberry Blossom"
In this section, I am showing how to play Blackberry Blossom in the key of G. This
song takes a while to learn because it has a lot of notes and is
fast. Learn it slow and let the speed come to you.
If you only play rhythm, you can follow the chords marked above the
necks below. Tony Rice and Doc
Watson each have
good versions to learn from.
Play the section above two times
through. Play the bottom section through two times as well. It is good to improvise on the second
time on the section below.
Section one Example
Section two Example
I will be looking at teaching how to play this song on the banjo
next month. Possibly the mandolin after that. The
fiddle will be the same as the mandolin.
The
Warren Yates Method of Playing Bluegrass Banjo for Beginners
DVD
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