Prescription Bluegrass now has the Doc on board with weekly “Jamming Tips” and once each month, a full in-depth article.
DR. BANJO’S JAM TIP #4. It's not about learning to solo!
Some people think learning to play bluegrass starts with memorizing exact solos played by a good player. While I see some value in learning a couple of tunes note-for-note, what's really important is learning to play rhythm. After all, that's what everyone who plays bluegrass spends most of their time doing. Plus, basic rhythm playing is much easier than soloing!
So: First, learn to change chords smoothly while keeping rhythm. Until you do that, you can't play with other people -- but as soon as you can do that, you can. Then the next step is: learn to follow guitar chords in real time, an essential part of jamming. Click here for some good help with that.
If you are studying from a book or DVD or with a teacher who’s assigning you exact solos, please read this: If you wish your teacher would help you learn to jam, print out a copy of the article for him/her, and ask to discuss it. That could get you jamming sooner than you think!
READ DR. BANJO’S JAM TIPS EVERY TUESDAY ON THE PRESCRIPTION BLUEGRASS BLOG
This is a brand new weekly series with Dr. Banjo. If you just can’t wait a week or need more advanced help, be sure to visit DrBanjo.com and browse around.
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