5 Top Tips for Bluegrass Beginners

1. Listen to Bluegrass Music

Buy or borrow albums of your favourite Bluegrass singers and musicians and play as often as you can. Listen to the solo part for your instrument and also how the musicians back one another up.

"...having the sounds in your ears, brain and heart, you'll know in advance what you are looking for"

"The Complete 5-String Banjo Player" By Tony Trischka

Photograph courtesy of Pinterest

Make full use of YouTube - it's a fantastic free resource for you to exploit. I can't start playing a new tune unless I have heard it first, and so YouTube is always my starting point.

Play your music as often as you dare without making your spouse or children leave home! It's a mystery to me why the whole world does not love Bluegrass but the naked truth is that most people don't get it!

2. Find a Teacher

You may be able to teach yourself if you are a talented musician or have a number of Bluegrass friends, but most people need assistance or progress will be very slow and there is always the added danger of giving up. I was lucky as I had a teacher on my doorstep but you may not be so fortunate. Here the British Bluegrass Association (BBMA) can help you as they keep a directory of UK teachers on their website.

Photograph courtesy of telegraph.co.uk

You will find a number of free online lessons but if you are serious about online tuition get the appropriate software on your computer (eg Skype) and sign up to a proper school. There are many to choose from. I have no actual experience of online tuition but Artist Works Academy of Bluegrass looks like a good organisation.


3. Tablature or No Tablature?


I have met a few people who are completely opposed to the use of tablature (tab) and advocate learning by ear. Most Bluegrass beginners, however, including myself find tab an invaluable tool to assist in the learning process.

Photograph courtesy of educatorstechnology.com 

Once you have mastered the tune with tab the next step is to commit it to memory and play it without the tab. One advantage of tab is that you can return to a tune you could play a few years back but have now forgotten. With the help of tab you should quickly remember how to play it.

Tab exists for most of the instruments used in Bluegrass music and is widely available free of charge on the internet. I use the tab achieve of banjohangout.com. Similar tab libraries are available for other instruments.

4. Practice

A 90 year old cello player was recently asked,
"Why do you practice every day?"
He replied,
"Because I think that I am getting better"

I recommend practicing everyday. Yes easy for me to say but hard for all of us to achieve in reality. We all lead busy lives and have to juggle work, family commitments and other hobbies. And then some days we get plain lazy or find good excuses not to play.

Well it looks like a banjo
Photograph courtesy of rajasthantour4u.com

I aim to practice everyday but it doesn't always work out that way. Some days I manage half an hour and on a good day it will be an hour. Many would say this is not long enough but at my age I am not trying to set the world on fire but just play a few tunes I love together with others.  Many professional musicians practice 5 or 6 hours a day and that is the sort of commitment you will need to mix it with the best people.

5. Play with Other Musicians

My teacher will laugh at this recommendation because I am a sinner. I am what is known as a "bedroom banjoist". I can play well at home but once I try to join in with other musicians it often goes wrong. I am always surprised at the speed the more experienced musicians play. The session I attend allows me to start the tune off at my speed (slow) and then the others take over and rack up the speed. Playing on my own I tend only to play melody and consequently my knowledge of chords is not as good as I would like.  Also if you only play on your own you will have no experience of backing up other instruments while they are playing their solo part.

Bluegrass sessions are a good place to meet like minded people and learn the craft of playing with others - hopefully in harmony. In Herefordshire we have a monthly session led by Martin Blake. It is held on the first Wednesday of every month at the Victory Inn, Hereford.

Hereford Sessions, Martin and Gillie

Hereford Sessions, Denis and Ed

Hereford Sessions, Frank, Nye and Jeremy

During the summer months there are festivals and events most weekends. Here there will be ample opportunity to play with musicians at your level of experience during the daytime and then sit back and enjoy the evening concerts.  The British Bluegrass Association website has a list of festivals and events so you can check out what is happening in your area.