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Flatpicking Essentials: Freshman Class 2010
Information
This group is for those that have recently started working with Dan Miller's Flatpicking Essentials Series, and want to share their thoughts and support each others development. General idea is, as a group, to actively work through F.E. together.
Members: 35
Latest Activity: Dec 24, 2012
Discussion Forum
Band in a Box for Metronome Practice 5 Replies
I was wondering about the groups opinion of using Band in a Box for metronome practice. I purchased a copy about 6 months ago along with all the bluegrass realtracks. I had been using it as backup…Continue
Started by Bob Hansen. Last reply by Chris Downing Nov 22, 2010.
Gerneral comment on posts I've read. 4 Replies
I recently purchased FE #1 and am very pleased with Dan's approach to building fundamental skills in rhythm. I found FGM's website when the first issue was published and still have them all. …Continue
Started by Ken Julkowski. Last reply by Ken Julkowski Oct 16, 2010.
Volume 2 13 Replies
August 1: I still have remaining work on the last 5 or so tunes in vol. 1, but I am on to volume 2. I think I will start working the songs in parallel with the ear training material at the beginning…Continue
Started by ganon. Last reply by ganon Oct 11, 2010.
Apathy - Picking up the pace. 35 Replies
From recent comments, it seems that even those still active in the group are fading. I propose we speed things up a bit - take the rest of May to finish the exercises in the first half of FE#1, and…Continue
Started by ganon. Last reply by ganon Aug 13, 2010.
Comment Wall
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Comment by Tom Lewis on August 23, 2010 at 6:24am -
Greetings to all...just joined per an invite from ganon, as I'm just about to start exercise 16. I do have a couple questions for the gang if you don't mind:
1) No speed rates for exercise passing are given, I'm sure on purpose. How do we know when we are "fast enough" to go on?
2) More basic...how firmly should we be holding the pic?
3) Again more basic...I find many of my up strokes on the heavier strings are being directed from my elbow...I have heard not to anchor the wrist on the bridge nor work from the elbow...not even anchor pinky type fingers on the top...heard the technique is more wrist rotation...I'm flummoxed.
Thanks for the opportunity to chime in. I'm sure to have more questions as I try working through the course.
Tom
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Comment by Bryan Floyd on August 23, 2010 at 6:56am -
Good questions, Tom. I can benefit from these answers as well...
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Comment by ganon on August 23, 2010 at 9:04am -
Tom,
1) Exercise speeds - start at 60 BPM, then work up to 100, which is about the speed of the audio tracks that come with the book - if you can play along and go through cleanly a couple of times in a row without mistakes, then you can probably considered it 'learned' and are ready to move focus on to the next exercise. However, you'll probably want to continue practice as a 'background' task, building muscle memory and build up to speeds of 160-180 bpm.
2) Holding the pick - as loose as you can without it flying away. You'll learn to dynamically tighten the grip when you need it (rest strokes, digging strong base notes, etc). If you grip hard all the time rhythm, speed and stamina will all suffer.
3) A never ending discussion - I think the general agreement (if there is any agreement) is that the best approach is to lightly brush (not anchor) the pinkie (or pinkie + ring) on the pickguard while playing. This gives a good reference to the string height and can also reference the 'across the strings' position by lightly touching the high E string occasionally. (3.b) I would think that picking from the elbow wouldn't work very well, rather use the elbow for strums and moving between string positions. Actually single-string picking should be done by wrist motion (waving or rotating - realistically a combo thereof) or thumb articulation (watch a Tony Rice video). If you want more discussion, Dan Miller's new book with Brad Davis on Speed and Accuracy addresses picking mechanics in much more detail that the Flatpicking Essentials series.
Pick lots, and have fun doing it!
-ganon
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Comment by Tom Lewis on August 24, 2010 at 10:05pm
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Thanks for the great input...much appreciated.
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Comment by Dan Miller on August 24, 2010 at 10:55pm
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Great comments by ganon. I agree with everything that he said here.
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Comment by Tom Lewis on September 1, 2010 at 9:17pm
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Have a question on Example 16 (Volume 1). Regarding the 1/8th note runs, it sounds when playing the downloaded audio files they are played with the 1st and 3rd notes of the group receiving a longer "dwell" time than the 2nd and 4th. What I mean, to say it another way, is the 1st and 3rd notes of the group sound more like 1/4 notes and the 2nd and 4th sound more like 1/16th notes. Am I the only one who finds it this way? I'm not about to say its wrong, just not exactly what is written.
Thoughts?
Tom
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Comment by Jim Wing on September 2, 2010 at 4:50am -
Tom, that syncopation you are hearing is an essential feature of bluegrass and is found in lots of tunes in other genres as well. You might be interested in this discussion:
http://flatpick.ning.com/group/flatpickingessentialsfreshmanclass20...
Also, listen to any version of "Walls of Time."
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Comment by ganon on September 18, 2010 at 7:55am
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Pretty quiet out there - anybody besides me still working on Vol. 2?
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Comment by Lora on September 18, 2010 at 8:01am -
Hey ganon,
I am working on Volume 2. It is slow going but I am making progress. I am better able to pick out chord changes at jams. Still have a long way to go, but definately making progress!
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Comment by Bryan Floyd on September 18, 2010 at 1:24pm
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Hi ganon - I'm still procrastinating and haven't purchased Volume 1 yet!! :(
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Latest Activity
Marc Schlotthauer replied to Todd McFarland's discussion What brand do you play?"My gear is much better than my skill - for straight flatpickin', I play a Martin D-18 Authentic 1937. My go-to guitar for just about everything else (and it flatpicks just fine, thank you) is my Huss & Dalton D-RH with a Red Spruce top.…"
Derek commented on Derek's video
Ragtime Annie
"Hey Craig. Thanks for the kind comment. The credit for this version should really go To Steve Kaufman who's arrangement it is. Good luck with your bluegrass studies, it's wonderful music and great fun to play. I look forward to…"
Craig commented on Derek's videoRagtime Annie
"Derek: Mike above is teaching me blue grass and showed me this site. Fantastic rendition by you of this great song. Thanks for sharing. I'm off to Mike's to practice!!!!"
Clyde J.Ortego replied to Todd McFarland's discussion What brand do you play?"I play a Silvertone Acoustic from back in the Sixties."
Mike FlatPickingBuddy replied to Todd McFarland's discussion What brand do you play?"I have a Guild Bluegrass D40 made in the original factory at Hoboken that has been with me since 1964
I also have a Martin D18 made sometime around 1994 and a 1977 or earlier Yamaha FG336SB"
Derek commented on Derek's videoRagtime Annie
"Thanks Mike. I have to prove to myself that I can play the material as written but once I've done that I start to allow myself some leeway to have fun and drop in my own bits. There's not too much space to do that in SK's version of…"
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