I really liked Patty S.’s comments in response to my Practice Tips #3 and #4. In particular, I loved her #4: Believe in muscle memory.
I actually witnessed Patty’s muscle memory operating outside her own awareness one time when she and Red and I were picking together. Patty had come East for some live, in-person banjo lessons after meeting me at a banjo camp in Port Townsend. When this incident happened, she’d only been picking about a year. (Is that right, Patty?) Anyhow, we were picking some tune up the neck, one that Patty hadn’t picked before (although she could play “Foggy Mt. Breakdown” and maybe “Lonesome Road Blues” up the neck). I was encouraging her, as always, to “just play SOMETHING,” it didn’t have to be pretty, or right, or just like Earl. Just something. Somehow Patty always understood that concept. (And she is very brave!)
Anyhow (again), all of a sudden her hands did a great lick—one that she’d clearly learned in another song and one that her hands had executed without her permission. It was the perfect lick for the song we were doing and Patty didn’t even realize that she’d done it. I, on the other hand, was freaking out (in a good way) because I knew what had happened. Her muscle memory had kicked in! Things were happening below the level of consciousness. Stephen King refers to this as the work of the “boys in the basement.” Perhaps in Patty’s case it was the “girls in the basement.” Whatever. Something was going on down there.
But the girls (or boys) in the basement can’t export their work unless you—the person with the actual hands—do your part. Your muscle memory is a pipeline to that basement. So, you’ve got to put in the practice time doing all those foundation songs over and over and over. You’ve got to commit these songs and these licks to your muscle memory. And the only way to do it is to practice. Practice till you’re sick of the songs, till you can’t stand them. Then practice some more!
Banjo players, in particular, will notice that in Beginning Banjo Vol. 1 and 2, certain licks keep coming up over and over. (This is also particularly noticeable in the Improvising DVD and in the High Breaks and Backup [soon to be released on DVD].) This is, hopefully, a more or less painless way get you to use these same licks over and over. Till they become automatic. Till they become stored in your muscle memory.
Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to storing licks in your muscle memory. Although I’ve always found that playing with other people does seem to speed up the process. Maybe it’s just that you can put in more time that way without realizing you are practicing!
I’ve had many experiences with muscle memory, but my strongest is this. Back in 1977, Red and I had a regular gig in Gainesville, Florida, at a place called Diamond Jim’s. During much of 1977, I was pregnant with Casey. (This may come as a surprise to some of you who still thought “Murphy” was a boy!) Since it was hard to hold the banjo during those last few months, I didn’t play much. Thus, when I got back on stage at Diamond Jim’s for the first time since Casey’s birth (January 1978), I was woefully out of practice. Not a big deal for three-chord bluegrass, but many of my original songs have numerous and tricky chords. And at the time I was singing most of them capoed up in B or C. So right in the middle of my own “Fast Picks and Hot Licks,” I realized, as I was singing, that I had no idea how to play the upcoming and chordally complex banjo break.
Fortunately, before I had a chance to panic, the break was upon me. And I literally stood there and watched my hands play something that my conscious mind had no control over. It was somewhat unnerving! Ever since then I have been a big believer in muscle memory! With enough practice, you will be a believer too!
P.S. Stephen King fans: Have you ever noticed how many references Stephen King has to banjo and bluegrass songs in his books? Particularly the early ones! I thought about sending him a Beginning Banjo DVD….!
Tags: murphy, muscle memory, Practice, stephen king
Hey Murphy,
I remember that! There are plenty of fond memories like that – here’s another one. I’d been playing banjo for 2 years (not 1), using tab, before I met Murphy at the camp. I had maybe 3 or 4 songs I could play without looking at tab (in my living room with nobody else around!). I could vamp and change chords well enough to get by. Murphy thought I was ready to start improvising.
So, Murphy chose one of those songs I could play and told me to find a specific C lick from the song (she played it and recorded it so I knew what to search for). Then she walked away and left me to figure it out (I called this Murphy’s “gentle mix of guided self discovery” method!). So I spent some time playing thru the song, and found the lick! That was really cool! I proudly announced my discovery, thinking we were done – ha! She then had me put that lick in Blue Ridge Cabin Home. And we did the same thing with G and D licks! And all of a sudden, I was playing the song! I will never forget that moment! The lights went on – big time. It was a HUGE turning point in my banjo playing. Brilliant teaching, Murphy!! I ceremoniously burned a page of tab after that and never went back.
-Patty
I’ve only been a MM student for a few months now and I’m amazed at how quick and easy it is. I tried working with Earl’s book off and on (mostly off) for a couple of years. I was able to learn a lot about the banjo and a lot about Earl(very interesting), but I wasn’t able to learn much about playing. I’m just starting on Beginning Banjo Vol 2 and I was wondering how folks use the Murphy Method.
This seems to work for me:
When I start to learn a new tune, I’ll try to work through as much as I think I can retain in the first practice session. This might be the whole ‘A’ part, or maybe just a couple of licks. I’ll play this much over and over until it sticks. Then I’ll turn off the TV and review all of the other tunes I know. This doesn’t take long
The next day I’ll try to recall what I learned the previous day from memory. Sometimes this works, and sometimes I need to go back to the video to get started. After a few minutes of review I’ll move on to new material, still playing the tune from the beginning over and over. After two or three days of this I can usually get the whole tune in my head and in my fingers. Again, I review all the tunes I know in every practice session.
Then, for the next week or two, I’ll keep the TV off and try to work on playing the tune smoothly at a constant speed. I try to practice for at least a half hour every day. When I think I’ve got it, I’ll go back to the video and try to play along with Murphy and the guitar. This is usually when I discover that I’m not playing smoothly enough, or that I’ve been doing something wrong. After a couple more days I can work out the kinks and play along reasonably well.