Hi yaal ...My name is Dick Miller...aka..saint dick...I have several good life time friends on this forum that I will always cherish. I started pickin about 8 or 9 years ago..with a goal of being able to play Amazing Grace...I never got the hang of picking real fast ..so my excuse is I love the Old Time gospel. I am pretty much a cord chunker...I keep the beat and sing a few in my home town Church and do the same at a local rest home. When I started I was eat up with the banjo ...everything I did was banjo banjo banjo..I took it everywhere I went...my poor friends and family !!!!! I never got the ability to play by ear and had to use tab memorization and soon learned to pick a break to 30 plus songs ....through the years I have forgot most of the songs but can pick them back up with a little practice..the thing I have not forgotten is cords and chucking .
The point I am trying to make here is ...learn it now learn it while you have the urge. Life might get in the way of being able to spend time playing your banjo. Learn to chuck them cords this will allow you to participate in group music ....learning the breaks is fine and fun but I think it is way more important to learn all your cords and get real familiar with chucking ...This will give you a life time talent that you will never forget. I may have forgotten alot of the breaks I spent so much time learning but I will never forget the cords and chucking ....Hey ,,,,if I am invited to a camp fire tonight I will be able to participate with the music.