So you bought a shiny new banjo and you have been putting in lots and lots of practice. You have played Earls Tag Lick x10000s times and your ready for your next lesson.
I guess as banjo students there comes a time we all get to wondering are we really making progress or are we just coasting along until the next lesson. Do you really know what skill level your at... DO YOU !!!
I don't mean playing skill I mean study skill level. Does your teacher set you challenges beyond your skill level? Do you set your own challenges to show your teacher how far you have come?
How does a beginner know when he/she has reached the required standard to become a novice student.
How does a novice know when he/she has reached the required standard to become an intermediate student
How does an intermediate know when he/she has reached the required standard to become an advanced level student.
Do teachers have measuring sticks to evaluate a students progress at any given time. Are there any set standards such as examinations to determine a students skill level.
How do you measure your skill level, is it the number of tunes you can play or maybe you have to be able to play several roll patterns, could it be that you need to know the three chord shapes, a set number of Scruggs licks. Maybe it is knowing the Pentatonic Scale, does knowing the NNS rank you higher than a student who knows the Circle of Fifths. Maybe its how fast you can play Dueling Banjo's....
Now if that was a bit of a shock to the old brain cells then maybe it's time for that second cup of coffee.
As far as I can tell there is nothing to suggest any set standards or exams exist but I could be wrong so I thought I would post this little teaser to give you guy's the opportunity to share your views on this topic and maybe come up with some suggestions of your own as to what YOU think students should be studying at any given level.
This is not a competition there are no prizes. there are no right or wrong answers I just thought it might make an interesting change from all the Miscellaneous threads that have gradually migrated onto the Playing Advice Forum lately.
Now where did I put that bag of popcorn...