Thumb Lead Two Finger Banjo Fundamentals 5 (Guided Study With Instructor Feedback)

Who is this course designed for?

Thumb Lead Two Finger Banjo Fundamentals 5 is designed for folks who are looking to put the finishing touches on their exploration of Thumb Lead Two Finger Banjo. Children can take the course successfully, but they will need parental guidance during the lessons. Folks 13-14 years or older will have no problem navigating and playing the course material.

Our motto is play with your ears, not with your eyes, so this course is designed for folks who want to connect their ears directly to the music. We keep the music theory down to the very bare minimum and there is no sheet music or tablature.

Who is my teacher?

Mattie O’Boyle is the director of Reel Space Folk Music School in Valencia, Spain as well as reelear.com, an online, commercial outgrowth of Reel Space. Mattie will be your guide for the course. Mattie has 8 years of music teaching experience and 14 years of experience as an administrator in music education. He has been playing professionally for over 35 years.

Mattie will provide you with all the external resources, strategies and tools that you need to successfully complete the course (except a musical instrument), but you will have to provide the crucial elements of focus, work, and determination to turn those resources into your own personal skills. You will learn by your own effort and then you can enjoy the results of what you learn all of your life. That is cool, but only you can do it for you.

What resources will the course provide for me to reach my goals?

The course provides the following resources:

• An online channel to communicate with Mattie
• Free 6 month access to all the Ear Training Web apps at reelear.com that are integrated into the course material, as well as the TaDiTa, the reelear.com Rhythm course that is also integrated into the course. This free access is worth more than $75!
• Well defined, class room tested, incremental learning steps with specific, student assignments to help structure your practice time
• Assessment of your progress through the exchange of mp3, screencast homework assignments and instructor feedback

What resources do I need to bring to the course?

You need a computer with an internet connection, a method to record yourself playing, and a whole lot of motivation to take this big step in your personal banjo journey.

What are the course prerequisites?

In order to take  Thumb Lead Two Finger Banjo Fundamentals 5, you should have successfully completed Thumb Lead Two Finger Banjo Fundamentals 4, or be able to play the following tune, by ear on your banjo leading with your Thumb:

You also need to know how to tune your banjo in G Tuning.

How long does the course last?

This course has been designed with 8 intensive lessons and each lesson should last between a few days and two weeks. Students have up to 36 weeks to complete a course. After 36 weeks, their course is blocked. We do that to keep folks motivated and on track; which leads to higher rates of student success.

Optimally, students should be practicing about 20 minutes a day/5 days a week.

By successfully completing this course you will be able to hear tunes like this version of Old Joe Clarke and learn them by ear on your banjo: