Good banjo playing results from natural ability to learn, keen interest, good practice habits, and a good banjo teacher. In my experience, banjo students fall into categories. Some are naturals, some are certainly not naturals, and there are the in-betweens. The naturals who have great interest in learning the banjo for example, will become great banjo players only if the interest keeps up. I can just see some of you now, saying I have great interest in playing the banjo, so why can't I learn more? You would have to review the previous requirements mentioned. I suspect a lot of students of the banjo have poor practice habits. For example, you have to learn to read music, practice scales, timing, single notes, chords, tremolo, etc. Most students simply want to play chords. Playing single notes only takes one finger, but how many banjo players learn single note playing? Many naturals lose interest quickly, because other projects, hobbies, or sports catch their interest. These naturals quit lessons after a very short time. So from that perspective, interest in learning to play the banjo is absolutely essential.

The students that are not naturals have a difficult time learning, even if the interest is constant. I have seen a few exceptions to this rule. For example, one young man was very slow learning, but loved to play the banjo. He never missed a lesson, and after 2 years, he started to blossom as a fairly good banjo player. Now you might think 2 years is not a long time to take lessons, but for a good teacher, it is an eternity to wait for results. A good teacher can usually recognize natural ability on the very first lesson! Learning to play a banjo is not easy, if you want to be an accomplished player. You must have interest, perseverance, and practice, practice, practice. You need access to a good teacher or someone who can explain the methods of learning the banjo. When I took lessons, the teacher was very knowledgable, and an accomplished piano player. The problem was he wasn't an accomplished banjo player. When I met a good tenor player, my playing knowledge improved quickly. In my experience of teaching, approximately 70% of students give up playing in the first 3-9 months, because learning is too hard, too much work, or they lost interest. Other factors are involved, such as parents who force their children to take lessons, negative peer pressure from schoolmates, new interest in girls, etc. The in-between students plod along, and some later may become average musicians. Encouragement helps most students, and gets the most out of them.

Jack Benny said " Geez, you have to practice even to be lousy!" I can just see him holding his violin to his cheek, with his bow scratching a string while making that remark.. I love that quote. To be honest, he was good enough to actually perform with philharmonic orchestras,and his lousy violin routine was a joke.

One missing playing element from many good banjo players is "feeling". The notes and chords are OK, the timing is OK, but where is the feeling or emotion needed to make the song sound good ? Many players want speed and volume, and crispy squeaky clean banjo sounds, which is a somewhat discredit to the banjo. Speed in itself is OK, if it fits the song.
Volume can be annoying, if overdone. Regarding squeaky clean, sharp banjo, the bass is nearly gone, and the banjo starts to lose it's true sound. A lot of tenor banjos have the heads overtightened, and maybe that's because the bluegrass players preach tight heads. Overtightened heads lose volume, and may even have a very slight annoying string buzz. If you set-up your tenor banjo like a 5 string, you would probably be disappointed, especially with a frosted head, ouch! Many banjo websites give instructions for setting up 5 string banjos, even manufacturers. The tenor banjo is rather ignored, and we are led to believe there is only one way to set up a banjo, the 5 string way. Someone once said to me at a Jazz concert, your banjo is too bright! It needs more mellowing and resonance! He was right, but what he didn't know was that other members of the group were almost deaf, and they couldn't hear my banjo unless it was set-up so it could cut through and be heard by the other musicians. It was to his credit to hear an overly bright crispy sound.

Regarding feeling, listen to slow hit songs played on a clarinet, piano, sax, guitar, and banjo, for example.. Listen for the feeling and emotion in the playing. Try to duplicate it on the banjo. This requires changing the volume, not too much tremolo, not all chords, slowing down in tempo at certain parts (ritardando) and catching the mood of the song.

My opinions only, Jim.