Hello, everyone.
Recently (read that as "yesterday") I discovered, for what seems like the eight thousandth time of my year-long experience attempting to learn Scruggs style three-finger, that I've been doing it wrong. All wrong. All horribly wrong.
In my stupor of depression shortly thereafter, I chanced upon the Leroy Troy and the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band on Youtube.
"This isn't a jug band." was my initial thought. Then I saw the jug player. So I suppose that thought isn't important.
"Wait, you can play bluegrass music using clawhammer style? AT AN UPBEAT TEMPO?" was my second, more relevant though.
Shortly thereafter, I hid my fingerpicks in a dark corner of a drawer, all the while cackling madly to myself about being able to sing without vamping over F-shapes.
However, I have some questions.
1. Which particular old-time style works particularly best for fast tempos? Moreover, does it matter, given enough practice with a particular style?
2. Is it a better idea to learn several different styles well, or just one or two really well? I've heard it said before that one should learn a melodic style, such as two finger thumb lead, in addition to clawhammer and practice switching between the two. Is this true?
3. Are there any specific techniques I should use when playing with groups? From what I've heard, it's important for guitar players and the banjo player to play in such a way that they don't drown each other out. While that much is obvious, is there any specific way that this can be obtained?
I apologize profusely if the answers to these questions are blatantly obvious. Before now I hadn't realized the scope involved in old-time banjo styles. Thank you very much.