I have seen clawhammer banjo described many times as hitting the string with the "back of the nail". This always confuses me no end - I am pretty sure I am hitting the strings with the top of my nail. To me, the back of my nail is the under side of the nail that touches the skin - how could I possibly be playing with that?
is this a language issue - English is my second language, so I may be completely wrong. What do people actually refer to when they say you play clawhammer with the back of your nail?