I've been playing guitar, fingerstyle and with a pick, for nearly fifty years. I've always had the notion in the back of my mind that I'd like to take up the banjo some day. Then one day about two months ago, my wife brought home an old Silvertone 5 String. It was in playable condition, so I put strings on it, started learning a few chords. I was playing three finger with bare fingers and it was fun. I quickly figured out that the Silvertone wasn't cutting it so I got a Deering Goodtime 2. Much better. Then I started watching clawhammer players on youtube and became totally enamored with that style, and decided to learn it. Then the trouble began.....
My left hand technique is just fine. Hammer ons, pull offs, slides...are all there. But my right hand....whooo boy. I feel like a complete beginner when it comes to the simple bum ditty. I can do the index finger down stroke thing ok, and thumb the 5th string just fine...but putting the two together in a consistently rhythmic way is killing me.
Are there some drills I can do to train my thumb and index finger to play nice together?
Any advice would be appreciated.