Heck, maybe I'm just evolving. First I took to combining clawhammer and sort of Seeger style playing in single tunes. That sounded pretty good to me and it has other ( therapeutic? ) values as well. But lately I've change the way I do the brush stroke when playing clawhammer -- most of the brush strokes are done with all the fingers on my right hand, instead of with just my index finger. It helps me to keep my fingers curled more loosely, and it helps me move my hand more naturally, more like knocking on a door, as Dan put it in his book. I think it helps the accuracy of the down stroke ( "bum" part ) -- probably because the hand's more relaxed, and now I can do those 3-finger up and down brushes like Clifton Hicks does. The bottom line is that it has a kind of Grandpa Jones sound to it, which I happen to like. What time's the next bus to Nashville leave Charlotte?
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