Playing with the "back of my nail"?
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....
View ArticleGoing to a jam...... What exactly to do?
Ok, I have wanted to go to a jam for a long time now, and just found out about a old-time jam not far away, and I want to go.But I don't know exactly what to do! I mean I can play around 20 tunes or...
View ArticleStringbean's tuning?
Does anyone know what tuning stringbean used?, particularily with the song 'Pretty little widdow'?Thanks
View Articlearranging for clawhammer?
Any tips for working up a non-clawhammer tune for banjo? I'm trying to work out a pretty straight 4/4 melody. I can pick out the melody fine, strum the chords okay, and both sound good on their own...
View ArticleHow Banjo and Fiddle May Have Evolved
On another forum, a musician was trying to figure out what to call the rhythm technique being used in a video of Irish music where a guitar was being used.One forum member offered this advice,"the...
View ArticleNumb hand /carpal tunnel
Any of you folks have this problem. I quit playing almost a year ago ,, becaues of the right wrist pain and numbness. Id really like to start back,, but when Ive been playing some lately. I get the...
View ArticleGerman Polka
I'm doing a project at school in German class at school, and one of the parts of it that I'm doing is learning a polka......On the Banjo.So if there's anyone out there that's transcribed a tab for...
View ArticlePlucking above the head
I've noticed on many YouTube videos that some fine clawhammer players achieve a really neat sound by plucking around the 17/18/19th fret area, rather than over the head. I find this impossible - there...
View ArticleLooking for input from the clawhammer crowd...
As some of you may know, I recently stole the clawhammer TOTW idea to use over on the Scruggs forum (see the index here). I've had a lot of positive response from doing this, so first, I want to say...
View ArticleTOTW 2-28-2014 (OT): Black Eyed Suzie
Yeah, I'm posting this a little early because I don't think I'll be able to steal the time at work tomorrow to get it done on the correct date, but I don't imagine anyone will complain too much eh? BHO...
View Articleso how do you find the scene?
I'm thinking I am ready to wade into the world of old time jams, plus I'm getting bored just playing by myself. The trouble is, I dont know how to find the scene. I had a teacher for a while but his...
View ArticleIs this bad technique??
Whenever I play claw hammer I rest the bottom of my hand on the head and use it as pivot for my fingers, this created a softer sound but would it be classes as bad technique??, I'm the only person I...
View Article▬ Long Neck Strings ▬
i know this is probably an old subject thats been talked about many times before but ... at this time, what brands will fit the 32 1/ 2 inch scale length of the long neck banjo ... i know first hand...
View ArticleFinger Questions
I have found that using my index finger for the picking is easier than the middle. Which finger should be used for the strumming part or is it what is comfortable and works? The other question is how...
View ArticleCan't use picks
This is really simple,I just can't use picks,granted I've only had the new banjo for 2 days but I just can't make them work.you would think that twenty years of playing electric guitar ,and the last...
View ArticleNon - traditional clawhammer? Celtic, punk, etc...
As I'm progressing in my clawhammer playing, I find myself drawn to the music I play on guitar and tenor banjo. That is, mostly celtic, working class, and punk stuff. The Pogues, Flogging Molly, The...
View Articleome omega custom
I purchased the best all around banjo yesterday from Folkway a custom ome omega wow, 2finger, clawhamer and Scruggs it does it all. Todd
View Article3-Finger OT.. How is it different then Scruggs?
Hi!So I play a big mish mash of clawhammer, up-picking, and 2-finger OT styles. I am just wondering about old time 3-finger and how it is different the scruggs. I would like to add this ability to my...
View ArticleRetuning and Breaking Strings
My instruction book has a couple of tunes in Open C. So every time I retune the 1st string from a D a full step up to an E I cringe a bit. Well today It broke at the tuning peg. The string wasn't...
View Articlethimbles and steel strings...
i'm curious as to ya'lls experience with frailing thimbles...i attended a workshop over the weekend and noticed that a few folks were wearing them...i meant to ask about it, but didn't get around to...
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