Banjo Playing Styles?

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"Clawhammer" and "Frailing", is there any difference?   I'm just learning to play from books and youtube and when I search "frailing banjo" almost all the hits that come up are about clawhammer and the few that say frailing show what appears to me as clawnammer technique.  Anyone here know anything about this?

“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • I find they sound better when played with a mute:



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  • I find they sound better when played with a mute:



    Funny, that looks just like an accordion mute....

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • Dunno, I've been wondering about this myself as I wait for my banjo to arrive.
    Have you asked / looked on Banjohangout?

    Also, what style banjo did you get and what are you playing?
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  • By the way @DulcetJones you are 100% responsible for my current banjo craze - I loved that Dead south video, went to see them in Zürich and thought it would be a very cool thing to learn!
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  • By the way @DulcetJones you are 100% responsible for my current banjo craze - I loved that Dead south video, went to see them in Zürich and thought it would be a very cool thing to learn!
    I lay the blame partly on The Dead South and partly on my boss at the music school where I teach guitar.  We've been getting more calls for banjo lessons lately and no one teaches or knows anything about playing it at our school.  It was suggested that I could take a banjo off the wall and work on it during times when I haven't got a student, or whenever I want.  So far I haven't bought one but I'm working on 5 string banjo  leaning toward bluegrass.  So far I'm almost playing two versions of "Wildwood Flower", one  fingerpicked and one hammerclaw while going through the books.  For home use I have taken one of my lesser played solid body electrics and removed the top string, replaced the 5th string with a high E string and tuned it up to G, then I tuned the 1st string to D.  This is one of the common tunings around here (G-D-G-B-D).  It's a bit disorienting having the top string at the nut instead of the at the fifth fret but they only play it open until you get further advanced so I'm good for now.  I'll probably get a 5 string next year.  I'll check out banjohangout, haven't looked at any forums for this yet.

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • I picked one up earlier this year, but I've not made time to do anything with it yet. I *am* doing more finger-style guitar though, which was one of the reasons I wanted to try banjo (to improve my right-hand technique).

    I'd be interested in sharing any resources you might find.

    R.
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  • I picked one up earlier this year, but I've not made time to do anything with it yet. I *am* doing more finger-style guitar though, which was one of the reasons I wanted to try banjo (to improve my right-hand technique).

    I'd be interested in sharing any resources you might find.

    R.
    I'm a very experienced fingerstyle guitarist but I am having some trouble adjusting to the fingerstyle technique as it applies to banjo.  I'm working with book one Hal Leonard method and a Mel Bay "Teach Yourself Banjo" book, plus a few online searches that turned up the same info as both books.  Picking technique, called "rolls" are hard because they start each lick with  i  and go like this -  i m p i m p i m , then it repeats for the next bar without the p in between .  Count is 1+2+3+4+.  You'll have to get use to this before you can work on any songs, at least that was my finding.  Once I got that down It got easier. 

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • MossMoss Frets: 2409
    The only acceptable banjo playing :wink: 

    Stop crying, start buying
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  • NeillNeill Frets: 941
    "Clawhammer" and "Frailing", is there any difference?   I'm just learning to play from books and youtube and when I search "frailing banjo" almost all the hits that come up are about clawhammer and the few that say frailing show what appears to me as clawnammer technique.  Anyone here know anything about this?
    I don't play but I'm a big fan of John Hartford (though he wasn't a clawhammer player).

    Frailing is just another word for clawhammer, as I understand it.  
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  • Neill said:
    "Clawhammer" and "Frailing", is there any difference?   I'm just learning to play from books and youtube and when I search "frailing banjo" almost all the hits that come up are about clawhammer and the few that say frailing show what appears to me as clawnammer technique.  Anyone here know anything about this?
    I don't play but I'm a big fan of John Hartford (though he wasn't a clawhammer player).

    Frailing is just another word for clawhammer, as I understand it.  
    Thanks, I just wanted to see if anyone else was seeing the same thing as me.

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • Moss said:
    The only acceptable banjo playing :wink: 

    Very strange, but I had to hang on to the end, couldn't shut it off.  

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15475
    it's weird, but since moving to Devon I've heard surprisingly few banjos, despite there being plenty of people down here who look like they'd be great at it.

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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  • NeillNeill Frets: 941
    Oh go on then....

    What's the best thing to play on a banjo?  A flame thrower.



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  • Truefire have a few claw hammer courses as well as a banjo for guitarists course. I've been browsing them and they look like goo primers. Will invest if one comes up in the sale.
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  • If you search "clawhammer banjo" on youtube you'll get lots of good tutorials.  Deering has a set of beginners videos that have helped me.  With clawhammer you're going to have to learn the right hand(picking hand) technique first, it seems simple but takes weeks of practice to get it working.   

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    This won't give you a definitive answer but it's reasonably interesting.

    http://zeppmusic.com/banjo/frvscl.htm
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  • Sassafras said:
    This won't give you a definitive answer but it's reasonably interesting.

    http://zeppmusic.com/banjo/frvscl.htm
    That does give me something to work with if a student asks me what the difference is, which is what I was looking for, thanks.

    “Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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  • i would learn this  always been a big fan of John Butler for many years. id skip past the intro though looks a bit tricky
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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7730
    edited December 2017
    Banjo is cool even if banjo players arnt haha
    3 cool tunes easy w banjo on em
    Gillian Welch - my first lover
    Modest Mouse - Satin in a coffin
    Alela Diane - Pirate's Gospel
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  • AliGorieAliGorie Frets: 308
    edited January 2018
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