Banjo Instrument Information, Right Hand Technique |
If you’ve recently embarked on your bluegrass banjo journey and have begun looking at fingerpicks (or perhaps have already bought a set), you’ve probably noticed that both fingerpicks and thumbpicks come in two basic varieties: metal and plastic. So which do you...
Banjo Technique, Right Hand Technique |
Poring over online clawhammer forums this morning, I was struck by the amount of confusion there is over which finger to use – index or middle – in the clawhammer strum. Before I take a crack at this question, let me first provide some background. When I started...
Banjo Technique, Right Hand Technique |
Thinking back to the days when I was beginning my clawhammer journey, I remember picking up a copy of Ken Perlman’s “Everything You Wanted to Know About Clawhammer Banjo” at my local library. That night, I began working through the book starting from page one. Things...
Banjo Technique, Right Hand Technique |
As a banjo teacher with years of experience helping beginning banjo students find their sea legs as bluegrass players, one issue that always seems to crop up is the age-old problem of getting your picks to stop scraping against the drum head while playing. And, as...
Learn Banjo, Right Hand Technique |
PICKS OR NO PICKS: PICKING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE PICKING PICKLE In the years I’ve spent teaching bluegrass banjo, I’ve often been asked by students if it’s imperative to use fingerpicks. Perhaps you, too, have grappled with this question and have...
