Clawhammer

:Not to be confused with the claw hammer, a type of hammer, or the Athlon 64, which was codenamed "Clawhammer".

Related Topics:
Claw hammer - Athlon 64

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Clawhammer and frailing describe a class of fingerpicking techniques used by banjo and, rarely, guitar players. Although both terms are widely used by banjo players, the difference between the two is not clear and there have been many debates over the precise meanings of the terms, so for the sake of consistency this article will treat them as equivalent and prefer the more popular term "clawhammer". The distinction is discussed at the end of the article.

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Clawhammer is a highly rhythmic and common component of American old-time music. The principal difference between clawhammer style and other finger picking styles is the picking direction. Traditional, folk, and classical guitar picking styles comprise an up-picking motion by the fingers and a down-picking motion by the thumb, as does the Scruggs style on the banjo. Classical guitar technique dictates the use of three fingers (index, middle, ring) and the thumb; traditional styles vary. Clawhammer picking, by contrast, is a mostly or completely down-picking style. In its most common form on the banjo, only the thumb and middle or index finger are used and the finger always downpicks. In one variation, often taught for guitar, the index finger is used to up-pick melody notes while the middle finger is used for rhythmic downward strumming. In any clawhammer style, the hand should assume a claw-like shape and the strumming finger should be kept fairly stiff, striking the strings by the motion of the hand at the wrist, rather than a flicking motion by the finger.

Related Topics:
Old-time music - Scruggs style

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A common characteristic of clawhammer patterns is the thumb usually does not pick on the downbeat, as one might in typical fingerpicking patterns for guitar. For example, this is a common, basic 2/4 pattern:

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• Pick a melody note on the downbeat
• On the second beat, strum a few strings with your strumming finger
• Immediately following (on the second half of this beat), pick a note with the thumb (usually the drone string on the banjo)

Here, the thumb picks on the second "and" of "one and two and". This combined with the middle finger strumming provides a characteristic "bum-ditty bum-ditty" banjo sound, whether actually played on a banjo or on a guitar.

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Clawhammer: Clawhammer or frailing? ►