The Technique

The clawhammer technique is an ancient rhythmic and percussive down-picking technique which is nowadays most associated with American 5 string banjo playing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although it is also used in a modified form by some folk guitarists. There is no doubt it has been around since early man first strung gut or vine across a gourd to make a musical instrument. It is also known as ‘banging’ and ‘frailing’.

It involves hitting down across 1 or more strings with the nail of the index finger (not middle!) of the right hand (or left if you are left handed) whilst also briefly bringing along the fleshy pad of the corresponding thumb down to rest on the 4th string, the one nearest your chin, ready to be pulled off on the next quaver/eighth note of the tune. This is known as the drone string, usually a high pitch which is not usually fretted but rings through the tune as a form of accompaniment providing a tonal centre, usually the root, fourth or fifth note of the key of the tune. You do not need long nails for the fretting hand, shorter give more speed and range of tone depending on how much of the fleshy tip of the index you employ.

The thumb also can be ‘dropped’ down to play strings 3, 2, or even 1 (the one nearest the. floor). This is called ‘drop thumbing’ and adds to the appearance (along with the drone notes) that it often sounds like there are two people playing.

There are ten core techniques in my clawhammer learning method which I cover in online lessons and my forthcoming Udemy course. They are easy to learn but may take many years to perfect. Clawhammer is a very subtle style which relies on percussive drive, subtle syncopation and careful accenting create a three dimensional sound where the melody notes of the tune stand out from the accompaniment layers behind.

A The Bum Dit-ty stroke

B The Drop Thumb

C The Hammer On

D The Pull Off

E The Slide

F Vibrato

G The Choke

H The Galax Lick

I Double stops and chording

J Percussive nail noise

I will cover just the first two techniques here on the site, as a sample of how I teach online. Just click on the arrow next to the ‘Clawhammer Exercises’ menu at the top of any page and click on the core techniques which drop down…