MontuckyMandolin - Posted - 03/24/2026:  14:16:18

Hi all!



Been playing clawhammer for a few months now, but have years of guitar and BG banjo under my belt. Making good progress, but getting caught up on a technique issue that I can't find any advice/info on the internet.



Specifically when drop-thumbing (but sometimes not too), my middle and ring finger knuckles will hit the banjo head on downstrokes. I can sort of prevent it by making my downstroke less drastic, but I loose a lot of volume.

I'll add that I'm playing an openback banjo with the action setup for clawhammer, which is super high compared to my BG banjo.



Anyone else have this issue and work through it? Should I just let it be, since it does give a little percussive umph on the downstrokes? But since I'm at the beginning of my clawhammer journey, I'm really trying to make sure my technique is shored up and not forming bad habits.

Edited by - MontuckyMandolin on 03/24/2026 14:35:21

jsinjin - Posted - 03/24/2026:  14:38:41

I did a lot of work early studying the finger mechanics of the percussive portion with index or middle finger whether on a normal thumb at fifth string or drop thumb.

I learned a lot from several of tom Collins’ instructions both on YouTube and Patreon where I am a member of his group.

youtube.com/watch?v=ZHovpY60W4Y&t=43

The key attributes that I learned are that the claw shape is both critical and needs to become natural and then the motion of the movement for volume comes from the wrist and forearm not the finger. The finger is there as a drumstick and to some extent aiming although your hand position is mostly the aiming. A secondary component is that the easiest way to maintain indexing of strings especially 2, 3, and 4 is to address them perpendicular to the neck of the guitar. Wherever you are hitting string 1, as a beginner it is easier to hit strings 2, 3, 4 if you move at 90 degrees to the neck from where you hit 1.

That’s the mechanics for general form development and BOCTAOE (but of course there are obvious exceptions-which will soon be added).

Once your mechanical movement and direction are in place and this takes time obviously:

1. If your knuckles are hitting the head or other strings your fingers could be too straight.

A Fix: Curl your percussive finger (index or middle) into a tighter "C" shape. This pulls the knuckles higher and further away from the fretboard.
The Check: Your fingernail should strike the string almost vertically. If you're "brushing" with the flat of the finger, the knuckles will naturally be closer to the other strings.

2. Bend the Thumb at the Joint
Many beginners keep their thumb completely straight, which forces the whole hand closer to the strings to reach the inner ones.

The Fix: Keep a slight bend at the thumb knuckle (the interphalangeal joint).
The Benefit: This allows the tip of the thumb to "hook" the inner string while keeping the rest of your hand (and knuckles) elevated and out of the way.


3. Tilt Your Palm
A "flat-to-the-bridge" hand position often leads to knuckle interference on the strings above the one you are striking.

The Fix: Slightly tilt your palm away from the banjo head.
The Motion: Think of "opening" the hand slightly toward the floor. This creates a steeper "attack angle" for both the lead finger and the thumb, giving you more "air" over the strings you aren't trying to impact.


Thats some of the info I’ve gotten from reading technical discussions of the percussive movement and watching a lot of YouTube videos and slowing down the movement to learn more about how I was moving my hand.

banjered - Posted - 03/24/2026:  14:39:09

To thump or not to thump, that is the question. Keep working on not thumping but at a certain point thumping or not thumping should be a controllable choice depending on the kind of banjo sound (noise, ha!) you want for a certain tune or song. banjered of "Thumper's Annonymous,"" Thumper's Coalition For Planetary Domination," and, and, and.....

Bill Rogers - Posted - 03/24/2026:  15:35:16

As we know, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Watch Walt Koken's right hand in this video. It moves much closer to parallel with the head than down toward itl. That's how you avoid constantly striking the head. 

youtube.com/watch?v=-PRE9CkX21U