madkelt2004 - Posted - 12/07/2009:  13:58:24

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I was at the Suwannee Old Time Music Weekend and got turned on to the two-finger style of playing by our clawhammer instructor, Chuck Levy.
I really liked it and want to learn more about it.
Any help out there?

Bill Rogers - Posted - 12/07/2009:  14:14:24

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Thumb lead or index lead?

tomberghan - Posted - 12/07/2009:  14:28:08

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Drop a note to BHO member (and durn nice guy) Chip Arnold:
http://www.banjohangout.org/myhango....asp?id=6347

Chip will guide you through the woods.

rendesvous1840 - Posted - 12/07/2009:  19:43:37

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It's only clutter if you don't use it. So learn, use and enjoy. Never throw away your screwdriver just because you bought a pair of pliers.
Paul

Jami108 - Posted - 12/07/2009:  21:10:24

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It ain't clutter, it's a complete style.

chip arnold - Posted - 12/08/2009:  07:44:27

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Madkelt and I have emailed already. Still, in case anyone else is interested..................

There are two basic 2-finger up-picking styles. Thumb lead and index lead. Clawhammer is also a 2-finger, index (or middle) finger lead style but done by downpicking. So right away, you can see that pretty much anything you can do with clawhammer, you can also do with 2-finger, index lead, up-picking. In fact, there are 2-finger pickers who do exactly that and no more. But most of the old timers added other techniques into the mix. Check out Will Keys playing at his website here: http://www.willkeys.com/screen2/index.html There are a couple of sound files you can listen to. Will was my greatest banjo hero.

Thumb lead 2-finger was used by a lot of the Kentucky pickers (and others), espescially for backing up singing. It can produce a really hard driving rhythm. The basic idea is to pick out the melody with the thumb while the index fills in with a drone on the 1st string. A basic sequence would be T on 3rd string, I on 2nd, T on 5th, I on 1st. Of course this can be elaborated on and expanded to include lots more patterns. Hammers, pulls and other left hand devices are used as in any other style. A drawback to T lead 2-finger is that you'll have to either get the thumb up on the 1st string for a lot of the melody notes or chase those notes up higher on the 2nd string. Most T lead pickers do the latter.

There are a few 2-finger pickers (Tom Sauber is one) who switch leads back and forth so as to put the thumb to use on the lower strings and the index on the higher strings.

My own playing is almost completely index lead. I use both thumb and index on all five strings. On my Hangout music page there is a short audio explanation of 2-finger, index lead style. Also a bunch of tunes.

If anyone wants a great spring vacation in the N.C. mountains, I'll be giving a one week class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C. the last week of April 2010. We'll focus on Index lead styles but I'll cover enough thumb lead to get you started on that too. You don't need to be a finger picker to attend but at least a little experience with clawhammer or finger style banjo will be helpful. The Folk School is a wonderful place and you'll find yourself coming back again and again for the classes and camaraderie. There are many classes on many subjects going on at the same time so bring a spouse or friend along too. The food is fantastic and there are various group events throughout the week as well.

Here's a link to the Folk School site: https://www.folkschool.org/

mwc9725e - Posted - 12/08/2009:  08:01:53

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quote:

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Originally posted by chip arnold

Madkelt and I have emailed already. Still, in case anyone else is interested..................

There are two basic 2-finger up-picking styles. Thumb lead and index lead. Clawhammer is also a 2-finger, index (or middle) finger lead style but done by downpicking. So right away, you can see that pretty much anything you can do with clawhammer, you can also do with 2-finger, index lead, up-picking. In fact, there are 2-finger pickers who do exactly that and no more. But most of the old timers added other techniques into the mix. Check out Will Keys playing at his website here: http://www.willkeys.com/screen2/index.html There are a couple of sound files you can listen to. Will was my greatest banjo hero.

Thumb lead 2-finger was used by a lot of the Kentucky pickers (and others), espescially for backing up singing. It can produce a really hard driving rhythm. The basic idea is to pick out the melody with the thumb while the index fills in with a drone on the 1st string. A basic sequence would be T on 3rd string, I on 2nd, T on 5th, I on 1st. Of course this can be elaborated on and expanded to include lots more patterns. Hammers, pulls and other left hand devices are used as in any other style. A drawback to T lead 2-finger is that you'll have to either get the thumb up on the 1st string for a lot of the melody notes or chase those notes up higher on the 2nd string. Most T lead pickers do the latter.

There are a few 2-finger pickers (Tom Sauber is one) who switch leads back and forth so as to put the thumb to use on the lower strings and the index on the higher strings.

My own playing is almost completely index lead. I use both thumb and index on all five strings. On my Hangout music page there is a short audio explanation of 2-finger, index lead style. Also a bunch of tunes.

If anyone wants a great spring vacation in the N.C. mountains, I'll be giving a one week class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C. the last week of April 2010. We'll focus on Index lead styles but I'll cover enough thumb lead to get you started on that too. You don't need to be a finger picker to attend but at least a little experience with clawhammer or finger style banjo will be helpful. The Folk School is a wonderful place and you'll find yourself coming back again and again for the classes and camaraderie. There are many classes on many subjects going on at the same time so bring a spouse or friend along too. The food is fantastic and there are various group events throughout the week as well.

Here's a link to the Folk School site: https://www.folkschool.org/

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Thanks for the information, Chip. You hit on a ( thumb lead ) point I was meaning to ask about: Is the index finger always used on the first string or can it sometimes alternate between the first and second strings -- kind of like some of the old blues guitarists played?

chip arnold - Posted - 12/08/2009:  08:37:53

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A lot of the old guys kept it on the 1st string but a lot used it on strings 1,2,3 & 4. I tell people to think of "drop finger" just like drop thumb.

janolov - Posted - 12/08/2009:  09:41:03

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I play some thumb lead and I use the index on all strings (except the 5th).