S_D - Posted - 02/16/2026:  13:15:37

I’ve been thinking about something I noticed watching a Big Sciota version by Hilary Hawke. At slow tempo, she plays the tune pretty much exactly as written in the tab. But at medium and fast tempos, she adds a lot of filler notes so that basically every eighth note has something happening.

If the melody has a quarter note, she’ll often add an extra eighth note to fill the second half. It’s usually the 5th string, but sometimes other notes. It creates a much more driving, constant rhythmic feel.



So my question:

Is there a standard convention in clawhammer for this? Can you just fill “dead air” with whatever fits, or is there a specific technique for keeping the driving rhythm going around the melody?

I’ve heard that in clawhammer you’re only striking melody notes on the downbeat, and everything else should be drop-thumb, hammer-on/pull-off, or the 5th string. Is that generally true? Does that principle guide how you add filler? And how do experienced players think about filling space around a melody in clawhammer?



PS: Are there good resources or specific practice approaches to help this kind of rhythmic filling feel natural instead of forced? How do you practice getting to that “constant drive” feel at speed?

Edited by - S_D on 02/16/2026 13:17:54

Bill Rogers - Posted - 02/16/2026:  13:30:07

I learned before there were good learning materials. I follow the clawhammer practice of “whatever works.” So I don’t worry about what you are “supposed” to do. I do what I need to do to get a note when I want it. That will vary from player to player. Let your ear tell you what’s right. I have a few tunes up on my music page. I learned them all from listening and practicing. No music; no tab; no rules.

pinenut - Posted - 02/16/2026:  13:53:01

quote:

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Originally posted by xnos2xnos2

PS: Are there good resources or specific practice approaches to help this kind of rhythmic filling feel natural instead of forced?  More practice is the lame stock answer, but, I believe this is a permanent state of being for anyone playing an instrument.

How do you practice getting to that “constant drive” feel at speed?  Keep stroking at tempo and make the melody happen; no matter what, keep the beat.  Everything else shows up when it does.

And, be patient with yourself; it takes a decade or so before a person starts to get where they are going.

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Edited by - pinenut on 02/16/2026 14:07:05

carlb - Posted - 02/16/2026:  14:02:55

I always keep my hand moving and my thumb on the 5th string if it's not dropping for a note.

jenorma1 - Posted - 02/16/2026:  14:13:41

I wrote a blogpost a while back about a concept I call "right hand stride," which may be helpful here:

jeffnormanbanjo.com/weekly-ban...-break-it

As long as you're cognizant of which beat/half beat you're on in a given tune, I think there are a lot of choices for filling in the melody notes.

I've also got a lot of playable examples (with accompanying reasoning for making those types of choices) in my "27 variations of the walk up in spotted pony" post:

jeffnormanbanjo.com/weekly-ban...tted-pony

Hope people find that site helpful : )

Banner Blue - Posted - 02/16/2026:  14:25:16

I rarely see this discussed, but the first run through of a melody should be simple--allowing the listener to get the hang of the melody. If the player/composer continued to repeat the simple melody in subsequent repeats, the listener will begin to get bored. So, start simple and add embellishments on subsequent measures.

pinenut - Posted - 02/16/2026:  14:46:17

quote:

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Originally posted by xnos2xnos2

Can you just fill “dead air” with whatever fits,  Yes, but, leaving it empty is valid too.  Like Bill said, "No rules".

or is there a specific technique for keeping the driving rhythm going around the melody?    I play the melody and fill to the lyrics; learn the song and sing it while playing the melody.  At the least, some of the fill can be found in the lyrics.  note: this helps determine and correct for bogus tablature and tune drift...

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Edited by - pinenut on 02/16/2026 14:51:16

RG - Posted - 02/16/2026:  21:45:10

A lot of time with this music, the best note you play, is the one you don't...

Mickhammer - Posted - 02/16/2026:  23:00:38

Work on double-thumbing, not bum-ditty. Double-thumbing is where the drive resides. Get used to double thumbing on all the strings.

Drop-thumb is just double-thumbing but dropping to a string other than the drone.

Then the bum-ditty becomes a frill, like string-skipping, or hammer-ons/pulls off/alternate-string pull-offs.

Of course, the only rule is what sounds good to your ears. But I agree, it's helpful to know how others achieve their sound, so you can find yours. I'm still working on that part!

mmuussiiccaall - Posted - 02/16/2026:  23:13:36

quote:

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Originally posted by xnos2xnos2

I’ve been thinking about something I noticed watching a Big Sciota version by Hilary Hawke. At slow tempo, she plays the tune pretty much exactly as written in the tab. But at medium and fast tempos, she adds a lot of filler notes so that basically every eighth note has something happening.

If the melody has a quarter note, she’ll often add an extra eighth note to fill the second half. It’s usually the 5th string, but sometimes other notes. It creates a much more driving, constant rhythmic feel.

if you watch her fingers, they follow the cord progression of the song there are four chords GCDNE minor. During the decor, she always plays a lick instead of holding a D shape, cord]`

So my question:

Is there a standard convention in clawhammer for this? Can you just fill “dead air” with whatever fits, or is there a specific technique for keeping the driving rhythm going around the melody?

I’ve heard that in clawhammer you’re only striking melody notes on the downbeat, and everything else should be drop-thumb, hammer-on/pull-off, or the 5th string. Is that generally true? Does that principle guide how you add filler? And how do experienced players think about filling space around a melody in clawhammer?



PS: Are there good resources or specific practice approaches to help this kind of rhythmic filling feel natural instead of forced? How do you practice getting to that “constant drive” feel at speed?

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if you watch her hands, you will see that she holds the chords that are appropriate for the chord progression. The four chords are GCD&Eminor. During the D chord, she never holds that form because she's always playing a lick.

Jack Baker - Posted - 02/17/2026:  03:49:55

Yeah,

Hilary is a good player and that is always what matters to me. I met Hilary at a Banjo Covention uppper NY and She was really fun and nice to talk with. She's a great player in my opinion....Jack   p.s. Worrying about details in Clawhammer is kinda funny to me as it's such a basic but fun way to strum the old Banjo...

The entire "Traum Family" is a "Class Act" to me....

Edited by - Jack Baker on 02/17/2026 03:56:13

Mickhammer - Posted - 02/17/2026:  04:37:05

quote:

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Originally posted by Jack Baker

 Worrying about details in Clawhammer is kinda funny to me as it's such a basic but fun way to strum the old Banjo...

 

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I have the same feeling about Bluegrass, which just seems to me the same noisy roll played endlessly over the same three-chord progression while some fiddle player has an epileptic fit... and don't get me started on Dixieland banjo...

Jack Baker - Posted - 02/17/2026:  05:52:48

 But I must admit that it's easier to hear the melody in Clawhammer....J

Edited by - Jack Baker on 02/17/2026 05:55:24

Bart Veerman - Posted - 02/17/2026:  08:41:27

Job 1: render the melody. How you dress it up depends on need, skills and motivation. Yup, silent spots do count as notes.

slc - Posted - 02/19/2026:  14:37:14

quote:

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Originally posted by carlb

I always keep my hand moving and my thumb on the 5th string if it's not dropping for a note.

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This really is the core principle for good banjo playing, in a nutshell. All the other "filler" stuff starts to just happen naturally if you play enough over time, and keep the hand moving.