 | bradbahler says:
7/19/2019 5:29:38 PM
It sounds like you are mainly a thumb-lead player? Many players play one or the other. I use both thumb and index lead, though I favor thumb lead. I find it easier to play on the lower strings. However, and index lead is easier on the 1st string, and it is possible to lead on 4 with the index. I personally find it to be an advantage to be able to use both. One advantage to being able to use the index lead is that you can play clawhammer tabs in the picking style. Doc Watson and Wade Mainer are two examples of index-lead players who could also play thumb lead.
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 | Picking Dick says:
7/19/2019 7:38:29 PM
Hi, Brad, no I’m an index leader and gittin’ along pretty well with it. I’m just now tryin’ ta learn Thumb Lead better too. I could stumble through it before, but I really liked Index Lead. I’m learning TL because it seems to be the most popular. I just thought I oughta give it another try. I did well today, but I did mix some IL in too. I don’t really see much difference between the two. As I said before, I’m gonna just call it Two Finger from now on.
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bart_brush says:
11/6/2019 8:01:53 PM
I am not writing to rate one over the other, but thumb lead and index lead sound different. There are differences in note sequence and tonal quality depending on which digit plucks the melody notes, and the string and fingering sequences that follow.
If you play consistent TL patterns, you get one set of repetitious sound patterns, and if you play consistent IL patterns, you get a different set. Most apparent, is the shift of the 5th string notes from the upbeat in TL, to AFTER the upbeat in IL. In other words, in TL the 5th string notes come on the "did" of "bum---did-dy", and in IL (like in clawhammer), the 5th string notes come on the "dy".
Another difference is the sound quality of a TL melody which tends to be played on strings 2,3,4 versus an IL melody played on strings 1,2,3. Another difference is the sound quality of a TL melody note that is "pushed" with the thumb versus an IL note that is "pulled" with the index finger.
Do you care about these different characteristic sounds of IL versus TL, or do you just want to get the notes of the tune with as much flexibility as possible? In that case, you're into "melodic" banjo, where the goal is to play as fluid a line as possible, with each melody note of identical quality, "fill-in" notes minimized, and the importance of the picking patterns of little concern. Nothing wrong with this, but it's different from approaching a tune from a traditional TL or IL point of view.
A parallel example would be the differences between Etta Baker's 2-finger guitar playing, Elizabeth Cotten's 2-finger LEFT hand playing, and the 3 and 4 finger guitar picking of others.
My personal choice has been to limit myself almost always to strict TL playing. For high notes, I don't switch to IL, I move my left hand up the neck to the 3rd--10th frets and continue to play TL, still getting those melody notes with my thumb on strings 2,3,4. This was suggested to me several years ago by John Cohen, who said in a workshop at the Champlain Valley Festival that Roscoe Holcomb played many of his high songs up the neck in D tuning. I mostly use G tuning. Playing up the neck also facilitates bending the strings.
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| Picking Dick says:
11/7/2019 6:07:47 AM
Hi, Bart, your post was very interesting, but I’m an old guy, and most of the sound differences that you mention are lost to my old ears. Or mebbe I just haven’t noticed ‘em. I really enjoy playin’ IL because it’s easy to play the music I have. Oh, and I play the bum-dittys the “regular” way but with only one note instead of a brush. If I could brush, I’d play clawhammer. I’m doin’ all right with TL though and mostly use both. Mebbe I can listen to myself a bit better too.
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