The Strike
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Clawhammer banjo starts here
How to do the Clawhammer Strike
The very first thing you do is shape your hand into a claw and strike the strings by knocking or hammering down with the right hand.
You will be striking the strings with either the index finger or the middle finger of the right hand (for right handed players).
Most clawhammer banjo players play with the fingernail. Some grow the fingernail longer to help with the playing. Other frailers use a stick-on artificial fingernail to help them. You can also use a fingerpick. The choice is yours, it’s whatever you feel most comfortable with.
The goal is to get a clean strike on just one string (one of the long strings 1 thru 4). When you first start you will probably strike several strings at the same time. Frank demonstrates this.
In the regular clawhammer stroke, the right hand lifts up again immediately after making the strike, then comes down again to make a strum.
In Double Thumbing, the fifth string is sounded as the hand lifts up immediately after making the Strike, then the hand comes down and makes another strike immediately.
