Fine tune your drop thumb for clawhammer banjo! My 12th live banjo boot camp, a week filled with daily clawhammer banjo coaching, will be held on April 1st, 2024: / tomcollins
The overwhelming seriousness and clarity and concern, the overwhelming generosity of Tom's banjo life should be an example to us all about how giving to others is the best part of being human. Tom should be an inspiratin to us all. Thanks Tom.,
I agree. Tom, your teaching is excellent and has really helped me pick up and start learning banjo. I’m one year in this month and your videos have helped me tremendously. Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge and abilities.
I'm pretty sure they've found a cure for those spots. No, seriously, you teach like someone who hasn't forgotten what it was like to learn, and knows how people learn, which, of course, is most effective. I'm sure the bit about getting the thumb in position for the drop at the proper time will be very helpful as I work on improvement. Thanks very much for posting this, and I look forward to exploring more of your channel.
Thank you so much, Ben! I try to teach to my younger self...there wasn't a ton of information out there for clawhammer when I was starting. Glad it's working for you. Cheers! Tom
Love this lesson! Just found you here on you tube through a banjo hangout forum link. You are an excellent teacher and explainer of CH banjo. Def signing up on Patreon. Thanks Tom!!
Thanks for a great video! I have a follow up question - hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides are other ways to fill out melodies where drone string thumbs otherwise would go. Could you talk more (or even make a video!) about how to choose between drop thumb and these other techniques? Sometimes only drop thumb works but often there are multiple ways to play the same melody, and after practicing the other methods a bunch as a beginner it can be hard to know when to reach for a drop thumb!
I absolutely love your sessions here. I am not a beginner ...well...in years, anyway. I took up the banjer in 1972, taking formal lessons from a younger instructor and back porch learning from an old timer up in northern Utah. (Yeah, doesn't make a difference, I know) Anyway...I learned "frailing". I said I wasn't a beginner...but for 35 years my baby sat in her case and gathered dust. I awakened her about 14 months and have started to relearn the instrument. And wow...relearn is right! "Clawhammer" is all the nomenclature rage...taking out the lower frets...this is all new to me. That being said, frailing is my 1st love, bluegrass secondary. I love the sound of frailing up on the neck...but I lose the security of the head for my thumb. Do you have any suggestions? (Any sessions on "where to position the hand.) Long winded be I...but I am enjoying trying to take what you give here. I also am back to learning how to play different tunes on my own. Happy playing!
Well, you win the award for unusual question! I was using "Grave Before Shave" beard cream (Bay Rum!) .... until I shaved my beard for the summer! Great stuff...nice and light, and smells super good!
Wow Tom. Thanks. This video changed my banjo life. I have always struggled with drop thumb and now I think I get it. I noticed a drastic improvement when I applied the techniques in this video. I have a question though. When I do a deep drop thumb as you suggest, the back of my thumb contacts, and actually slightly moves, the string above it. Is this OK? With repeated drop thumbing, I noticed the back of my thumb actually gets aggravated and hurts a little from repeated contact with the next higher string. Am I doing this properly ?
Hey bodurango! Glad the video helped. My thoughts in general are: if it hurts, adjust your technique! You might be working too hard on getting that thumb in there, so you could lighten that up a bit. The main thing is to avoid just glancing the drop thumb string. Everybody's hands are slightly different, and string spacing might be different too. Make small adjustments as you adapt these ideas to your own way of doing clawhammer, and let me know how it goes! Best, Tom
The overwhelming seriousness and clarity and concern, the overwhelming generosity of Tom's banjo life should be an example to us all about how giving to others is the best part of being human. Tom should be an inspiratin to us all. Thanks Tom.,
Tony!!!! Thank you SO much for your kind words. Much admiration right back at you, my friend.
I agree. Tom, your teaching is excellent and has really helped me pick up and start learning banjo. I’m one year in this month and your videos have helped me tremendously. Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge and abilities.
Thank you for creating this channel! We need more clawhammer teachers on RUclips 🙏
Aww, thank you! And thank YOU for taking the time to comment and subscribing to my channel. You encourage me!
Ok that prep move just blew my mind!!! Thank you!!!
Hahaha!! Nice! Thanks for watching, bonniebanjo!
I'm pretty sure they've found a cure for those spots. No, seriously, you teach like someone who hasn't forgotten what it was like to learn, and knows how people learn, which, of course, is most effective. I'm sure the bit about getting the thumb in position for the drop at the proper time will be very helpful as I work on improvement. Thanks very much for posting this, and I look forward to exploring more of your channel.
Thank you so much, Ben! I try to teach to my younger self...there wasn't a ton of information out there for clawhammer when I was starting. Glad it's working for you. Cheers! Tom
In Awe Tom, In Awe. Absolutely Brilliant. I'm not sure if I'll ever get It right, but, I'll Practice, Practice, Practice. Respect. STP.
You'll get it, STP. I know you will! Cheers to you, Tom
Love this lesson! Just found you here on you tube through a banjo hangout forum link. You are an excellent teacher and explainer of CH banjo. Def signing up on Patreon. Thanks Tom!!
Thank you, Ryan! See you over on Patreon!
Thanks for a great video! I have a follow up question - hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides are other ways to fill out melodies where drone string thumbs otherwise would go. Could you talk more (or even make a video!) about how to choose between drop thumb and these other techniques? Sometimes only drop thumb works but often there are multiple ways to play the same melody, and after practicing the other methods a bunch as a beginner it can be hard to know when to reach for a drop thumb!
I absolutely love your sessions here. I am not a beginner ...well...in years, anyway. I took up the banjer in 1972, taking formal lessons from a younger instructor and back porch learning from an old timer up in northern Utah. (Yeah, doesn't make a difference, I know) Anyway...I learned "frailing". I said I wasn't a beginner...but for 35 years my baby sat in her case and gathered dust. I awakened her about 14 months and have started to relearn the instrument. And wow...relearn is right! "Clawhammer" is all the nomenclature rage...taking out the lower frets...this is all new to me.
That being said, frailing is my 1st love, bluegrass secondary. I love the sound of frailing up on the neck...but I lose the security of the head for my thumb. Do you have any suggestions? (Any sessions on "where to position the hand.) Long winded be I...but I am enjoying trying to take what you give here. I also am back to learning how to play different tunes on my own. Happy playing!
Tom, what products to you use on your beard?
Well, you win the award for unusual question! I was using "Grave Before Shave" beard cream (Bay Rum!) .... until I shaved my beard for the summer! Great stuff...nice and light, and smells super good!
@@TomCollinsBanjo Thanks
Wow Tom. Thanks. This video changed my banjo life. I have always struggled with drop thumb and now I think I get it. I noticed a drastic improvement when I applied the techniques in this video. I have a question though. When I do a deep drop thumb as you suggest, the back of my thumb contacts, and actually slightly moves, the string above it. Is this OK? With repeated drop thumbing, I noticed the back of my thumb actually gets aggravated and hurts a little from repeated contact with the next higher string. Am I doing this properly ?
Hey bodurango! Glad the video helped. My thoughts in general are: if it hurts, adjust your technique! You might be working too hard on getting that thumb in there, so you could lighten that up a bit. The main thing is to avoid just glancing the drop thumb string. Everybody's hands are slightly different, and string spacing might be different too. Make small adjustments as you adapt these ideas to your own way of doing clawhammer, and let me know how it goes! Best, Tom