Thanks, really enjoying your playing and your little chats about the music. Mabel Cawthorn is fabulous! It seems that vol 1 and 2 of the Art of Field Recording are available on Bandcamp.... dusttodigital.bandcamp.com/album/art-of-field-recording-volume-i
Pete Seeger, of course, also did drop-thumb with up-picking: ua-cam.com/video/29C-hm6uxnA/v-deo.html Also double-thumbing is part of the up-picking technique.
You are the man Mr. Hicks I love your passion and humility in how you approach the craft. To many in the Old Time Music community are "Purists" meaning they have no true link to the music cause us with family members who did the music know there was no such thing as a pure style or method folks just played or sang as they felt sometimes with more skill and sometimes less but they were never puttin on airs about it as I see kids in their 20s doing now.
While I started as a straight forward clawhammer player, eventually got to combining it with up-picking, such that I more or less alternate up, down, up, down while mostly picking individual notes, sometimes brushing. If that makes sense. When I drop thumb I'll usually make sure I'm down stroking because, like you said, it's easier and more consistent, but I don't always. And yeah, Mabel is the best.
Funny you should post this. I was puzzeling this the other day. It seems the rhythm pattern dictates how and where it fits so I don’t work myself into a corner and can’t come out the other side. That video with Mabel Cawthorn is a treasure. Thanks for that, too!
That’s pretty much how I taught myself to play banjo, though I’m at a far, far more elementary level. I think it came from playing guitar with a thumb pick and one (index) finger pick using my thumb to work the 3 bottom strings and index finger on the treble 3.
Yeah me too, picked up a banjo a few weeks ago and that's the easiest way to play so far since that's how I play the guitar (by playing the bass notes with my thumb and then strumming + melody with index and middle fingers)
Funny you did this video today because I've been struggling getting the rhythm right for Lonesome Road Blues and only today I thought instead of doing my usual 3-finger up pick I dropped thumbed the 2nd string instead and BAM, miles better! I then applied this to a part I found tricky with Sandy River Belle and had the same affect. So I've actually found drop thumbing when up picking to be rhythmically easier in some cases.
On page 18 in Pete Seeger's book he has a chapter on what he calls " Double Thumbing" and if you play the little segment of Skip to My Lou it sure feels like a drop thumb added to his basic strum- where you pick up with the index finger for the "bumm of the bumm titty" So if you consider his style up picking, then he is incorporating what we now call a drop thumb. Ps. Really enjoy you thoughts and playing.
I really can't thank you enough for all the videos that you have uploaded. I have a question. Let's say you hear a fiddle tune that you want to learn to play on banjo. How you would do that from an ear learning perspective? Thanks
Thanks, really enjoying your playing and your little chats about the music. Mabel Cawthorn is fabulous! It seems that vol 1 and 2 of the Art of Field Recording are available on Bandcamp....
dusttodigital.bandcamp.com/album/art-of-field-recording-volume-i
Thanks, Phil. I did not know they were both available on Bandcamp!
GOT IT! FINALLY!!!! It's taken me three years from starting banjo day one to get it tonight. Bless your little pea pickin' heart, Clifton!
Pete Seeger, of course, also did drop-thumb with up-picking:
ua-cam.com/video/29C-hm6uxnA/v-deo.html
Also double-thumbing is part of the up-picking technique.
You are the man Mr. Hicks I love your passion and humility in how you approach the craft. To many in the Old Time Music community are "Purists" meaning they have no true link to the music cause us with family members who did the music know there was no such thing as a pure style or method folks just played or sang as they felt sometimes with more skill and sometimes less but they were never puttin on airs about it as I see kids in their 20s doing now.
While I started as a straight forward clawhammer player, eventually got to combining it with up-picking, such that I more or less alternate up, down, up, down while mostly picking individual notes, sometimes brushing. If that makes sense. When I drop thumb I'll usually make sure I'm down stroking because, like you said, it's easier and more consistent, but I don't always. And yeah, Mabel is the best.
I never saw this... 😎
Funny you should post this. I was puzzeling this the other day. It seems the rhythm pattern dictates how and where it fits so I don’t work myself into a corner and can’t come out the other side. That video with Mabel Cawthorn is a treasure. Thanks for that, too!
That’s pretty much how I taught myself to play banjo, though I’m at a far, far more elementary level. I think it came from playing guitar with a thumb pick and one (index) finger pick using my thumb to work the 3 bottom strings and index finger on the treble 3.
Yeah me too, picked up a banjo a few weeks ago and that's the easiest way to play so far since that's how I play the guitar (by playing the bass notes with my thumb and then strumming + melody with index and middle fingers)
Here Roscoe Holcomb does up-picking (with only two fingers), and I think he does the drop-thumb as well:
ua-cam.com/video/-wGgvbHcgyc/v-deo.html
Funny you did this video today because I've been struggling getting the rhythm right for Lonesome Road Blues and only today I thought instead of doing my usual 3-finger up pick I dropped thumbed the 2nd string instead and BAM, miles better! I then applied this to a part I found tricky with Sandy River Belle and had the same affect.
So I've actually found drop thumbing when up picking to be rhythmically easier in some cases.
Good work. Keep at it!
Cheers Clif, I'll take your advice!
On page 18 in Pete Seeger's book he has a chapter on what he calls " Double Thumbing" and if you play the little segment of Skip to My Lou it sure feels like a drop thumb added to his basic strum- where you pick up with the index finger for the "bumm of the bumm titty" So if you consider his style up picking, then he is incorporating what we now call a drop thumb. Ps. Really enjoy you thoughts and playing.
Yes, I would consider "Seeger Style" to be up-picking and old Pete was definitely one who could make his fingers go any way he pleased!
I really can't thank you enough for all the videos that you have uploaded. I have a question. Let's say you hear a fiddle tune that you want to learn to play on banjo. How you would do that from an ear learning perspective? Thanks
Ethan, thanks for your question. Look out for a Q&A video response soon.
In pete seeger's version of penny's farm there is a breakdown were he drop thumbs
His version of Jesse James, too.
Also, can you explain your arrangement on "Ole Blue"?
Will do.
What kind of banjo do you have in this video? It’s my optimum banjo sound!
That is a 1900-1910 Weymann "Keystone State." They made very few five-strings. Great banjos.
Clifton Hicks thanks pal