How to Choose the Right Style of Banjo Playing for You

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If you’re a banjo participant, chances are you’ve been asked the question “Are you presently a clawhammer or bluegrass participant?” much more instances than you are able to count up. And if you’re a new comer to the banjo world, you might be wondering precisely what the variation even is. Within this blog post, we’ll breakdown both the styles of banjo playing, that is clawhammer vs bluegrass and enable you to pick which one suits you.

Clawhammer Vs. Bluegrass: What’s the Difference?

The primary difference between clawhammer and bluegrass banjo enjoying is within the proper-palm approach. Clawhammer athletes utilize an up-choosing motion (hence the label “clawhammer”) while bluegrass athletes utilize a lower-picking action. This will give both the styles of banjo playing a very various sound and really feel.

If you’re still attempting to pick which fashion is right for you, here’s a breakdown of a number of the pros and cons for each:

Clawhammer Pros to consider:

●Provides for more ingenuity and dynamics with your playing

●Is generally regarded as being simpler to find out than bluegrass banjo

●Offers your music an even more “older-timey” sense

Disadvantages:

●Can be hard to perform fast music

● Not as commonly heard in modern music as bluegrass banjo

Benefits of Bluegrass:

●Much easier to perform fast tracks

●Commonly noticed in present day audio

●Might be adapted to numerous distinct types

The down sides to take into account

●Is usually much harder to find out than clawhammer banjo

●Some individuals locate downward-selecting to get tougher on the wrist than up-selecting

●Your songs may shortage a few of the dynamics that may be achieved with clawhammer banjo enjoying

● May not have that “outdated-timey” sound that a lot of people are looking for

Conclusion:

In the end, only you can choose whether or not you want to find out clawhammer or bluegrass banjo playing. If you’re just starting, we recommend attempting both variations and seeing which one believes natural to you. Or, even better, why not learn the two? All things considered, there’s practically nothing quitting from as a clawhammer/bluegrass hybrid person!