Three Styles of Old Time Banjo Demonstrated

Ever wonder what the difference is between frailing / clawhammer, drop thumb, and round peak? This is Jeremy Stephens at The Bluegrass Shack in a short video demonstrating the song Cripple Creek in three different styles. (New Athens, IL)

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• old
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• clawhammer
• frailling
• drop
• thumb
• round
• peak
• how
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• what
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[shal0mnurh0me]

Thanks for the video. I think most people throw all three of those categories into clawhammer, such as myself. There's some songs where I play it with a round peak style and other times where I've got the bum dit-ty beat and alot of drop thumb, but when people ask if I play banjo I say yes, clawhammer.

[blueiis2]

@shal0mnurh0me Since I play 3-finger style, I've always wondered what the difference was, if any. Jeremy can play any style. When he came by the shop the other day, I asked him to show me the difference. Then I decided to video it because I knew there would be others out there wanting to know as much as I did!

[EchoesoftheOzarks]

Old time banjo sounds great on resonator banjos as well as open backs! Many old time banjo players were using resonator banjos back in the 1920s and '30s. We have 1927 Gibson RB-1 from that era. This was a generation before Bluegrass banjo style really became defined as such. Thank you for keeping this tradition alive. Your playing is first rate!

[StoptheLibs]

man, you are an alien..ive had mine for a year now..and i sound like a one armed cat when i play..kudos..thats awesome

[RusnakBanjo]

Great playing! Round Peake N.C style? That style was also being done in West Va, and Virginia at the same time those other folks were also playing it. The term, Round Peake has become popular because some of the players doing that style were very active and were being recorded early on at the festivals that became popular with a lot of folks wanting to learn. Term infers that it started in NC...met those folks back in 60's. Wade Ward, Kyle Creed etc. Super nice folks.Wade let me play his RB-11

[kevinbenader]

been playing banjo for several years, and never could quite figure out the clawhammer style. i been playing sort of a pre scruggs thing with just the thumb and the index. something you'd see a lot of folks doing with monroe and such, but i think i'm finally getting the clawhammer. awesome demo, down with finger picks!

[kevinbenader]

been playing banjo for several years, and never could quite figure out the clawhammer style. i been playing sort of a pre scruggs thing with just the thumb and the index. something you'd see a lot of folks doing with monroe and such, but i think i'm finally getting the clawhammer. awesome demo, down with finger picks!

[berean315]

Great playing and video

[shal0mnurh0me]

@blueiis2 Yeah, I can remember before I started playing banjo I was reading up on the different styles to see what I would like best and I felt a little overwhelmed between 3 finger, 2 finger, clawhammer, frailing, drop thumb, etc. And I couldn't even really tell the difference untill I started to play.

Thanks for the vid again