Repeated thumb strikes.

[Carl Anderton]

So many of the jigs and reels we play have passages where the thumb
(or the finger) will play several notes in a row.

I always reflexivley avoided playing that way. Modern banjo players
by and large avoid that kind of thing like the plague. The whole idea
being to figure out how to finesse the fingering using all the
available digits.

I'm just now starting to see the beauty of repeated thumb or finger
strikes. One, anything that sets us apart from the herd is, IMO, a
good thing. Two, our style being not quite so machine-gun like, it's
not really so difficult and probably strengthens the digits. Three, I
think it helps the phrasing to be more correct.

Take, for example, a tune where the 5th string is played twice in a
row. If you hit the other note at the 5th fret 1st string, try double-
thumbing the passage. (This doesn't apply to every song, of course,
such as Sebastpol Breakdown, but you get the idea).

[Colporteur]

Interesting point Carl. I have noticed that some passages seem to
require all finger, and have wondered about how correct it was to play
that way. Lately I've noticed that on certain passages on the bass
strings I am now playing all of the notes with my thumb, which at
first felt a little awkward, but all in all sounds much better. I was
going to ask some of you more experienced players about that at the
next conference, but maybe this issue is of greater common interest.

[trapdoor2]

Modern banjo players, for the most part, have not been through any
"music education" process either. I have found thru exploration of
the Classic style that comfort is usually pretty low on the list. The
music itself is typically #1 and if a note is written as a series of
1/16 notes then they are not expected to last any longer than required
(not allowed to ring). This leads to a lot of "single string" where a
more "melodic" attack would be preferred today. Though the notes are
the same, the music sounds different if different positions or
fingering is used.

What I'm getting at is that the written music we have on hand...and
the fingering (if given) is really our only window into the style.
Folks like Buckley and Converse were masters of music and didn't put
fingering in there willy-nilly. If the indication is for ten thumb
strikes in a row...give it a try. Sometimes it doesn't make much
sense at first...but I have had a number of regretful "relearning"
experiences in my personal exploration of the style. ;-)

OTOH, there are just some things I have found that I am unwilling or
unable to do. I can't wrap my thumb around to pick up bass or 5th
string notes (not that there are any of these in Stroke Style) and I
won't stand on my head to make some goofy series of notes. I'm old
enough to know my limitations and lazy enough to either give up on
that particular tune or let my fingers find their own way.

I have transferred some of this 'multiple hits' stuff to my Clawhammer
style and it often drives modern CH players nuts. I like that! ;^D

===Marc

[Tim Twiss]

Fabulous topic! (repeated thumb strokes). Can you really have a
correct "technique" for a crude folk instrument whose lifespan was
really flash in the pan? The different applications and song styles
really prohibit this. As you move through the Tutors, they change...I
mean Rice is really quite different from the others! I agree ...just
make it work!

The work of Frank Converse in the Analytical Method is the best
summary of this style, and any attempt to apply a "technique". This
really is the work of a man who saw it all...and was literate enough
to put it down on paper. I think he came up with some amazing
fingerings and solutions to all the previous repertoire. It seems very
"analyitical " (maybe too much??) but, is actually quite liberating
when you play those stroke tunes with his mindset....even the repeated
notes via the "Hammer".