Dead Thumb Society: Perfecting the Clawhammer Banjo Upstroke

I put this video together to help those who struggle conceptualizing the upstroke for clawhammer banjo. I hope it helps!
To join the Banjo Quest project, please visit: / tomcollins

[@madmaxx5612]

I love your videos. You have helped me for years. I appreciate your love for the fine insturment. Wish I was closer

[@beanb0]

tom my hero

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

that nice of you to say, @beanb0 Cheers!

[@dougmiller9567]

well said Tom...I understand ...never thought of my thumb in this manner...makes quite a difference.

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Awesome, Doug! Glad it helped.

[@brianm556]

Excellent tutelage, Tom! That thumb part of the Clawhammer stroke is VERY difficult to get down correctly. You had a lesson a couple of years ago, also, that really helped me with the thumb stroke. Thanks!!

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

My pleasure! Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[@ejtisdale]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I landed on this video. "Dead thumb" is used to refer to a monotonic, often damped, bass in guitar. Further, from "thumb" and "upstroke" I sort of expected some back-of-the-thumb-type upstroke, which I sometimes do as the last part of a triplet brush. Having watched the video, the title seems to refer to the thumb stroke on the upbeat. That said, I found the mechanics of the thumb stroke nicely explained.

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Ah! Yes, bass is its own world...and slap bass is like the opposite of the basic clawhammer stroke. Calling it "dead thumb" is a slight misnomer, but hopefully makes the concept "sticky" so you take it with you wherever you go. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.

[@PLINKER]

Besides the thumb stroke, you have a very beautiful inlay job on your banjo!

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Hahah! Thank you, PLINKER! I wish I could take credit for the inlay, but that's 100% from the great inlay artist Glenn Carson. In person it's even prettier if you can believe it. The man is a true genius!

[@TheWooTubes]

I've watched a few videos on clawhammer style now. What's really confused me is the terminology. I learned a while ago that there's no claw and now I see that the up-stroke isn't a stroke and the movement that makes the sound is outward, it makes far more sense :-), so thanks.

[@deenacolmorgen7655]

Thanks!

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Wow! This is my very first super chat comment. You just made my whole day. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!

[@gisella1350]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Welcome!

[@lovepollypocket4576]

Thank you so much!

[@ScottCooperStudio]

Great video, thanks so much. From the camera angle looking down the neck, it's almost like you have a silly putty thumb.😊

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Love that!

[@rainblaze.]

How do you not deaden the string with the first thumb strike. In order to place the thumb on the fifth string? Every time i try to "double thumb" i just deaden the fifth string on the first part of the movement

[@TomCollinsBanjo]

Then you're doing it right! Clawhammer is a strange animal, and we end up muting strings as often as we sound them. This gives clawhammer that lean, linear sound that is so sought after. There are techniques for getting that thumb string to ring out and arc over the downstroke in harmony (drop thumb is one way to do this) amongst others that I'll be discussing on the channel. In short: double thumbing correctly demands that you mute the 5th string simultaneous to every downstroke. Think of it as a feature, not a bug!