Grandpa Jones: Folk, Country & Bluegrass Legend

[@brokenelectronics3665]

Thank you so much for this, we should not forget entertainers like this. The frailing style morphed into clawhammer, but it was also a direct descendant of the old stroke style of playing going back to the 1840s. This one was full of smiles!

[@gp-banjo]

Claw hammer and frailing are just different terms, the two styles are one and the same. Both of the terms are relatively new. Clawhammer wasn’t the widely used name until the 1960s, and frailing was a term that sprouted from a miscommunication with a radio host in the 40s. The host was announcing a banjo player who had been described as “flailing his arms around” while playing. He misheard it as “frailing” and mistook that as the name of the style. Somehow it caught on. At least that’s the story I heard. Before those two terms, the style would have been called knocking, down-picking, overhand or rapping.

[@brokenelectronics3665]

@gp-banjo I had thought that the term trailing was current before clawhammer, but, regardless, there is little or no difference. Minstrel era stroke style though, while essentially similar, does have differences. The primary downstroke finger is the first finger, where as clawhammer players are more likely to use the second finger. Also, clawhammer players rarely, if ever, use the fifth string melodically. That is usual in stroke style. The basic mechanics of playing is the same, however.

[@gp-banjo]

@@brokenelectronics3665 I never understood why some people use their middle finger. It doesn’t work for me. I guess everyone has different hands.

[@MoonStar-fq6oy]

Oh My this is Funnier than all get out ❤❤❤ String Bean and his dancing Grandpa Jones is a Hot Dog 😂😂😊😊✌️❤️

[@MoonStar-fq6oy]

How dry was it Grandpa Jones