Since Stanley already knew music - melody, harmony, chord patterns, etc - and since his left-hand technique was already thoroughly developed, he started out with an excellent foundation for learning. Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to play clawhammer banjo without developing a solid sense of rhythm - a vital factor in any style of banjo playing - and Stanley's version of two-finger playing demanded an extraordinarily nimble index finger, which was to stand him in good stead as he created his unique version of three-finger play. Working professionally with a full band while he learned was no doubt very useful as well, especially for his timing and his general sense of the proper place of the banjo in an ensemble. He continued to feature clawhammer and two-finger picking at the Stanley Brothers' performances, and at the same time he worked on the new style, sometimes practicing in the back of the car as the group traveled from show to show. Asked recently how he developed three-finger picking, Stanley style, he replied, "Well, I don't think I could put that in words. Tried to copy a little bit here and there. I never could. I just played it the way that my fingers led me. Couldn't play it any other way".
Stanley had of course never abandoned this, his first banjo style. But in earlier days it was generally reserved, on stage and in recordings, for one or two novelty numbers. In recent times novelty songs, such as I've Got A Mule To Ride, continue to appear, but the clawhammer style is also used for all sorts of other material, even Gospel songs like Traveling The High Way Home. And no longer is it automatically reserved for the 2-C tuning; True Blue Bill, for instance, is played out of G. All this is in keeping, of course, with the increasing archaism of Stanley's later style.
Clawhammer Banjo Primer Book for Beginners with DVD download pdf
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