BIAB has some great Scruggs-style and bluegrass banjo RealTracks. I'd like to see the old style mountain pickers "frailing" style (also called "claw-hammer") added at some future date. It's an old folk music thumb/finger pull and slap style banjo playing.

In researching it I found this info:

In his "Introduction to Styles in Old-Time Music" (The New Lost City Ramblers Songbook. 1964. Oak Publications.), John COHEN wrote: "In the oldest technique, the picking is done entirely with a downward motion of the hand and fingers. The strings are struck with the back of the fingernail, rather than plucked up. There is no consistent name for this; it is variously called frailing, claw-hammer, clubbing, rapping, flailing, thrashing, knock-down, drop-thumb, and down-picking."

In his book, Pete SEEGER says, "Double thumbing can also be done in this (frailing) system..." and he never mentions the word "clawhammer" in this context* although he does say that the style is "...variously called 'beating' a banjo, 'frailing,' 'rapping' and ' framing' the banjo."

Here's a link to an example of "frailing" played by Ms. Aubry Atwater on YouTube:

Old Joe Clark - frailing example

She actually starts playing about 1:04 into it... Often the melody is worked into the song as she does in the video, but a strictly chording RealTrack would work just fine too.

Thank you!

Last edited by SILVERBACK; 02/04/14 10:10 PM. Reason: correction
just an old analog dog tryin' to learn new tricks...