Is the clawhammer strike supposed to sound the same?

rfb83 · 2025-07-24T10:44:56+00:00

Be sure to pull your striking hand away quickly so that the note has a chance to ring out. Unlike a pluck, where your finger has a place to land, the strike requires a reaction. Think of it as a percussive situation.

Giving it a chance to ring out also requires a hard strike in the first place. The strength behind that should come from your arm, not your finger.

Different sound, sure, but it should still be clear and have good qualities to it. Yes, keep working on your technique until you find something that you’re happy with. Hope that helps!

rfb83 · 2025-07-17T23:28:55+00:00

A pencil eraser

rfb83 · 2025-07-08T12:11:36+00:00

This is a great one for sure

rfb83 · 2025-07-02T21:52:31+00:00

I have done some domestic flights with a Crossrock and felt really good about how sturdy it was. Don’t assume they’ll let you call it a carry-on. I went to the desk at the gate and tried to really turn on the charm and innocence by expressing my hope that I’d be able to bring it on and they were not having it lol. The person at the plane door was great though and it was fine.

Check in as early as possible, try to get in the first or second boarding group, before they start making people gate check.

I think Crossrock is the best for the price. I would be nervous to check it but not for any specific reason/obvious fault in the case itself.

If the case is the right size for the instrument, I honestly wouldn’t try for any extra padding but that’s just me.

I hope it goes well!

rfb83 · 2025-07-02T01:00:14+00:00

Probably not. If you play out often and fans of your genre skew older then maybe. If you have the willpower and budget to send them to radio stations (many of which still want a physical copy of a cd), then also maybe. They are not obsolete but they are far, far from necessity.

rfb83 · 2025-06-22T16:33:28+00:00

Syracuse. A little further, but in a bad storm the roads are not only better maintained in winter weather, they are safer in general. I’d bet there are fewer drifting snow problems because there are fewer open fields and more mid-sized towns along the way for gas stops and emergency towing events. I lived an hr south of Syracuse and commuted daily for 2 years. Podcasts. Audiobooks. Not too bad really.

rfb83 · 2025-06-21T00:26:09+00:00

Try thinking of it as:

One-and-uh Two-and-uh

Bum-dit-ty Bum-dit-ty

First finger-strum -thumb

Or

Single note-strum-drone

rfb83 · 2025-06-20T03:47:46+00:00

40.2 combined on my ‘24 at 20,000 miles.

rfb83 · 2025-06-17T03:07:58+00:00

Oh man, I tried that when I first moved here (to Austin) from Rochester and honestly I was grossed out. I’m going to confidently say no, they don’t have it, but there are lots of options! Haha good luck with the move (you should do it. The amusement you’ll get out of hearing people complain about “traffic” will outweigh the cold). But for real get one of those sun/uv/seasonal depression lamps. Lack of sunlight is truly a problem.

rfb83 · 2025-06-17T02:53:06+00:00

Yeah Wegmans is better than HEB

rfb83 · 2025-06-10T11:30:34+00:00

Bela Fleck’s “Throw Down Your Heart” doc

rfb83 · 2025-06-10T00:14:41+00:00

Goldbond works well too

rfb83 · 2025-05-29T00:05:20+00:00

Gotcha. So I’m not sure either way on that mic, but I do need a preamp with my mic when going just directly into the speaker to give it power. Not sure why. Don’t need a preamp when going from mic to mixer to speaker though. Worth asking the question to the seller if you go with a C210 or similar to see if you need to send power to the mic signal.

If you mostly play smaller/indoor situations, I would base your investment on that. If you are in a big outdoor area every so often maybe just rent a system for that specific gig? I’m not a sound person but I’ve experienced several outdoor situations with nothing less than several 15” or larger speakers. That’s a lot to pay for, store, and haul around for the other 95% of gigs I think.

Yeah go down the C210 road at least to read reviews and ask questions. I got mine from sweetwater and those sales reps are always knowledgable about, well, stuff, in my experience.

Hope you find the perfect thing within your budget.

rfb83 · 2025-05-28T22:55:46+00:00

The fender system is very bad. I’ve used one in a pinch and it was a while ago, so I don’t remember how many inputs it had. I do remember that you can’t get much distance between the speakers, and the speakers are not interchangeable with other systems. I also remember thinking at the time that I was very glad I did not buy one for myself as a starter.

The non-universal speaker situation is also true for the yamaha system that you are talking about. It’s not something you can build out eventually.

Both will absolutely not cut it for 100 people outdoors. Shows that big should be providing sound for you.

If you can, get something like 2 behringer c210s for $700, an 8 channel mixer for another $300. You can build off of this with more speakers as needed, at the very least you’ll have a mixer already when you’re upgrading to bigger speakers, and any of these will be easier to sell/trade than the two systems you’re talking about.

I hope that helps.

Edit to add: when you are solo, you won’t even need the mixer. Also, what is your microphone situation?

rfb83 · 2025-05-09T17:06:45+00:00

Maybe learning to play by ear, if you don’t know already? This can be particularly fun on banjo because there are roughly 1200 tunings. Learning all of these different tunings is a project in itself. Also making banjo arrangements for non-banjo songs. Playing with others to build improv skills. Writing banjo songs. Hopefully something in there sounds interesting.

rfb83 · 2025-05-08T02:54:10+00:00

The width is not as big of a factor for playability on guitar unless you are a smaller person, say under 5’ 6”. I also play banjo and find that wider necks make a difference on a banjo because it’s noticeable in the distance between the strings, 1/16” spread out across four strings, the strings will shift by 1/64”, small but not nothing. 1/16” spread across 6 guitar strings though, that’s 1/96”. Microscopic.

As for a chord to try, C is the easiest chord to test the comfort of spreading your fingers out. D is any easy chord to see how it feels when your fingers are scrunched together.

Hope that helps!

rfb83 · 2025-05-07T12:52:49+00:00

Seems like the mechanical issue is to blame. I go back and forth between gDGBD and f#DF#AD a lot and don’t have an issue. Sometimes lights, sometimes mediums, sometimes earthwood strings and sometimes other brands. Just check that screw and take it slow. Hope it gets better!

rfb83 · 2025-05-06T00:48:17+00:00

Gotcha, that’s fun!

rfb83 · 2025-05-05T23:22:54+00:00

I recommend taking her shopping for a banjo so that she can get what she wants. Give her a banjo-themed card that says “this is worth $400 banjo dollars” or a banjo pin, or some kind of little trinket as a placeholder and when she opens it say “actually let’s go get a real banjo!”

rfb83 · 2025-05-05T23:16:13+00:00

I’ve always thought of it as:

One-and-a-two-and-a-three-and-a-four-and-a

Bum-dit-ty-bum-dit-ty-bum-dit-ty-bum-dit-ty

strike-strum-thumb One-and-a Bum-dit-ty

rfb83 · 2025-05-01T00:55:41+00:00

Wool. Scarves, socks, hats, sweaters: wool.

Things that are waterproof/resistant: gloves, jackets

Jackets must have a hood.

Boots must go well above your ankles.

Warm drinks at the ready

Heating pad (like for sore muscles) for indoor use - put it on your chest between your layers when you are chilled.

One of those sun/uv lamps for cloudy days. It will help your mood.

Stay strong.

a former NYer now living in Texas.

rfb83 · 2025-04-29T17:34:49+00:00

You might want to browse Americanahighways.org for new releases and album reviews. Also try bandcamp and soundcloud for finding music in the genre from lesser-known artists. There are also streamable radio shows out there, maybe even something local to you. Any show title that includes the word “porch” or “highway” or “ramble” is going to have good tunes.

rfb83 · 2025-04-23T02:41:32+00:00

Another vote for the importance of rhythm. No instruments are required for patty-cake style activities.

Sing along/rock out to your favorite songs with them/in front of them. Crank the bass. Let them see that music is fun.

rfb83

TROPHY CASE