Cinnamon Tree

Clawhammer is a down‑picking, overhand banjo technique—often called frailing—in which the back of the fingernail strikes the strings in a downward motion and the thumb typically sounds the short fifth string as a rhythmic drone. The hand moves as a unit, producing a percussive, dance‑driving groove commonly summarized as the “bum‑ditty” pattern. Deeply associated with American old‑time music from the Appalachian region, clawhammer differs from bluegrass’s three‑finger, up‑picking approach. It favors open‑back banjos, open/modal tunings, and a strong rhythmic pulse suitable for fiddle tunes, ballads, and string‑band dance music.

Banjo music is music in which the banjo is the primary or exclusive focus—either as a solo instrument or featured prominently within an ensemble. It spans solo classical-style repertoire, old-time clawhammer pieces, bluegrass three‑finger breakdowns, folk ballad accompaniment, and tenor‑banjo rhythm in early jazz. Any type of banjo can be used (five‑string, four‑string/tenor, plectrum, six‑string guitar‑banjo, open‑back, or resonator), and the style may involve either fingerpicking or flatpicking. Across its many substyles, banjo music is unified by characteristic timbre (a bright, percussive attack with rapid decay), idiomatic rolls or frailing patterns, and strong dance‑derived rhythms.