Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Thumb taps head

#1

hi @BanjoBen
i’m about 5 months new and seem to tap the banjo head with my thumb pick when i play. this happens sometimes - maybe 25% of the time. Does this matter? Will I grow out of it? Any advice?
I’ve tried different length thumb picks - currently using a Dunlop. Also i fingerpick a little on guitar without picks, which maybe affects this issue.
Thanks for reading and helping if you can!

#2

Some other members here had this problem (some still do) and the solution was to not pick so hard

#3

You will probably grow out of it, and it also depends on how bad it is. My thumb hits the banjo head a bit but it’s not very loud, and I know lots of players that do. One solution, as mentioned, is to maybe lighten up a bit. However, if you play a lot of fingerstyle guitar with no pick and go to the banjo, that is the issue…it’s really not a big deal, probably.

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#4

Actually, my thumb must tap a little based on the marks on my banjo head :thinking: I also play fingerstyle guitar a lot without picks, but my hand position is completely different. I’ve never heard my thumb tapping though (except in clawhammer where it adds a nice drumbeat)

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#5

Thank you @Dragonslayer and @BanjoBen. I am helped and encouraged ! Thank you for the site, lessons, and community.

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#6

Earl Scruggs did it so do I .

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#7

Earl also picked his nose…
Just sayin :wink:

#8

I do too, so does Banjo Billy

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#9

I have been playing for a few years now. Every two years or so, I have to change my thumbpick because I’ve worn down the tip from hitting the head.
Early on, like the OP I hit the head harder and much more often. Now, because I’ve gotten used to the picks, I just scrape the head every once in a while.

#10

Classic case of The Young Man’s Paradox.

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#11

thanks @bluenote231

#12

You WILL grow out of it. The only advice I can give comes from watching myself play “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” the first time I uploaded the video. You’d think I was trying to play a drum rather than a banjo. It was that video that taught me to lighten up on my picking hand force. That’s all I had to do to get most of the thumb strikes to stop, and it allowed me to play faster, too.

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