Was just playing some riffs with my tenor uke recently when I came up with this little tune. I’ve never really played the uke in this way, but I thought it was kind of similar to banjo playing the way the open G-string is being used.
Lots of people do frailing/clawhammer style on uke. Check out Aaron Keim for some other good examples.
Why get a banjo
Ah, a question for the ages.
Checked him out. Lots of cool stuff indeed. Although it seems that this clawhammer style type of playing uses mostly down strokes with the entire hand. I’m just using individual fingers in an upwards picking motion. The effect I get is similar though. Maybe I should try learning proper clawhammer style, looks like fun.
Agreed. What you’re doing seems to me more like Scruggs style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vVvx1mMCVc
It’s not really Scruggs style either. It strikes me as a Chet Atkins finger-style pattern.
Great playing, and a fun tune! I hope you’ll check out the banjolele one day (imagine your uke with a banjo body!). That would be a perfect instrument for that tune.
Wouldn’t that require an alternating bass?
Or am I thinking of Travis picking?
Maybe. It’s kind of in between a number of things. A little Scruggs, a little Atkins, maybe a little of a couple more.