Thumb thumb ... thumb..

But what about the fingernails!

Geoff reminded me - finger nails fast wear away on Steel Strings - wheras in fact most Clawhammer standards were evolved on Gut, which does not wear out the nails - more like the other way around ...lol -

And if you must play on steel strings, moving your hand OVER the end of the fingerboard will A soften the attack ...nice sound as well and B prevent fast wear on the index and/or middle fingers.

But if you really want to play on Gut, you had better get a decent Banjo otherwise it sounds like crap; in that case you might want to contact me about a vintage beast I happen to own.

19teens Vega Tu Ba Phone, all original - it is not a remake, it is not a Tenor Pot on a fake neck, it is genuine down to the brackets and tuners! all still in perfect working order.