Slowhand Banjo is an expressive variation of clawhammer banjo perfectly suited to music beyond the traditional clawhammer repertoire.  It  includes upstrokes as well as downstrokes, follows patterns of chords across the neck to play melodies, and uses the fifth string as an ornament instead of a rhythmic device.  The hand does not necessarily go slower, but it can vary tempos and include pauses for effect in order to convey emotion.

 

Slowhand expands the repertoire of banjo music to include folk songs, sentimental nineteenth century tunes, and songs of the American West that seem natural to the banjo though they are rarely played on it as solo instrumentals.  The style also gives a new sound to mountain tunes and fiddle tunes and is a great addition to the traditional clawhammer or bluegrass repertoire.  I am still in the process of figuring out this technique and would like to use this site to share my experiments with others as I learn more.  Click on the videos below to hear my slowhand versions of various songs and on the tabs above to learn more about the style.  I’ll add new songs as I learn them.  Thanks for stopping by.

--Steven Harvey