How to play full-chord hammers-on and pulls-off on the banjo

The frail, or frailing strum, is the heart and soul of old-time banjo. The frailing strum is a down-picking technique where you play the first four strings of the banjo with the back of your middle fingernail while playing the fifth string with your thumb. This is used to create a quarter note/two eighth note rhythm pattern. In this video banjo lesson, you'll learn how to play full-chord hammers-on and pulls-off—or hammer-ons and pull-offs, depending on where you went to school—when using a frailing strum on the banjo. Get started playing full-chord hammers-on and pulls-off on your own banjo with this free lesson.