When I was first learning, friends would you always say "You should learn this song!". I'd look up the chords, strum along, and think it sounded pretty good.
Then I'd play it for them and get nothing but blank stares.
They couldn't recognise the tune because playing the chords isn't enough to make a modern song sound right on the banjo.
So I became a bit obsessed. I spent years figuring out how to translate modern music to clawhammer banjo. I studied ukulele and guitar players.
And here's what I discovered.
It's a rhythm and patterns thing.
And if you can learn how to adapt old-time clawhammer techniques to modern music, you can sound amazing.