Scruggs style is the most common style of playing the banjo in bluegrass music. It is a fingerpicking method, also known as three-finger style. It is named after Earl Scruggs, whose innovative approach and technical mastery of the instrument have influenced generations of bluegrass banjoists ever since he was first recorded in 1946. It contrasts with earlier styles such as minstrel, classic or parlor style (a late 19th-century finger-style played without picks), clawhammer/frailing/two-finger style (played with thumb and nail of the first or middle finger), jazz styles played with a plectrum, and more modern styles such as Keith/melodic/chromatic/arpa style, and single-string/Reno style. The influence of Scruggs is so pervasive that even bluegrass players such as Bill Keith and Don Reno, who are credited with developing these latter styles, typically work out of the Scruggs style much of the time.
Scruggs-style banjo is played with picks on the thumb, index and middle fingers; the pinky and/or ring fingers are typically braced against the head (top) of the instrument. The strings are picked rapidly in repetitive sequences or rolls; the same string is not typically picked twice in succession. Melody notes are interspersed among arpeggios, and musical phrases typically contain long series of staccato notes, often played at very rapid tempos. The music is generally syncopated, and may have a subtle swing or shuffle feel, especially on mid-tempo numbers. The result is lively, rapid music, which lends itself both as an accompaniment to other instruments and as a solo.
It was a kind of experimental album — we were developing a style of playing that was a combination of traditional Earl Scruggs–style picking and something more fluid and melodic.
Parrott’s ‘selfless’ attitude makes him honorary captain. By Steve Williams...Selfless,” said BeardenHead CoachJosh Jones ... He now ranks No ... Carter athlete Jody Scruggs is a fan favorite with his all-out style of play ... Offense ... ATH Jody Scruggs, Carter jr.
First among them was the legendary Earl Scruggs, the man who pioneered the three-finger roll style of playing banjo that turned the instrument into the bluegrass equivalent of a rock guitar. And in that equation, Earl Scruggs was Jimi Hendrix.
(Gregory Scruggs, The Seattle Times/TNS) ... (Gregory Scruggs, The Seattle Times/TNS) ... The spartan amenities — an airport lounge-style coffee machine in the lobby and a gift shop in the former bank vault — didn’t encourage me to linger.
"Mullins’ music is best described as authentic bluegrass, marked by consistently clean harmonies, Joe’s driving Scruggs-style banjo playing, and his band’s ...
Scruggs introduced his innovative 3-finger style of banjo playing, known now as the Scruggs Style, in 1945 when he joined Bill Monroe’s band. Scruggs’ playing style took the world by storm and, along ...
Whereas previous fingerpicking styles like clawhammer focused on down-picking (using the thumb and middle or index finger) on the five-string instrument, “Scruggs Style” was a three-finger approach ...
... and is also recognized as a “Blue RidgeNational Heritage Area.” This museum celebrates bluegrass legend, Earl Scruggs, world famous for inventing the famous three-finger picking style on the banjo.
She has this effortless, old-timey country style that is at points reminiscent of the likes of The Carter Family or Flatt and Scruggs (her brilliant covers of songs once performed by the latter duo ...
Mullins’ music is best described as authentic bluegrass, marked by consistently clean harmonies, Joe’s driving Scruggs-style banjo playing, and his band’s entertaining showmanship.
She was 85 ... Ms ... Ms ... “poorism.” ... She learned the Scruggs style from her brother Scotty, a fiddle player, and was soon performing with her family at DAR Constitution Hall, where they won a talent competition that led to regular radio appearances ... Ms ... Dr ... Ms ... .
Scruggs, the pioneer of the three-finger ... “At the age of 13, when I first heard 16 notes of Scruggs style banjo playing, I put down my folk guitar and mercilessly pestered my parents to buy me a banjo.
The Knoxville Focus
18 Nov 2024
The Knoxville Focus
18 Nov 2024