--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being from New York, I wonder why am I…" description: "\"Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? But when I look at the whole history of the banjo, I feel really good ab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png" --- # Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by… ![“Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? But when I look at the whole history of the banjo, I feel really good about it, including the Earl Scruggs part.” quote by Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/344/bela-fleck-25885_banjo_being-from-new-york-i-wonder-why-am-i-in_632653.png) > “Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? But when I look at the whole history of the banjo, I feel really good about it, including the Earl Scruggs part.” [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The musician finds personal inspiration in a genre and artist that seem unexpected, highlighting the power of diverse influences. **In simple terms:** Unexpected influences can inspire deeply. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse musical roots. Themes inspiration cultural crossover heritage Mood curious appreciative Type reflective musical When to use this quote - personal growth - creative projects - musical education Key Concepts musical identity genre blending Questions to Reflect On - What unexpected influences shape you? - How can you honor the source of inspiration? A Different Perspective May romanticize cultural borrowing without acknowledging origins. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Banjos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjos/) [Bluegrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bluegrass/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [To learn the history of the banjo is to recover the actual history of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/to-learn-the-history-of-the-banjo-is-to-recover-the-actual-history-of/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [I think it is very ironic that most people think that the banjo is a southern white instrument. It came from Africa and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-it-is-very-ironic-that-most-people-think-that-the-banjo-is-a/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I think I'm getting better at being verbal. I used to have a lot of problems with it. I had my own little demons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-i-m-getting-better-at-being-verbal-i-used-to-have-a-lot-of/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I first heard the banjo on the Beverly Hillbillies, and from then on I was banjo-conscious. But I didn't actually get one until my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-first-heard-the-banjo-on-the-beverly-hillbillies-and-from-then-on-i/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [There's a lot of hip-hop that would be great with a banjo in it. It would just groove like crazy, and I hope I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-great-with-a-banjo-in-it-it/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [And then Earl Scruggs comes along and transforms the banjo into a virtuosic modern instrument. For the first time, the Southern banjo style becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-transforms-the-banjo-into-a/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [My dad also plays a little banjo and guitar, my mom plays the mandolin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-mcconnell/my-dad-also-plays-a-little-banjo-and-guitar-my-mom-plays-the-mandolin/) [Page McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-mcconnell/) > [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/) Daniel Roth > [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) Rory Block > [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) ## More by Bela Fleck > [So it doesn't have to be happy music to be inspiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/so-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-happy-music-to-be-inspiring/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [Everybody should have a documentary made about themselves. It's amazing what you see and what you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/everybody-should-have-a-documentary-made-about-themselves-it-s/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [When I play my own music, or when I play new music, there's much more stress and intensity of thinking about how I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/when-i-play-my-own-music-or-when-i-play-new-music-there-s-much-more/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [There is a tendency to want to isolate a little bit, from people that might look at me from a fan position, because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-is-a-tendency-to-want-to-isolate-a-little-bit-from-people-that/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I think the Flecktones are a mixture of acoustic and electronic music with a lot of roots in folk and bluegrass as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-think-the-flecktones-are-a-mixture-of-acoustic-and-electronic-music/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [My most powerful memory was hearing Earl Scruggs on 'The Beverly Hillbillies' as a 5 or 6 year old. That sound just blew me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/my-most-powerful-memory-was-hearing-earl-scruggs-on-the-beverly/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I learned that I'm so busy with what I'm doing, so focused on what I'm doing, that I miss a lot of opportunities for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-learned-that-i-m-so-busy-with-what-i-m-doing-so-focused-on-what-i-m/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [They think the banjo can only be happy, but that's not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/they-think-the-banjo-can-only-be-happy-but-that-s-not-true/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [I always try to work with people who are better than me, so I can learn more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-always-try-to-work-with-people-who-are-better-than-me-so-i-can/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [ I doubt anybody would have pushed me \[on the music\]. When I was at Sony nobody ever gave me any creative suggestions on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/i-doubt-anybody-would-have-pushed-me-on-the-music-when-i-was-at-sony/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [It doesn't have to be happy music to be inspiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/it-doesn-t-have-to-be-happy-music-to-be-inspiring/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [Sometimes you can fix something that went wrong with what you do next and make it better than it would have been if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/sometimes-you-can-fix-something-that-went-wrong-with-what-you-do-next/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [And then Earl Scruggs comes along and transforms the banjo into a virtuosic modern instrument. For the first time, the Southern banjo style becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/and-then-earl-scruggs-comes-along-and-transforms-the-banjo-into-a/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [There's a lot of hip-hop that would be great with a banjo in it. It would just groove like crazy, and I hope I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-s-a-lot-of-hip-hop-that-would-be-great-with-a-banjo-in-it-it/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) [Explore all 22 Bela Fleck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) ## More Banjo quotes > [Id be happiest standing at the back, strumming my little banjo where no one could see me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/id-be-happiest-standing-at-the-back-strumming-my-little-banjo-where/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) Rory Block > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When we moved back to the US, folk music was all the rage. So I traded in my banjo for a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/when-we-moved-back-to-the-us-folk-music-was-all-the-rage-so-i-traded/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vile/my-family-was-always-playing-music-i-always-enjoyed-it-my-cousin-who/) [Kurt Vile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vile/) > [Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. It was him. There was this soulful quality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [Nothing says 'dropping out of society' like learning the banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-roth/nothing-says-dropping-out-of-society-like-learning-the-banjo/) Daniel Roth > [“banjo. A plucked, fretted lute where a thin skin diaphragm is stretched over a circular metal frame amplifying the sound of the strings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-doherty/banjo-a-plucked-fretted-lute-where-a-thin-skin-diaphragm-is-stretched/) Liz Doherty > [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-knows-how-to-play-the-banjo-and-doesn-t/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I've heard of people stopping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. But most of the banjo players I know had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-ve-heard-of-people-stopping-their-cars-having-car-wrecks-all-kinds/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [There are a lot of chapters to the banjo's history. Part of it are the roots in Africa, where it's a more primitive instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-fleck/there-are-a-lot-of-chapters-to-the-banjo-s-history-part-of-it-are-the/) [Bela Fleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-fleck/) > [My dad also plays a little banjo and guitar, my mom plays the mandolin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-mcconnell/my-dad-also-plays-a-little-banjo-and-guitar-my-mom-plays-the-mandolin/) [Page McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-mcconnell/) > [Whenever a big white man picks up a banjo, my cheeks tighten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/whenever-a-big-white-man-picks-up-a-banjo-my-cheeks-tighten/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [“There was talk of the Centaur being moved into the elephant cages to make room for a banjo-picking Minotaur. Surrendering his meager furnishings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/there-was-talk-of-the-centaur-being-moved-into-the-elephant-cages-to/) [Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/) Browse all 104 Banjo quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being from New York, I wonder why am I inspired by bluegrass and Earl Scruggs? 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