--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Earl Scruggs had this thing that it…" description: "\"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 came through that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/earl-scruggs-25675_banjo_earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn_137055.png" --- # Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the… ![“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 came through that made you - if you're somebody like me who was, I guess, supposed to play the banjo, it made you stop in your tracks, and you couldn't do anything…” quote by Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/earl-scruggs-25675_banjo_earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn_137055.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/earl-scruggs-25675_banjo_earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn_137055.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/earl-scruggs-25675_banjo_earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn_137055.png) > “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 came through that made you - if you're somebody like me who was, I guess, supposed to play the banjo, it made you stop in your tracks, and you couldn't do anything until you got done hearing him play, and then immediately you'd have to go try and find a banjo.” [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His musical presence transcended technique, delivering a soulful impact that compelled listeners to act. **In simple terms:** Music can move people deeply. Key Takeaway Let music inspire action. Themes music inspiration craftsmanship Mood reflective inspired Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - learning an instrument - performance preparation - creative motivation Key Concepts artistic authenticity emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - What qualities make a performance unforgettable? - How can you channel that intensity in your own work? A Different Perspective Not everyone experiences such intensity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Banjos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banjos/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Soulful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soulful/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [The bottom line is, between Sonny Osborne and Earl Scruggs, I better know how to play banjo. I had the greatest teachers in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-jr/the-bottom-line-is-between-sonny-osborne-and-earl-scruggs-i-better/) [Hank Williams Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-jr/) > [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/) > [When I got out of school, I spent two years just hitchhiking around. Every time I met some old farmer who could play banjo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/when-i-got-out-of-school-i-spent-two-years-just-hitchhiking-around/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [A gentleman is a man who can play the banjo, but doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-gentleman-is-a-man-who-can-play-the-banjo-but-doesn-t/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I'm working on a script right about Civil War re-enactors who go back in time to the actual Civil War. It's kind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/i-m-working-on-a-script-right-about-civil-war-re-enactors-who-go-back/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [I told my father I wanted to play the banjo, and so he saved the money and got ready to give me a banjo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-browne/i-told-my-father-i-wanted-to-play-the-banjo-and-so-he-saved-the-money/) [Jackson Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-browne/) > [I mean if it wasn't for Earl Scruggs, guys like me wouldn't be doing what we're doing. I mean, he's changed so many people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-mean-if-it-wasn-t-for-earl-scruggs-guys-like-me-wouldn-t-be-doing/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [I play banjo, and in Britain, it's easy to get away with playing banjo because you don't often see it on U.K. stages. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-marshall/i-play-banjo-and-in-britain-it-s-easy-to-get-away-with-playing-banjo/) [Winston Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-marshall/) > [I guarantee you there's a bunch of the twentysomethings that don't know that, don't know I play banjo and bluegrass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-jr/i-guarantee-you-there-s-a-bunch-of-the-twentysomethings-that-don-t/) [Hank Williams Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-jr/) > [I'm interested in all kinds of art. I draw and paint and don't know how to play the banjo, but I do play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellar-coltrane/i-m-interested-in-all-kinds-of-art-i-draw-and-paint-and-don-t-know/) [Ellar Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellar-coltrane/) > [It's made a lot of people richer from hearing Earl Scruggs. And I just think we're all very lucky to have him in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/it-s-made-a-lot-of-people-richer-from-hearing-earl-scruggs-and-i-just/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [Earl Scruggs is the guy who really made that leap with using three fingers in a rotating fashion to create this fast rippling sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-is-the-guy-who-really-made-that-leap-with-using-three/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [I think Earl Scruggs playing propelled bluegrass and Bill Monroe's music to the level that - where we're all still talking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-think-earl-scruggs-playing-propelled-bluegrass-and-bill-monroe-s/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [ He \[Earl Scruggs\] was really cool because he was very quiet, and he wouldn't say much, but then he would come out with a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/he-earl-scruggs-was-really-cool-because-he-was-very-quiet-and-he/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) ## More by Earl Scruggs > [I don't like to travel as much as I have in the past, but it's good for my soul to get to pick, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-don-t-like-to-travel-as-much-as-i-have-in-the-past-but-it-s-good/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [You know you can get gaudy with something, and they didn't do that. To me, I think it's very tasteful, well done, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/you-know-you-can-get-gaudy-with-something-and-they-didn-t-do-that-to/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [I know she would want me to still do what I'm doing, because she kept me going a lot of times when I'd almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-know-she-would-want-me-to-still-do-what-i-m-doing-because-she-kept/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [I like drums, really, if they're under control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-like-drums-really-if-they-re-under-control/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [I mean if it wasn't for Earl Scruggs, guys like me wouldn't be doing what we're doing. I mean, he's changed so many people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-mean-if-it-wasn-t-for-earl-scruggs-guys-like-me-wouldn-t-be-doing/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [Earl Scruggs wears two finger picks and a thumb pick, and by alternating them, he can play about as fast as he wants. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-wears-two-finger-picks-and-a-thumb-pick-and-by/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [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/) > [Adrienne Rich was one of the most widely-read and influential poets of her time, a leading feminist, known especially for her politically-engaged verse. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/adrienne-rich-was-one-of-the-most-widely-read-and-influential-poets/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [ He \[Earl Scruggs\] was really cool because he was very quiet, and he wouldn't say much, but then he would come out with a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/he-earl-scruggs-was-really-cool-because-he-was-very-quiet-and-he/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [I think Earl Scruggs playing propelled bluegrass and Bill Monroe's music to the level that - where we're all still talking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-think-earl-scruggs-playing-propelled-bluegrass-and-bill-monroe-s/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [I enjoy doing new tunes. It gives me a little bit to perk up, to pay a little bit more attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/i-enjoy-doing-new-tunes-it-gives-me-a-little-bit-to-perk-up-to-pay-a/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [Earl Scruggs is the guy who really made that leap with using three fingers in a rotating fashion to create this fast rippling sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-is-the-guy-who-really-made-that-leap-with-using-three/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [If you don't let things develop, it's like keeping something in a bag and not letting it out to fly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/if-you-don-t-let-things-develop-it-s-like-keeping-something-in-a-bag/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [You can’t encore the past. If I see a bright light shining out there, I want to go toward it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/you-can-t-encore-the-past-if-i-see-a-bright-light-shining-out-there-i/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) > [It's made a lot of people richer from hearing Earl Scruggs. And I just think we're all very lucky to have him in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/it-s-made-a-lot-of-people-richer-from-hearing-earl-scruggs-and-i-just/) [Earl Scruggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) [Explore all 22 Earl Scruggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-scruggs/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [John Fahey, thought during his lifetime to be possibly more than a little crazy, was the author of some thirty albums of gnomically introverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/john-fahey-thought-during-his-lifetime-to-be-possibly-more-than-a/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) Browse all 104 Banjo quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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 came through that made you - if you're somebody like me who was, I guess, supposed to play the banjo, it made you stop in your tracks, and you couldn't do anything until you got done hearing him play, and then immediately you'd have to go try and find a banjo.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Earl Scruggs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Banjo" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-scruggs/earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn-t-just-the-technique-or-even/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/earl-scruggs-25675_banjo_earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn_137055.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/earl-scruggs-25675_banjo_earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn_137055.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/earl-scruggs-25675_banjo_earl-scruggs-had-this-thing-that-it-wasn_137055.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Earl Scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument. 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