The Old Timer - Posted - 03/30/2026:  09:50:45

Well, after years of "word of mouth" discussion of how Earl played the climbing octaves lick in his original 1954 cut of Foggy Mtn Special, I've finally SEEN it.

It's Earl's second break. Starting with the 4th string 5th fret he plays low G-high G, low G-high G a few times and then climbs up the neck playing octaves until he gets up to 12th fret on the 1st string D. I reckon most of us play this fretting 4th string and 1st string at the same fret -- that's certainly how I've done it for 60 years.

Years ago I played it this way in front of Casey Henry and she told me Pete Kuykendall would always yell at her if she played it that way around him. He INSISTED the correct way Earl played it was starting on 4th string 5th fret but with the pinkie stretched out 2nd string 7th fret!!! Same high G of course, but you couldn't choose a more difficult way to do it!

I've watched and watched over the years for a Martha White video of Earl playing Foggy Mtn Special but the few that exist never include him playing this lick at all. Not that I disbelieved Casey, but of course I wanted to see it with my lying eyes.

Today a banjo buddy sent me video of Earl jamming at home with John Hartford, Gene Lebbea, Chris Sharp and others and they play FMS and Earl stretches his pinkie WAY UP THERE to make his high G on the 7th fret while hanging onto the 4th string at the 5th fret. YIKES! He slides that hand shape all the way up the neck. And he's the guy we always thought chose the simplest way to play anything.

I'm just sorry I can't repost it here -- I don't know where it came from and I couldn't even save it to my computer.

As usual, Earl can ALWAYS surprise you!

Now everybody tell me "it's just me" that never played the lick right.

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 03/30/2026:  10:52:32

It's just you 

Now tell me why he did it that way. I have my own theory.

banjopaolo - Posted - 03/30/2026:  12:24:43

Mmmm… second string 7th fret isn’t Fsharp?
Wes Montgomery was famous playing octaves like that (index and pinky on G and B string) he did in such a smooth way….

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/30/2026:  12:34:58

Methinks 8th fret, 2nd string as Paolo alluded to. But why he liked it that way I have no idea, Laurence.
The tricky part of that climb is that it’s so syncopated I have a devil of a time keeping track of the long-short notes of the swing rhythm (or as some people say “bounce”).

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/30/2026:  12:56:52

Found it
youtu.be/FWmlCqbgDBo?si=MPlmJJSZm2_L_zNE

ChunoTheDog - Posted - 03/30/2026:  13:46:45

2:38 into the video

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/30/2026:  14:09:00

Yes TYPO, 2nd string 8th fret is high G. Sorry. The same video is posted above now.

Edited by - The Old Timer on 03/30/2026 14:09:16

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/30/2026:  14:12:15

Laurence, what is your reasoning? The closest I can come is that maybe it's related to piano playing of an octave with hand stretched from thumb to pinkie? Just a W.A.G.

Edited by - The Old Timer on 03/30/2026 14:12:32

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/30/2026:  14:15:34

Thanks Chas for finding and posting. I got it in a text on my phone and have no idea how to manipulate it from there.

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/30/2026:  14:19:01

quote:

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

Thanks Chas for finding and posting. I got it in a text on my phone and have no idea how to manipulate it from there.

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It took a bit of searching,, but I had seen some of those videos a few weeks ago.  Looks like the former Banjo Newletter columnist Bob Piekiel put them on YouTube. 

For a man with relatively small hands he had really stretched out that pinky over the years. I notice he used it a lot on the 4th string on the "long D7"... and of course the famous 11th fret, 2nd string on Sally Goodwin,, Cumberland, Gap , etc.  years ago I learned his break to "Blue Ridge Cabin Home" in G from his book,, it took a while to get that long D7 with the hammer on the 2nd string. I've seen Butch Robins do that chord on a video and he has to kick his wrist way out and get the thumb behind the neck. 

Edited by - chuckv97 on 03/30/2026 14:29:00

The Old Timer - Posted - 03/30/2026:  15:03:25

Bill Monroe was a big advocate of using the left hand pinkie to "get" notes. I believe he is quoted as saying "you got use that little finger quick, striking like a snake!"

I've also heard fiddlers say that the real OLD timers used to say a fiddler who don't use his left hand pinkie isn't a real fiddler at all.

perltone - Posted - 03/30/2026:  20:33:13

The gypsy jazz guitar guys do it like that. Then they can mute the string in between and use pretty powerful strums for the octave sound.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 03/30/2026:  20:56:52

quote:

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

Same high G of course, but you couldn't choose a more difficult way to do it!

 

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Not difficult at all, IMNSHO. 

chuckv97 - Posted - 03/30/2026:  21:30:56

Using index and pinky it’s do-able. But I’m still curious as to why he opted for that fingering - maybe his first string was a bit out of tune…. so he changed it up à la his first recording of Earl’s Breakdown when h didn’t have the special tuners yet & his second string didn’t get back in tune after twisting so he finished the break without picking it.

1935tb-11 - Posted - 03/31/2026:  04:57:13

you know why he done it that way ? because he is earl ... no other reason. we listen, we watch, we wonder !!!!

RB3 - Posted - 03/31/2026:  07:26:27

I once had a conversation with Tony Rice and J.D. Crowe in which Tony posed a question about the importance of various fingers on the left hand. His question was: "If you had to lose one finger on your left hand, which one would you least want to lose." J. D. emphatically said it would be his pinkie finger.

Edited by - RB3 on 03/31/2026 07:39:18

1935tb-11 - Posted - 03/31/2026:  08:11:55

quote:

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Originally posted by RB3

I once had a conversation with Tony Rice and J.D. Crowe in which Tony posed a question about the importance of various fingers on the left hand. His question was: "If you had to lose one finger on your left hand, which one would you least want to lose." J. D. emphatically said it would be his pinkie finger.

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me too since that is the hand  i pick  with,,, i can always anchor with the ring finger.

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 03/31/2026:  08:26:44

quote:

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Originally posted by chuckv97

Using index and pinky it’s do-able. But I’m still curious as to why he opted for that fingering - maybe his first string was a bit out of tune…. so he changed it up à la his first recording of Earl’s Breakdown when h didn’t have the special tuners yet & his second string didn’t get back in tune after twisting so he finished the break without picking it.

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I can't get inside Earl's head so I can only say why I would do it that way. 

1. Sound


2. Control 

Bronx banjo - Posted - 03/31/2026:  10:23:23

I read somewhere that Earl played it that way. Now we have proof. I saw a video of Jim Mills playing it using the first string. This is one of those rare instances when I won’t copy what Earl does. I’ve played it both ways and to me the difference is so small that it’s not worth the effort.

tonwil - Posted - 04/02/2026:  21:37:14

Im not a Scruggs picker much, After that run it looks like he lays his pinky across to reach the 1st string for the D to do the very next lick , the finger is already there. But thats not the way i would do it. But my next lick wouldnt be done the same way either. Interesting!