Ground Speed

[Rex Hart]

I am learning this fine tune on the mandolin and was thinking that it is a great tune to develop scales and and to improvise with. Does anyone know who did this originally?

[Mike Bunting]

Lester and Earl.

[allenhopkins]

Here's Earl picking it with the Foggy Mountain Boys on the Martha White Show:



Note Jake Tullock's bass "outro" --

[Ivan Kelsall]

Earl Scruggs was (is)an amateur pilot & "Groundspeed" is ''the speed of an Aircraft relative to the ground'',hence it's name & the title of Earl's great tune,
Ivan

[Rex Hart]

Of course it was Lester and Earl.....why didn't I know that? What a great video, Alan. I wonder why there was no mandolin break in the video? I have heard that Lester and Earl wanted to distance themselves from Bill's sound so hence, no mando content. Still, it would be tough to take a break at that speed any way! Loved it. It should have been titled Flight Speed. What do you think Ivan

[allenhopkins]

...I wonder why there was no mandolin break in the video? I have heard that Lester and Earl wanted to distance themselves from Bill's sound so hence, no mando content...

Flatt & Scruggs had a variety of mandolin players in their band, including Everett Lilly, Monroe Fields, Curly Lambert (briefly) -- but Curly Seckler had the longest tenure. Mainly played rhythm, sang tenor. I've listened to a lot of F&S and seldom heard anything more than a down-mixed offbeat "chop."

Only song with a definite, though short, mandolin break that's come to my attention is Foggy Mountain Special:

[Rroyd]

It's a good tune to work out a mandolin break for, and if you just concentrate on hearing the overall "line" of the banjo break, you can come up with a very effective mandolin break that uses a lot of common break ideas. You can use descending sequencial patterns on the first part, and kind of an "In the Mood" lick on those "stopped" V chord measures. You may have already learned some of those licks and ideas in other tunes, so all you need to do is "remix" and fill in any missing gaps, and you're set.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Rex - "It should have been titled Flight Speed. What do you think Ivan.". (F) Light Speed would suit i think Rex.
On Banjo i'm a Scruggs stylist,pure & simple. It was what i first heard & what still knocks me sideways today when i hear Earl or other good pickers playing in his style. It's no wonder the audience went wild when they first heard Earl playing with Bill Monroe. I wonder if Bill & Earl ever thought that their legacy would be so huge ?,
Ivan