Bluegrass and OldTime Music

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Bluegrass and Old-Time Music
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Appalachian Region

• Appalachian Music is found in the Appalachian
  Region.
• The Appalachian Region is in the southern
  Appalachian Mountains and includes parts of
  Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North
  Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia,
  Alabama, and Mississippi.

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History of Appalachian Music

• The Appalachian Region was settled by small
  farmers from England, Scotland, and Ireland.
• These farmers played instruments, sang, told
  stories and danced to entertain themselves.
• The fiddle and the jaw harp were the most popular
  instruments. Old stories and songs werent
  written down they were passed down by word of
  mouth. Songs were sung as solos, with families,
  or church congregations. They usually werent
  sung with instruments.

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Appalachian Music Changes

• In the 1800s, the style of Appalachian music
  changed. Freed slaves introduced the banjo, and
  the blues.
• Guitar, mandolin, and harmonica were made popular
  when people could order them through the mail.
• These elements mixed to form mountain music in
  the late 1800s.

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New Technology

• When the radio and the phonograph were invented
  in the 1800s, the way people listened to music
  changed.
• Instead of gathering to sing or perform together,
  people would turn on the radio and listen to
  music recorded by professional musicians.

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What is Bluegrass Music?

• In 1939, Bill Monroe (also known as the father of
  bluegrass) formed a band consisting of a fiddle,
  a banjo, a guitar, a mandolin, and an upright
  bass.
• The band combined string band music, gospel,
  African-American work songs, and blues, and
  sounded like nothing ever heard before.
• The band was known as The Blue Grass Boys. Bill
  Monroe was from Kentucky the bluegrass state.

The Blue Grass Boys
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The Classic Bluegrass Sound

• The classic bluegrass sound was created in 1945,
  when a banjo player named Earl Scruggs joined
  The Blue Grass Boys.
• He played the banjo using his thumb, forefinger,
  and middle finger. He played with metal picks on
  each finger to make the sound louder.
• Other banjo players imitated the 3-finger
  style. This sound has now become a trademark of
  bluegrass music.

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Bluegrass Music Now

• Bluegrass music gained popularity in the 1940s
  and 50s. Many new bands were formed and some were
  featured on the Grand Ole Opry, a popular radio
  show that featured all types of country music.
• Bluegrass music thrives to this day, and is
  enjoyed by people all over the world.

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Old-Time Music

• When bluegrass was invented, many younger
  musicians started playing it. Older musicians
  continued to play the music they used to play
  before bluegrass came along.
• Some of these older musicians were Fiddlin John
  Carson, Tommy Jarrell, and the Carter Family.
• As these musicians got older and passed away,
  younger musicians learned the music and kept the
  style alive.

Fiddlin John Carson
Tommy Jarrell
The Carter Family
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Instruments used in Bluegrass and Old-time Music
Fiddle-the same instrument as the violin. It has
four strings and is played with a bow, a piece of
wood with horse hair stretched between the two
ends.
Guitar-It has six strings and is played in many
styles of music.
Banjo-originally from Africa. This instrument
has five strings (one is shorter than the others)
and a round, skin-covered head.
Mandolin-it has eight strings that are tuned in
pairs. It is related to the violin but is played
with a pick.
String Bass-is a close relative of the violin,
viola, and cello. In old-time and bluegrass music
the strings are plucked instead of played with a
bow.
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How can you tell the difference?

• Bluegrass and Old-Time music use most of the same
  instruments and even play some of the same tunes.
  Heres how you can tell the difference
• Pay attention to the banjo.
• Bluegrass banjos usually have a resonator, a
  round wooden shell around the back of the skin
  covered head. Old-Time banjos have an open back.
• Bluegrass banjo players use the 3-finger style,
  which sounds bright, fast, and loud.
• Old-Time banjo players use the clawhammer style,
  which sounds slower, more damped (the strings
  dont ring as much) and has a rhythm you can
  dance to.

• Is there a mandolin?
• While you will sometimes hear mandolin in an
  old-time band, it is used much more frequently in
  bluegrass music.
• Do the musicians play a melody together
  (old-time), or do they take turns playing the
  solo melody while the other instruments play
  backup (bluegrass)?