Bluegrass is one of the United States’ truly original musical genres. Its origins lie in the music of early 17th-century English, Irish, and Scottish settlers, who began to write songs about their daily lives in areas such as the Carolinas, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Previously relegated to live performances in the mountain towns of the American South, this rural, acoustic genre first received widespread exposure after the invention of the phonograph and the growth in popularity of the radio, as well as the influence of African American gospel and blues songs of the 1930s and 40s. Its distinguishing sound is best identified through the presence of the following four traditional bluegrass instruments. Fiddle The term “fiddle” actually refers to the instrument that, in genres like jazz or classical, is simply called a violin. Fiddles and violins are built the same way—with the same traditionally wooden body styles equipped with four or five strings. Both are capable of reaching a range of notes between G3 and A7 and are played using a stringed bow. The only physical differences that may be present between a fiddle and violin are based on player preference. Where a violin player may prefer to use strings with cores made of gut or synthetic material, the fiddle player uses steel core strings to make music. Another small difference can be the shape of the instrument’s bridge, which is typically arched in violins, but may be flattened when the instrument is played as a fiddle. This flatness allows for a fiddle player to use the double and triple-stop bowing techniques characteristic of bluegrass music. The only true and undeniable difference that distinguishes a fiddle from a violin is in the way that a musician plays the instrument. Musicians who play the violin have a style that is precise and technical, lending to structurally complex, traditional music. Comparatively, music played on the fiddle is less structurally complex, but necessitates fast, highly advanced abilities in areas like string-bending and multiple stop-bowing—key elements of creating lively music with rhythm and melodic lift. MandolinThe mandolin, a small, stringed instrument with a short neck, is considered to be a modern-day cousin of the Italian lute from the mid-18th century. It features eight strings paired in sets of two, with each set tuned to the same notes as the strings on the fiddle: G, D, A, and E. While the mandolin enjoyed initial success with the American middle class at the turn of the 20th century, it was largely forgotten by the time famed bluegrass player Bill Monroe brought his Gibson F-5 mandolin to the Grand Ole Opry Stage in 1939. Bill Monroe today is known as the “father of bluegrass music,” and his technique of picking leading melodies on the mandolin was almost as influential as his invention of “the chop”—a form of percussion performed by strumming muted strings. Today, these techniques are genre standards, and mandolin players may back up the music by chopping on the offbeat, or may stand in for the voice to fill vocal holes with tremolo or fast picking solos. BanjoThough appearing to be simple in design, the banjo is a highly unique and intricate instrument that originated in West Africa. Its construction is made up of two main parts: the pot assembly and the neck. The pot assembly is essentially a drum, which today is stretched with a membrane made from plastic, but in the past was made from animal skin. Connected to the pot assembly is the neck, made from wood, and strung with five strings, only four of which reach the peghead at the top of the instrument. The fifth string is attached to a tuning peg halfway up the side of the banjo’s neck. This shorter fifth string is one of the elements that gives the banjo its unique sound. While other stringed instruments have strings organized in an order that progresses from low notes to high notes, the fifth string of the banjo plays the highest note on the instrument, but is located above the string that plays the lowest note. Because of this unusual string order, banjo players have developed distinct playing styles that are set completely apart from those played on the mandolin or guitar. In bluegrass, the banjo is typically played using roll patterns, in which a musician plays quickly using the pointer and middle fingers along with the thumb to quickly pick individual strings. This creates a fast-paced sequence of notes that help to drive the tempo of a bluegrass song forward, providing it with a characteristic sound. Guitar The acoustic guitar didn’t become a major part of bluegrass music until later into the genre’s development, around the 1920s. It began as a mere backup instrument, establishing a base rhythm for the lead banjo and fiddle players to follow. As bluegrass guitar playing became more technical and diverse throughout the middle part of the 20th century, it earned recognition as a crucial background element of the bluegrass sound. However, it was still not until the 1960s that musicians like Doc Watson and Clarence White truly brought the guitar into the spotlight as a worthy lead instrument in the genre. Today, lead breaks for guitarists are much more common in bluegrass music, yet the guitarist is still likely to be playing rhythm throughout the majority of the song. The instrument is most often used in a supportive manner wherein the guitarist helps maintain a constant tempo that allows the whole band to play cohesively.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Marina K Caprara