Having read all the way through this thread at one sitting (and that before 7.00am!) I think I've got it!

Bluegrass is old-time orientated folk music with jazz/non-Nashville country and blues influences, and elements of mountain music, but with a western structure, played on a variety of instruments by musicians who tend to vary between the over-animated to the fairly static depending on their personal choices, using often, but not exclusively, as some are quite individualistic, fairly standardised runs and picking patterns with several individual variations in style and delivery according to the personal influences of the player and singing, or not as the case may be, using overtones of blues-influenced Celtic, with even medieval dissident fifth note, harmonies, where the performed piece involves vocalisation from more than one person.

Pretty simple really – or have I got it wrong?

I'm reminded of the time I had a trainee sitting in on my radio programme with the aim of learning which twiddlers to twiddle, faders to fade and buttons to press. My programme is community focussed with musical interludes and I played a 70s pop song because the words related to the work of my studio guest. Afterwards, the trainee asked me, "What genre is it?"

I can enjoy bluegrass, old-time, folk, blues, Celtic, jazz and classical or even a mixture of them all with some Cajun, Zydeco, Soca, Calypso, R&B, blues, rock and even pieces of heavy metal thrown in for fun. I must admit I'm not over-enthusiastic about Garage, Hip-Hop, House or Dub – does that make me a bad person?

For folks on the right side of the Pond, can I recommend the European World of Bluegrass Festival in Voorthuizen, Holland, first weekend in June?

Eddie