Quite a few of us here have experience with bluegrass music either as performers or as listeners and jammers. In either case, we've formed opinions based on our experiences and the lore we've picked up along the way. But Frank (stringslinger) not only has experience beyond the rest of us, he's also made an academic study of the subject. My own reading and experience supports what Frank has said.

There are a couple of very fine scholarly books on this subject. One is Robert Cantwell's Bluegrass Breakdown - The Making of the Old Southern Sound that goes into fine detail about the creation of bluegrass music and all the factors that contributed to its formulation. The other book I'd recommend is Neil V. Rosenberg's Bluegrass - A History. These books will provide valuable insight into the academic musicology of bluegrass as well as corrected lore associated with the music. If you have any interest in bluegrass music you'll enjoy these books.

Other authors to read include Bob Black, Gene Lowinger and Tom Ewing (all former Blue Grass Boys).

Opinions are fine but there's no substitute for actual knowledge.

      - Mark