Bluegrass

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Heather Ferris
Date: 17 Jan 98 - 10:40 PM

Hi to Everyone Loved reading all these entries in the bluegrass section. I really enjoy bluegrass, my husband plays a mean banjo and I back him up on guitar, tinker around a bit on the mandolin and started singing "the tunes" about 4 months ago. We regularly jam with several musicians here in our small town in British Columbia and have played with some members of Nechako Bluegrass Band, Jerusalem Ridge and a former member of Wholesome Bluegrass from Manitoba. The best part of bluegrass is the people. They are so friendly, down to earth and are so appreciative of everyone who is trying to learn no matter how many mistakes you make. Special hello to Old Timer: I am still looking for the words to "In the Gravel Yard" which I heard being done by the Liberty Bluegrass Boys.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: betsy
Date: 21 Dec 97 - 06:56 PM

I've been playing fiddle for 3 years now, and recently concentrating on bluegrass. For me, the main differences between old timey and bluegrass is: style- oldtimey tends to be unison playing, with the melody played by fiddle or occasionally another instrument, with guitar and others doing the rythmn. No "breaks" as in bluegrass- the improvisational solos that bluegrassers are known for. Some oldtime folks are really serious about having only traditional playing in that style. For fiddles, bowing is very rythmic. Old time jams are known for repeating a song many many times before playing another. Joke is - What is the difference between an UZI and an old time jam? Ans: The UZI quits after 30 rounds. As for which is harder- that's your own call. You can be a really good old timey player, or a poor bluegrasser. Bluegrass places the emphesis on individual performance, harmony singing, and "hot" instrumentals. It all grew out of the old-timey and mountain traditional playing. Anyone with bluegrass interest post anytime.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Barbara
Date: 28 Oct 97 - 07:59 AM

I was glad to find this bluegrass thread, because I'm what they call "bit bad" by the music. I play several instruments well enough to enjoy myself, but not "professional" caliber. That's what's great about bluegrass: beginners can join in and make music with hot pickers who could start fires. It's really music for all levels of ability, and all ages.

We went to several festivals last summer in the Northeast, and my source is the magazine "Bluegrass Unlimited's" annual festival listing around January, Cuzin' Isaac's Guide (P.O. Box 252, Alstead, NH 03602, usually costs about $5) and picking up flyers at each festival. But proceed with caution. These festivals are totally addicting!

Also, take a look at the newsgroup bit.listserv.bgrass-l for discussion, festival.com for listings of all genres, and search something like yahoo.com for "bluegrass."

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Gene
Date: 06 Oct 97 - 10:56 PM

Of course you can always contact:

Frank Godbey * University of Kentucky * [e-mail]

For instructions on how to sign on:

He hosts the Kentudky Bluegrass Net....

Many well-known pickers frequent it.....

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Coralena
Date: 06 Oct 97 - 03:57 PM

Thank you Old Timer. I checked out the FESTIVAL link first but wanted to make sure you got this so thanks again.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Old Timer
Date: 06 Oct 97 - 03:30 PM

Coralena: If you haven't been there already, try http://BGR.ee/LINKS/ (I suppose the uppercase letters are necessary) and click on the Calendar button . I don't know what part of the country you live in but there are still several festivals left this year in the southern states. Many local festivals don't make the list in the national/international publications, but if you can find a regional bluegrass organization they may be able to help. Good luck!

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Coralena
Date: 06 Oct 97 - 02:34 PM

Maybe 12 or 14 and know what I know now but those teenage years can be rough ones. I'll take 19 and know what I know now. I am having a time finding out about festivals, even called the local bluegrass station but haven't heard back from them. Any more ideas?

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Old Timer
Date: 06 Oct 97 - 12:37 PM

I happen to live in the deep South, and one thing I am very happy about is the ever-increasing numbers of young people showing up at festivals and jam sessions. They are enthusiastic about picking and singing. They sure do learn quick too! Makes me wish I was 12 or 14 again :)

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Jon W.
Date: 03 Oct 97 - 11:18 AM

I guess what I meant by "Professional" was not so much that the musician got paid for it, but that someone who plays bluegrass has the talent and dedication to be a professional. Most of them don't make a living at it because, well--how do you get a folk musician off your porch? You pay him for the pizza. You get my drift.

The point I was trying to make before was that even though bluegrass and old time music share a lot of songs and instruments in common, bluegrass is much more difficult to play. This is because (on banjo anyway) the picking is at least double the speed of the melody. If the melody is basically a combination of quarter and eighth notes, the banjo is picking sixteenth notes. In old time music, the banjo would be playing mostly just the melody notes (or just stumming chords for backup). Please correct me if I'm wrong, I want to understand this better too.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: GaryD
Date: 02 Oct 97 - 08:41 PM

I agree..from Central MN we have a lot of us who like the music, but have various degrees of success in laying down the extra licks...you've heard about "The blind leading the blind...Well, sometimes its the "unconcious leading the blind" as in my case..but even if we are unskilled at instrumentation, the songs & words and music can be felt and expressed. It is a real treat though, when you can hear someone who does have it altogether.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Bob Landry
Date: 02 Oct 97 - 05:17 PM

I've been learning to flat pick some bluegrass tunes on my guitar for the last year. Previous posters are right. It takes a lot of practice, about 2 hours a day for me. A bunch of us got together Saturday night at the local trailer park (Note to Joe Offer - tourist season here is over ) and we played a lot of bluegrass among other styles. None of us is a professional and we all have differing abilities and come from different parts of Canada - we do love bluegrass here in the soon to be frozen north. The 2 fiddles, mandolin, banjo, 3 guitars and electric keyboard were hoppin for about 5 hours. Different instruments took the lead at different times and if one screws up, we laugh and carry on. Now if we had been able to find old Bill and his doghouse base ... For anybody wanting to play bluegrass, I highly recommend that you try it and if at first you don't succeed, don't quit ... it will get better.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Whippoorwill
Date: 02 Oct 97 - 11:13 AM

Nobody who lives in the Hoosier hills or Kentuckiana would consider bluegrass only for professionals. For every pro there's probably a hundred back porch pickers of varying ability - which, incidentally, describes some of the "professionals," too.

We generally give Monroe credit for the name, not the style.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Jon W.
Date: 02 Oct 97 - 10:37 AM

In my opinion--and this one really is humble since I'm not an expert in either (any?) type of music--bluegrass is more for really good musicians - professionals - and old timey is a lot of the same songs and same instruments, but played with less expertise and simpler styles.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Coralena
Date: 02 Oct 97 - 09:54 AM

Here is another site with info. Couldn't find a festival for this month near by :( but it is a nice site. Had trouble trying to get to some of the above sites. Thanks for the info. I'ld say Bluegrass Music is Spirt Music, it sure does move you. :)

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Oct 97 - 01:00 AM

I went to a bluegrass festival once, and I found it was a lot of fun. That's a problem with folk music at times - folk musicians can be a bit too sincere, and they can take themselves too seriously. Bluegrass people are just out to have a good time - there's something to be said for that. a little sincerity is nice at times, too.
I've always heard that Bill Monroe "invented" bluegrass. Maybe so, but I've heard lots of music with mountain roots that predates Bill Monroe and sounds a lot like bluegrass. What's that type of music called? What's the difference between old-timey and bluegrass music?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Downeast Bob
Date: 02 Oct 97 - 12:07 AM

Old Timer is right that bluegrass became much more popular as a result of the folk boom of the early 60s, but I don't think of it as a revival of bluegrass. Bluegrass had been growing pretty steadily throughout the 50s among a segment of country music fans who liked the down home feel and the acoustic sound, but not many northern musicians were interested in it until the 60s when bluegrass bands began appearing at folk festivals and folk singers showing up at places like the Old-Time Fiddlers' Conventions in Union Grove, N.C. and Galax, Va. Both of these had been going on since the 1930s, and you could hear plenty of bluegrass as well as old time clawhammer banjo picking at both of them.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Old Timer
Date: 01 Oct 97 - 02:32 PM

Coralena: There are links for festival calendars at: http//BGR.ee/ You should be able to find something near you from one of them or the links to others.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Coralena
Date: 01 Oct 97 - 12:20 PM

Does anyone know where you can get a run down on the dates and locations of Bluegrass Festivals by state?

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Old Timer
Date: 01 Oct 97 - 10:03 AM

I agree with you GaryD that this may be interesting. I think Bluegrass was brought back with the help of the folk movement of the early 60s. I also think it created renewed interest in acoustic music in general. Most folkies I have been acquainted with like Bluegrass. For any of you folk music fans that have not been to a Bluegrass festival, I would say GO! You will be glad you did!

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: GaryD
Date: 30 Sep 97 - 10:17 PM

Nice Thread!..I run a local Bluegrass Jam Newsletter here in Central MN..will be really interested in seeing where this goes..Here's a bunch of addresses I've come across. http://www.skdesigns.com/internet/music/folk.htm http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~andrew/shanty/blowdown http://www.roughstock.com/cowpie/cowpie-songs/ http://www.hidwater.com/folkvenue/mn.html http://www.cris.com/%7ESkaryd/ http://www.mandolincafe.com/ http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/spinneybrothers/bluegrassirc/ http://bgr.ee/LINKS/l_250.html (Probably the most comprehensive..)

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 30 Sep 97 - 10:45 AM

I have played banjo for many years. For 18 years, I toured with my family as a bluegrass band. While I am proficient in most styles of banjo (Scruggs style, Keith style, melodic note-for-note fiddle tunes, etc.), the style I find that I am most comfortable with is the clawhammer style. You're right, Jon-- to play regularly in a bluegrass format, a banjoist must practice at least a couple of hours every day. I have one friend who practices on a strict and strenuous six-hour daily schedule. Needless to say, he's very good. For me, the beauty of bluegrass music is that it is so gloriously improvisational: I've probably never played a banjo break in a particular song the same way any two times. It's a lot like what I think dixieland music is like for other musicians. Clawhammer style is very demanding in that it requires much more left-hand work if one hopes to carry the melody. The family (minus our bass-player son) will be performing at the Museum of Appalachia annual Homecoming on October 8 through 12, in Norris, Tennessee. Others performing there will be Mac Wiseman, Doyle Lawson (great bluegrass), John Hartford, David Hope, Grandpa Jones, the Ramona Jones Band, Jeanette Carter (A.P.'s daughter), Sparky Rucker, and many, many others. pardon the commercial.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Jon W.
Date: 30 Sep 97 - 10:18 AM

I took a banjo class in a community education program for a few months two years ago. It focused on bluegrass. I got so I could play a few songs, but to get really up to bluegrass picking speed would take me probably a couple of years or more of daily practice. I have been thinking of switching to clawhammer style which I have read is much less demanding, but I haven't heard much music in that style. To compare bluegrass banjo to guitar (if that will help Coralena), the banjo right hand is considerably harder but the left hand is considerably easier (for me at least).

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Coralena
Date: 30 Sep 97 - 10:00 AM

Like it but am not an authority on it. Would like to attend a bluegrass festival.Is it hard to learn the banjo? Love the dulcimer and would love to learn to play one. My sister bought one at BlackMountain NC that comes with sheet music that you slip under the strings and shows you what to pick to play a song, not sure if that is a good way to learn or not but it is fun.

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Bert
Date: 30 Sep 97 - 09:51 AM

I like bluegrass but don't sing much of it as it doesn't seem to sound right with the remnants of my Limey accent.

Try this for a good collection of lyrics

http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~motoya/

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Old Timer
Date: 30 Sep 97 - 09:42 AM

By the way Someone, I forgot to answer your question. Yes, I like Bluegrass and play the Banjo. That is one reason I visit this site- there are many "folk songs" in the Bluegrass repertoire, and this is a good place to browse and ask for help from other people who love music and singing. How about you?

Subject: RE: Bluegrass
From: Old Timer
Date: 30 Sep 97 - 09:36 AM

Try the following. They both have pretty good links to Bluegrass sites:

http//BGR.ee/

http//bluegrassbanjo.com/

Happy hunting!

Subject: Bluegrass
From: Someone
Date: 29 Sep 97 - 04:42 PM

Does anyone like or play bluegrass? What instruments do you play? Do you know any links?

Thanks, Someone