Foot-tapping Bluegrass Music
Bluegrass music represents all that is genuine musical artistry. Borrowed from Celtic folk music, American bluegrass was born in rural regions of the Appalachian and Ozark Mountains. Bluegrass is often referred to as “mountain music,” due to the types of instruments that are used to create the sound. Bluegrass music of Flatt and Scruggs, Ervin T. Rouse and Bill Monroe is played with string instruments like fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, upright bass and mandolin. Continue reading →
Even if you missed this year’s Planet Bluegrass event in July, there’s still hope that you can catch the 2013 event. Just fire up that HughesNet Satellite Spicewood service and grab your credit card. There are, however, a few things you’ll need to bring with you in order to enjoy the show.
1.) Some warm clothing. The environment can be just as wild and untamed as the music brought to you at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Make sure you’re prepared and check up on the weather forecasts as the event in 2013 nears.
2.) A good pair of sunglasses. There may not be a pavilion this time around so you’re going to want to make sure you have a good pair of sunglasses so the sun doesn’t get in your eyes. Might also be a good idea to bring some sunscreen.
3.) A relaxed and fun disposition. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Planet Bluegrass and the genre in general are all about having fun and cutting loose. If you aren’t dancing with the rest of the crowd, then there’s something wrong with you.
If you remember these three things while planning and ordering your tickets, you’ll be all set to enjoy the single greatest Bluegrass event in the country.
The Colorado band The String Cheese Incident has thrilled audiences for almost two decades with its clever mix of progressive bluegrass, rock, country, funk, psychedelia, Latin and jazz. The band’s sound points to a melting pot of musical styles, which has allowed the group to become one of the most popular live bands in the U.S.
This success has led to the release of eight studio albums, along with its ongoing “On The Road” series, which attempts to chronicle as many of the band’s live performances as possible.
The group has often been compared to other “jam” Continue reading →
Bill Monroe, whose centennial occurred just last year, is renowned for creating the country style known as bluegrass. His career as a musical performer began in the 1930s, when he and his older brother Charlie played as the Monroe Brothers; their recordings from 1936 to 1939 are available on a two- volume collection from Rounder Records. After they parted ways, Bill headed a group called the Blue Grass Boys. Among the band’s members were Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, who latter Continue reading →
Bluegrass harmony is unique and amazing focused. People that sing this type of music have to have an ear for the harmony. This is the only way to really produce great sounds. The artists have to know where the blends are coming in. They have to know how to fade each other out and harmonize together.
The sound was perfected in the south, but it is done in other areas that people would not believe. There are actually some bluegrass artists as far as Canada. These artists have captured Continue reading →
Bluegrass music is traditionally played acoustically which means that instruments are not amplified. The music is played on a variety of string instruments but the most common are the fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and string bass. Acoustic guitars are often used in bluegrass music as well but they are not necessarily unique to this style while the other string instruments are less common and somewhat unique to bluegrass music.
The fiddle is similar to the violin and it is played using a bow that runs along the strings which Continue reading →
While many believe that bluegrass music began in the late 1930s with Bill Monroe, the roots of bluegrass go much further back to the 1600s. Those who migrated to America from places such as England, Scotland and Ireland brought their ballads and dance music to the new country. African-Americans added their own brand of blues and gospel. They also brought to the new country the idea for the instrument that became an integral of bluegrass–the banjo.
Those early settlers began to move out to other areas Continue reading →