Master Bill Monroe and the down-home music of Appalachia

By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 08, 2012

~~<p>Bluegrass traces its roots to the traditional ballads and lively jigs and reels of English, Scottish and Irish immigrants who settled in the rural Appalachia area of the United States (southern New York to northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia) in the 18th century. Influenced by African-American blues and jazz, it is played on acoustic (unamplified) string instruments, including the fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and upright bass. Musicians take turns playing and improvising the melody, while the rest of the group provides accompaniment.</p>
<p>Most bluegrass tunes are simple, requiring just a few chords. In contrast, vocal harmonies can be complex, with three or four parts. Themes run the gamut — from coal mining and railroading to religion and murder.</p>
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Bluegrass traces its roots to the traditional ballads and lively jigs and reels of English, Scottish and Irish immigrants who settled in the rural Appalachia area of the United States (southern New York to northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia) in the 18th century. Influenced by African-American blues and jazz, it is played on acoustic (unamplified) string instruments, including the fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and upright bass. Musicians take turns playing and improvising the melody, while the rest of the group provides accompaniment.

Most bluegrass tunes are simple, requiring just a few chords. In contrast, vocal harmonies can be complex, with three or four parts. Themes run the gamut — from coal mining and railroading to religion and murder. Login for more...