Bluegrass is historically and presently a male-dominated genre of music (I believe the same goes for any genre of music, with maybe the exception of modern pop). Women in bluegrass typically played the bass–which meant they were in the back of a band. They also played with male family members, which implies a certain scope of dependency … Continue reading Gender Shifts in Bluegrass
Category: #bluegrassclassVT15
Women in Bluegrass
Women in Bluegrass have not always been common and sometimes still receive a second look when performing within the genre today. According to an article by Robert Oermann and Mary Bufwack, “men responded to [women in bluegrass] by shouting derisively … Continue reading →
Learning To Play Mandolin
Since taking this course, one of my goals has been to gain some background about the history and the artists of bluegrass in order to play the mandolin. I wanted to make a post to give some of the resources … Continue reading →
Rock n’ Roll Bluegrass?!
I have been a Bluegrass fan for many years. For some reason I never new some of the traditional Bluegrass players played there own versions of contemporary songs of the 1960’s. A chapter out of text book “The Bluegrass Reader” discussed this interesting time in Bluegrass. From what I have read and heard from my … Continue reading Rock n’ Roll Bluegrass?!
Confession
I have a confession to make. Every time I hear someone bring up Mumford and Sons as a bluegrass band, I cringe. I know, I know. I’m judgmental, and narrow minded, and old fashioned, but I do have my reasons! Before I make any more enemies, I’d like to give you a little bit more … Continue reading Confession →
[R]appalachian
My post is a little late this week because it took me a while to decide what topic I wanted to write about. In class, we have been talking about place, influence and genre, incorporating discussion about types of music … Continue reading →
Genres and Artists in Appalachia
Bluegrass is often considered an Appalachian musical genre, and most people associate the tunes of the banjo, fiddle and other instruments to this region. However, bluegrass has roots from all parts of world, with the banjo originally from Africa, the dobro from Hawaii and a medley of musical influences from blues, jazz, folk and other … Continue reading Genres and Artists in Appalachia
What does Bluegrass look like today???
Upon reading “Bluegrass Today” by Neil Rosenberg I saw a few things that I found interesting. The first of which was the fact that it took until 1971 to have the first real book published about the genre when it had been around for so long. But I suppose that it would make some sense … Continue reading What does Bluegrass look like today???
Roots & Sprouts
I have always had an extremely high interest in new music, emerging artists, and the evolution of the sounds of a genre over time. However, in the last several months, after deciding to take a course on bluegrass music, I have redirected my attention to music, both old and new, that has come from my … Continue reading Roots & Sprouts
What is that blue avi on Twitter?
Currently the music industry seems to be in an intermediate state. The transition from vinyl to CD to streaming services has transformed just within the last half century. Today, musicians are faced with new challenges such as: not being properly compensated or for a new musician establishing roots in a musical community. Earlier this week … Continue reading What is that blue avi on Twitter? →