Bluegrass - Unit 9

Bluegrass Music

Unit 9....Continued

9.2.4 4/29
9.3.4 5/01 - Wednesday
9.4.4 5/03
9.5.2 5/06
Looking forward:
Seniors last day - May 15
No class on Monday, May 27
Final class will be Monday, June 3
Which means we only have 4 class periods left after today.


End of Semester 06/04/2024




W

​

​Assignments

​Bluegrass has been called "folk music in overdrive," and that's as good a description as any. It tends to be high-pitched and fast compared to other types of acoustic music.

Bluegrass musicians are expected to play their instruments particularly well; there are hundreds of competitions for the best players of each of the

"big five" bluegrass instruments: mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar, and Dobro. (The upright bass is sometimes considered the fifth traditional bluegrass instrument, since it was actually used long before the invention of the Dobro.)

The Big Five Bluegrass Instruments

9.3.1 Page 3

Multiple Select

Four of the five major bluegrass instruments

• Acoustic Guitar

• Piano

• Banjo

• Fiddle

• Mandolin

Bluegrass Timeline - started around 1945

"Hillbilly music" or "country music" Considered "conservative" music

Traditional original musicians in Bill Monroe's band in 1945:

Bill Monroe - Played mandolin

Earl Scruggs - 5 string banjo (left in 1948 to form own band)

Lester Flatt - acoustic guitar (left in 1948 to join Scruggs in new band)

Chubby Wise - Fiddle

Cedric Rainwater - Acoustic bass

Modern musicians:

David Grisman - Mandolin - produced more than 50 records; owns Acoustic Disc record label

Chris Thile - Mandolin player - founded country band Nickel Creek

Tony Rice - Acoustic guitar player (got a guitar from his teacher)

Multiple Choice

Which musician is credited with developing the original bluegrass music style and sound?

• Alison Krauss

• Bill Monroe

• Earl Scruggs

• Ozzy Osborne

Multiple Choice

Which instrument did Bill Monroe play?

• Guitar

• Drums

• Mandolin

• Dobro

Multiple Choice

Is this statement true or false?

The size of a bluegrass band has stayed constant over time and is almost always a four- to six-piece band.

• True

• False

During the 1950s, bluegrass became more popular. More bands followed in Monroe's footsteps. For the first time, people were actually calling it "bluegrass," instead of "hillbilly music," "country music," or "folk music."

Josh Graves - applied Earl Scrugg's banjo technique to the Dobro

Fiddle - least important rhythmic role; provides melody

Mandolin -can sound like drum beats

Techniques and change

Bluegrass's success in the 1960s came because it began to reach new people who were not part of its regular country audience. Flatt & Scruggs's theme song from the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies was immensely popular with all kinds of people, and it was probably the only bluegrass tune many of those people had ever heard. That brought a lot of new fans to bluegrass.

​

​1960 and beyond

Elvis Presley - Popular entertainer who performed rock and roll version of a bluegrass song on the Grand Ole Oprey in 1954.

Singer and guitar player from Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis was known for a bevy of chart-topping hits and as a rock-and-roll crossover artist

Died in 1977 from a heart attack.

His band - one electric guitar, one acoustic guitar and an electric bass.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Movie Themes

In 2000 movie released with traditional American music in the soundtrack was O Brother, Where Art Thou? It caused a sudden increase in interest in bluegrass music.

In 1968, a popular ganster movie was released with a famous song by Flatt & Scruggs - Bonnie and Clyde.

Jamming - musicians playing together informally

Composing - to write music - lyrics or tune

Virtuosos - people who are exceptionally talented at playing a particular instrument

Syncopation - rhythmic approach that stresses off-beats

Arpeggio - A chord that has been broken into individual notes. A chord played one note at a time instead of all at once, usually in ascending or descending order.

Sideman - Musicians who play in a band alongside the band's more prominent leader. One celebrity band leader may have many different sidemen throughout a career, and a single band member may play as a sideman for many band leaders.

Terms - 9.3.3 Study

Times are a changing

Flatt & Scruggs: Foggy Mountain Banjo

This classic recording by guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs is a landmark record. Scruggs's virtuosic banjo playing has been oft imitated but never matched, and he is in fine form on the 1962 instrumental album. Listen for "Home Sweet Home," "Sally Ann," and "John Henry."

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones: Bela Fleck and the Flecktones

This album features Bela Fleck on banjo, Victor Wooten on bass, and Howard Levy on piano. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and released in 1990, this record marked a further modernization of the bluegrass sound, with many songs featuring synthesizers and electronic drums. Despite his use of technology, however, Bela Fleck proves his worth as one of the most competent and creative banjo players of the modern bluegrass movement.

Alison Krauss and Union Station: Lonely Runs Both Ways

Listen to this 2004 record by Alison Krauss and her band, Union Station. Krauss is an amazing fiddler, but it's her voice that's on display over the course of this album. Both sorrowful and exuberant, Krauss proves herself on songs such as "Wouldn't Be So Bad" and "My Poor Old Heart."

Study 9.3.3

9.2.4 4/29
9.3.4 5/01 - Wednesday
9.4.4 5/03
9.5.2 5/06
Looking forward:
Seniors last day - May 15
No class on Monday, May 27
Final class will be Monday, June 3
Which means we only have 4 class periods left after today.
End of Semester 06/04/2024

​

​Assignments

Exit ticket

Name one of the performers we talked about today in class. Post your answer in the chat.

Have a great week!!