Why Do You Like Bluegrass Music?

If I were to ask you why you like Bluegrass music, what would you tell me? If I asked what it was that first got your attention about the Bluegrass style of music, what would you say to that? Have you ever pondered the reasons?

Like so many Bluegrassers before me, I got all fired-up when I heard the "fancy banjo" sounds of Earl Scruggs. Do you have any idea how many people claim the exact same reason for being steered toward this great music we call Bluegrass? Despite all of the rude banjo jokes, it would appear to me the banjo is one of the main driving forces behind the popularity of Bluegrass music. Many people that have been lead to Bluegrass by way of a steady stream of banjo notes don't actually play a banjo, nor do they have a desire to play one - they just like the sound of a Bluegrass banjo and there's certainly nothing wrong with that!

Among many, did you know Del McCoury of the Del McCoury Band, Tim Stafford of Blue Highway and Dan Tyminski of Alison Krauss & Union Station all started out playing banjo? Del said he couldn't get up to Earl's caliber so he quit after 10 years of playing. Both Dan and Tim moved over when a more skilled banjo player came along in each of their first bands respectively. My point here is simply that the banjo seems to have drawn many to Bluegrass music and in my opinion, continues to do so.

Of course the banjo isn't the only reason people like Bluegrass music, and even though it lead me to the music, it certainly isn't the only reason I continue to like it. Moving to Bluegrass was an easy transition for me as I had been exposed to country music at a very early age; my father was always listening to Hank Snow, Johnny Cash and other pioneers of early country music. I figure this transition would be easier to make than coming from rock and roll, which is what the rest of the kids my age were listeng to. Like Barbara Mandrell, "I was country when country wasn't cool." To this day my father doesn't care for the banjo or Bluegrass. I don't know what's up with that!

I like all of the other instruments used in Bluegrass music equally well - fiddle, mandolin, guitar, resophonic guitar and upright bass. All of the instruments play important roles, although they are not all used in all bands. Whereas most people tend to start out playing guitar, I chose the 5-string banjo as my first instrument simply because the sound of a Bluegrass banjo speaks to me in a special way.

Did you know Jerry Douglas, one of the best and most well known Dobro players of all time, started his musical career playing mandolin and singing until he discovered Dobro guitar? He said "after I heard the sound of a Dobro, I just didn't care if I ever sang again" and went on to say "the Dobro became a musical conduit to express my feelings."

I can't talk about the reasons I love Bluegrass music without mentioning harmony vocals. Good harmonies can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up on end and I just can't get enough of it when it's done well. In particular, I like the high lonesome sound of Bluegrass music, especially with great harmonies added.

Aside from the music itself, comprising of instruments and vocals, there's something else special about Bluegrass music and that would be the Bluegrass community. A main stage for Bluegrass music is the outdoor Bluegrass festival. Through the festivals, a close-knit community has been formed between festival goers and musicians alike. How many other types of music concerts can you go to where you can talk to the stars after the show? When you go to a festival you'll meet hundreds of people that you can jam with if you're a musician and there's a good chance you might even jam with the best of the best like Rhonda Vincent or Ricky Skaggs. It's just the way the Bluegrass community works.

I've heard some people refer to Bluegrass as "show-off music," especially when they see somebody do a solo at breakneck speed. You can call it what you want, I love the sounds of those solos and the talent that goes with it. I have also heard Bluegrass described as "hillbilly" music with the word "hillbilly" used in a derogatory way. When people call me a hillbilly, I simply acknowledge it and say "proud of it." So, it ranges from hillbilly to show-off; that's quite a span.

I say what's not to like about Bluegrass music? How did you get drawn in?

Feel free to leave a comment.

The Importance of Transcribing and Learning Solos Note-for-Note

If it was important to Ron Block, Jim Mills and Ron Stewart, then I don't see why it wouldn't be important to me as well. I'm talking about the study methods these great players used while learning how to play 5-string banjo, that cornerstone instrument of Bluegrass music.

I have been criticized a great many times for wanting to play something exactly the way it was recorded on a CD. I've run out of fingers and toes trying to keep track. I am open to constructive criticism, but this particular criticism is something I have never understood. I have always asked "what is so wrong with it?" One frequent response I get is "you're setting yourself up for failure" and another common response I hear from people is "I like to put a little of myself in there."

Ron Stewart studied every lick that Earl Scruggs and J. D. Crowe ever played on a banjo and yet, I have very little trouble being able to tell when Ron Stewart is playing. After learning all he could from these two masters of the 5-string banjo, Ron went on to add his own variations and techniques. Studying the masters did not hurt Ron one little bit.

Jim Mills studied Earl Scruggs' music and techniques in great detail. Despite the amount of time Jim put in learning as much as he could about Earl's playing, Jim Mills has one of the most distinct sounds I've ever had the pleasure of hearing as it relates to traditional style banjo playing. I can tell Jim's playing a hundred miles away.

On his web site, Ron Block just posted (Oct 21, 2007) an article titled The Importance of Transcribing and Learning Solos Note-for-Note and says "there is incredible value in transcribing and learning things note for note - especially from people like Scruggs or Crowe." Ron also discusses the importance of experimenting with one's own sounds.

The point here is simply that Ron Stewart, Jim Mills and Ron Block all studied what the masters before them had done and for the very same reasons, I study the techniques of my musical heroes as well. Is there anything wrong with that? I say if it helped these three great banjo players get to the level they are at today, then I sure don't see how it could hurt me. I really can't understand why people get on my case about this particular issue!

I didn't even have to read any articles or hear from these people in order to know this would be a logical step toward learning how to play a banjo. The logic is simple. I don't know how to play a banjo and these guys do. Furthermore, these guys are producing sounds that I just can't get enough of; therefore the logical choice would be to learn as much about these folks and their playing as I can. I want to make the same kinds of sounds with my banjo that these guys are making with theirs.

I'm not worried about sounding too much like any of the people I'm studying. And even if I could, that day is a long, long way off. There will always only be one Earl Scruggs, one J. D. Crowe and one each of Ron Stewart, Ron Block and Jim Mills. My style, if there is one, will come automatically as I try to integrate a combination of all I've heard. Actually, I'm already developing my own style; on occasion I add something that I never hear from any of the pros I've mentioned. And no, I'm not talking about the mistakes I make.

If you are an aspiring Bluegrass musician and you find yourself not producing the "grassy" sounds you are after, I highly recommend you start paying more attention to the sounds of your chosen instrument (or vocalist) when listening to your favourite CD's. You might want to get a little more curious too, and ask yourself "how are they getting that sound?" You might just as well learn from someone that already knows what they're doing.

In addition to becoming a bit more curious while listening to your favourite CD's, take advantage of the unprecedented amount of fantastic instructional material available by way of the internet, books and DVD's; much of it is taught by the very pros we listen to every day. Other tools are available as well, such as software capable of slowing down, speeding up or changing the key of a song in real time. One such piece of software is called Transcribe! which is available from Seventh String Software. I find this tool to be invaluable and certainly worth the $50.00 I paid for it.

I've tried to point out that when it comes to learning how to play an instrument, I'm not all that different from some of our favourite Bluegrass musicians. Now that you know the viewpoint from some of the pros, maybe my method for learning will seem more relevant to you. At the very least, you are now more aware of the reason I find it so important to get as close to the original recording as I possibly can. It is not necessarily because I want to sound exactly like Jim Mills or whoever, it's what I'm learning along the way that counts most.

You'll have to come up with a very compelling reason to get me to change my approach on this topic. By the way, for the record, I wouldn't mind sounding like Jim Mills on the banjo. Now, get off my case and go practice!