Bluegrass: A True American Sound

It is well known that music is a language unto itself. Like any other languages this also has dialects such as classical jazz, rock, new age, and regional. In America, one of the more captivating is that of bluegrass which often is attached to American folk and viewed as the forerunner of modern American country music. It has been stated that bluegrass music is plain talk that is set to music.

Commonly attributed to the artistic talents of the Carter family, Earl Scruggs and/or Bill Monroe, this style of music often involves syncopation for rhythm, tight vocal harmony with a high-pitched tenor as lead, and intricate picking methods on banjo, mandolin or the primary stringed instrument. In bluegrass, a household item (like a jug spoons a saw) may be incorporated in the musical creation.

Bluegrass uses themes such as: religion, war, patriotism, railroads, rivers, travel, courtship, love, heartbreak, mountains, rural life, folklore, ballads, home place, family, and working in coal mines. Each community adds its own unique songs to the more common public domain tunes.

Although bluegrass music can be heard at many barn dance or square dance gatherings, it is no longer restricted to the Appalachian people or those classified as hillbillies. “The Beverly Hillbillies” and the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", introduced bluegrass to mainstream music listeners and pop culture. The Harvard College American Music Association (HCAMA) was founded to explore the diversity of bluegrass music, share the unique picking and music making methods and better understand its influence on other music.