Bluegrass in American Culture

Bluegrass music has the authentic feel of being fully American. Associated with the settlers in Appalachia, it reaches beyond the music shared on a porch during a hot summer evening or the community box social. The beloved ballads and tunes the settlers brought while colonizing early America picked up the tight vocalizations of the Native Americans. Guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and banjo, commonly associated with bluegrass, add to the improvised sounds of jug, Jews harp, piano, accordion, harmonica and drum.

As a classification of folk music or country music, bluegrass remains distinctive. The themes center on stories passed down and events affecting the common person. Active use of syncopation and rhythms give a sense of liveliness and buoyancy. This combination creates a positive feeling. Experiencing bluegrass music lightens the mood of both performers and listeners.

The Grand Ole Opry followed the development of bluegrass by presenting characters associated with the music. Many radio stations from 1930 through the 1950s played bluegrass. Often barn dances and square dances included bluegrass. Writers and play writes had bluegrass in the script to enhance Americana. Some poets incorporated the syncopated beat to accent the feeling of their poems. The tight voiced melodies common in bluegrass reflect the influence of the Native American singing the settlers heard.

Bluegrass crosses socio-economic boundaries with its distinctive finger-picking style and toe-tamping tempos. Schools in Boston along with Harvard study bluegrass music to better understand American themes such as freedom, religion, work and romance. Bluegrass is as American as baseball and apple pie.