Home in Sound: The Spirit and History of Bluegrass

A critical contextualization and analysis of a sonic case study of your choosing.

‘Oh, I never got over those blue eyes

I see them everywhere

I miss those arms that held me

When all the love was there’ (Parton, 1999)

Exploring the themes of loneliness, melancholy, and a strong home calling; bluegrass strings together various elements of blues, country, European, and African traditions to create its distinctive, energetic sound. Although this unique sonic culture contains many charms, its history has problematic tendencies that have had a lasting impact on today regarding historical misrepresentation. Growing up and experiencing this culture, I wanted to delve deeper into exploring the beauty and uniqueness I know that mountain music has to offer. Moreover, it is not only essential to explore the sonic culture of bluegrass but to acknowledge the Affrilachian influence as well. 

Affrilachian– an African American who is native to or resides in 

Appalachia.

Country homes and life on the farm filtered through lonesome vocals and various instrument combinations became the focal points to what bluegrass first projected itself to be in the 1930s. After migrating to America in the 1600s, Irish, Scottish, and English techniques were introduced and gradually amalgamated with the styles of blues and country. Blues musicology finds its origin in work songs, gospel, and folk music in the late 1890s, where southern black folk stored many African traditions at the time. Unfortunately, over time, many of these traditions were taken and popularized by white men, like the Monroe Brothers. The Monroe Brothers were a key act in popularizing bluegrass from their appearance in 1945 on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee; considered the “birth of bluegrass”. Monroe’s distinctive usage of strings was seen as innovative and new at the time, referred to as an Appalachian style fingerpicking, but is now known as the Affrilachian style, deriving from its proper sources.  

Growing up as a white person in Appalachia, who often attended bluegrass festivals and performances, I was mostly unaware of how strong African influences in bluegrass music are, and how deeply rooted in African culture it existed. One of the most impactful instrumental influences that I have come to learn from bluegrass history is the banjo. The genesis of the banjo, the akonting, originated from the Atlantic Slave trade, where they were brought over from West Africa into Southern North America and cleansed of their historical roots. This is just one of many examples of cultural erasure in bluegrass music. White men like Bill Monroe monopolized the image of what bluegrass has always been known to be, never giving credit or attention to its original and true history, as well as the many people who have shaped this sonic culture. Because of the discrepancy in the knowledge of the origins of bluegrass, I believe it is a very important field and area to investigate and expose. As I conducted more research, an article by Heesung Lee suggested, ‘We have an opportunity not only to correct misconceptions about the tradition and its associations with whiteness, but also to learn how people of color have been written out of the story and how we can rewrite it, and why we need to, as informed musicians and educators.’ (Lee 2019) Though this rich culture has suffered from the atrocities of white supremacy, it still holds a precious and rich history that is the convergence of methods and traditions which, in practice, is sound art. 

NPR explains that ‘Bluegrass music is the synthesis of American southern string band music, blues, English, Irish, and Scottish traditions, and sacred and country music.’ (Allen, 2011), which is something that resonated with me and my work. In my practice, I use sound as a medium to convey my intent through a combination of methods and practices that are, at their core, experimental. You can see parallels of this process in the nativity of bluegrass as an art and how it came into popularity. “Sound art” refers to a large variety of artistic practices that involve sound and/or comment on the way sound functions in various cultural arenas…Sound art has no stable definition.’, (Wong, 2013). Though in our modern society, bluegrass is not easily recognizable as ‘sound art’, in its early years, it was seen as innovative and very experimental both sonically and culturally. To drive the idea of experimentalism, bluegrass is often performed in an improvised fashion. Improvisation is a key aspect in this sonic culture, as well and an element of family cohesiveness between not only the performers but the sound. Within a performance, each instrument communicates with the other and responds accordingly to cover up mistakes, emphasize another, or express oneself. In terms of sound, bluegrass sets itself apart from other variations of country music, both technically and sonically. For example, a unique factor of bluegrass is the lack of drums, this is because the instrumentations do not need a percussive rhythm to lead the way. Taking its place, the high energy, fast tempo string instruments and vocal harmonizes emphasize resultant off-beat throughout the song. Looking closer into traditional instruments used in bluegrass such as the guitar, mandolin, banjo, or the auto-harp, it is easily observed that each instrument is carefully selected and played to support and complement one another. For example, the mandolin provides a “chop” when its’ higher strings are played, however, when played in unison with a guitar it creates a perceived percussive blend. The multiple symphonies of strings that work together in unison, supporting and encouraging each other is a concept that I find endearing, the way the instruments support each other to once again, touch on the theme of family. Lyrically, this sonic culture is known for its’ storytelling, singing stories of longing, homesickness, and having faith, just to name a few. Parton describes it best when she describes mountain country sound, ‘I think that high lonesome sound is just that mourning of the soul that I think people feel into the depths of their soul. It’s almost like being part of the wind that lonesome; it’s like that high lonesome wind…I just think it’s just country depth and soul. Mountain, mountain depth and soul.’ (Parton, 1998). Bluegrass pairs storytelling with high-lonesome vocals to convey a message that can be reached and felt universally. 

I think, in theory, bluegrass is a prime example of cultures and beliefs coming together to create something both beautiful and meaningful, not just for the present but for future generations as well. This theory, unfortunately, has been tainted in time passing by erasing a key role in the birth of this practice, which brings me back to emphasize the importance of the Affrilachian influence in bluegrass, for it would not exist without it. In analyzing these deep-rooted traditions and elements within bluegrass, I find a common theme of family and home: from the longing lyricism to how the strings of the instruments are trusted to work together. In motion, this art relies heavily on every relationship present during the performance, which forms an environment, literally and sonically, that is safe, trusted, and unbiased as a family should function. Bluegrass emits a melancholic atmosphere that universally translates as nostalgia by its profound love and longing for day-to-day life at home. In sharing this culture, I write to appreciate its art form and practice while simultaneously informing the reader of its’ proper historical origins. Bluegrass is the sonic embodiment of the stories the Appalachian mountains have to tell. 

Bibliography 

Wong, Mandy-Suzanne. “Sound Art.” Obo, 23 Aug. 2013, www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199757824/obo-9780199757824-0106.xml. 

“Bluegrass on Folkways: An American Roots Tradition.” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, folkways.si.edu/bluegrass-folkways-american-roots-tradition/history/music/article/smithsonian#:~:text=Bluegrass%20music%20is%20the%20synthesis. 

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Blues | Definition, Artists, History, & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 Feb. 2019, www.britannica.com/art/blues-music. 

Allen, Greg. “The Banjo’s Roots, Reconsidered.” NPR.org, 23 Aug. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139880625/the-banjos-roots-reconsidered.

“Brief History of Bluegrass Music by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation.” Bluegrassheritage.org, 11 Sept. 2019, bluegrassheritage.org/history-of-bluegrass-music/.

Lee, Heesung. “Retracing the Roots of Bluegrass Music through an Affrilachian Aesthetic | Journal of Music History Pedagogy.” Www.ams-Net.org, vol. Vol 9 No 2 (2019): Journal of Music History Pedagogy, 6 Aug. 2019, www.ams-net.org/ojs/index.php/jmhp/article/view/290. 

Rick. “Elements of Bluegrass Music by Studio Notes Online.” Studio Notes Online, 16 Nov. 2019, studionotesonline.com/elements-of-bluegrass-music/. 

Gordon, Duane. Parton, Dolly. “The Grass Is Blue: The Interview.” Dollymania, Oct. 26. 1998, www.dollymania.net/interv1.html.