MIKE'S
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Dear Mike,
I’m not too familiar with bluegrass music. What’s the difference between bluegrass and rock ’n’ roll, country and jazz. And how about punk? -- Corn-fused in Michigan Dear Corn-fused,
No need to get personal. Let me break it down for you. (First hint: Any song with “breakdown” in the title is bluegrass, except for “19th Nervous Breakdown,” which is rock ’n’ roll.) If you hear a banjo, it’s bluegrass. Well, except for Bela Fleck songs, which could be jazz and other stuff. And except for banjos in rock songs. And except … OK, make that bluegrass songs usually have a banjo. More bluegrass instruments: Mandolin, fiddle, guitar, bass, dobro. Bluegrass is acoustic and usually no drums. Rock has amped-up guitars, bass and drums and – usually – tattoos. Jazz has pianos, trumpets. Punk is similar to rock except the hair if funnier. And many country songs are about whiskey, beer, lost love and more whiskey. Rock has Mick Jagger and Nine Inch Nails. Bluegrass has Earl Scruggs and Ricky Skaggs.
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Finally, here are two multiple-choice questions. If you get them right (answers at bottom), you know bluegrass.
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 | 5. Which one of these songs is NOT a bluegrass song? A. Salty Dog Blues B. Cripple Creek C. Moon River D. Salt Creek 6. Which of these is NOT a sound made by a banjo? A. Slide B. Pull-off C. Crunch D. Hammer on E. None of the above THE ANSWERS: 5. C, 6. E (Many people may have answered C, but that is the sound a banjo makes when it is run over by a truck. |
West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association
www.wmbma.org
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