Post 3: Psychedelic Overview

     Psychedelic music began in the late 1960s in the United States and Britain. Psychedelic rock according to Adam Woog is an “attempt to recreate the experience of a mind-altering drug trip through music; hence, its alternate name of acid rock. Psychedelic music was characterized by long improvised solos (especially by flashy lead guitarists), spacey noises, experiments in feedback, and thundering drums.” 

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     Psychedelic rock is strongly influenced by Indian music, which is demonstrated by the use of Indian instruments such as the sitar. The point of the music, to recreate the experience of a drug trip, implies a use of instrumentation, sounds, and vocals that are used to appeal to the senses. It is a surreal experience enhanced by such techniques as “phasing, swooshing and filtering.”

     Psychedelic rock involves a lot of improvisation, influenced by Free Jazz. And there are extended instrumental solos. There is a dependence on electronic sounds, whether it be the electric guitar with feedback, wah-wah and fuzzboxes, or studio effects such as “backwards tapes, panning, phasing, long delay loops, and extreme reverb.” Keyboards and electric organs are also used frequently along with synthesizers. Psychedelic music also involves the manipulation of timbre, for example blurred, bright, or overlapping timbre; upward movement; and regular and irregular rhythms.

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     Psychedelic rock uses complex structures, commonly in minor key signatures, and often changes time signature and key signature throughout a song. The melodies are usually on a sustained note. There is a lot of dissonance in psychedelic music along with modal melodies and harmonies, and drones.

Housewright, Wiley L., et al. "Youth Music: A Special Report." MENC: The
     National Association for Music Education 56 (Nov. 1969): 43-74. JSTOR. Web.
     1 Jan. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3392636>.  
Reising, Russell. "Melting Clocks and the Hallways of Always: Time in
     Psychedelic Music." Popular Music and Society 32.4 (2009): 523–547.
     Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.
     <http://0-web.ebscohost.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/
     pdfviewer?sid=c07ca092-0f1c-4b86-b45a-428d39486f6d%40sessionmgr4&vid=4&hid=12>.

Universitas Sumatera Utara. "2. The Concept of Rock Music." Universitas Sumatera
     Utara. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. <http://repository.usu.ac.id/
     bitstream/123456789/27539/4/Chapter%20II.pdf>.  

Woog, Adam. The History of Rock and Roll . San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999. Print. 

Post 2: Bluegrass Instrumentation

The main instruments used in Bluegrass are: 

1)      The five-string banjo

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2)      The mandolin 

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3)      The Spanish guitar (with steel strings) 

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4)      The fiddle 

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5)      The string bass 

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6)      The “dobro” (a form of steel guitar) is also sometimes used.

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     The Spanish guitar and the banjo are essential to the style, but at least one of the others must be added.

      These instruments have three distinct roles: lead, backing, underlying. The lead is usually played by the fiddle, banjo, and dobro; which “also produce counter-melodies and rhythmic figures to back other lead parts.” The mandolin may also be considered a lead instrument, and can also become a rhythm part. The guitar and the bass create a rhythmic background, balancing the higher-pitch of the lead instruments; this creates an underlying “rhythmic and harmonic base.” The guitar may also serve a backing role to the melody, “playing short melodic runs between major phrases of the lead parts”; this contrasts melodically and rhythmically.

Another important aspect of Bluegrass instrumentation is the vocal part. Usually the vocals are high-pitched and tense, sometimes they even reached more than an octave above middle C. Vocals in Bluegrass do not usually use vibrato, however ornamental devices such as grace notes are often utilized. There is often up to four-part harmony, the parts are called “lead” (melody), “tenor” (sung above the lead), “third” (may be sung above lead or tenor but usually is sung below both (baritone)), and the “bass” (lowest of all). There is little crossing of parts, however there is a use of passing tones and slides which create dissonance.

Smith, L. Mayne. "An Introduction to Bluegrass." American Folklore Society

     78.Hillbilly Issue (1965): 245-256. JSTOR. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.
     <http://www.jstor.org/stable/538358 .>. 246-7

Post 1: Bluegrass Origins

     Bluegrass music originates from music styles brought to America by immigrants in the early 1600s. These forms of music included: dance music and ballads from countries such as Ireland, Scotland, and England. Bluegrass also has roots in African-American gospel music and blues. These styles of music eventually developed into “mountain” music or country music, found mainly in the Appalachian Mountains and the South.

 

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     Bill Monroe is considered the Father of Bluegrass music, first playing the style of music he created in the late 1930s with his Blue Grass Boys. His new style of music consisted of a five piece string band along with vocal parts that were geared toward the highest possible pitch. In Monroe’s original band was Chubby Wise on the fiddle, Cedric Rainwater on bass, Lester Flatt on guitar, and Earl Scruggs on banjo.

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     What set Bluegrass apart from the rest of country music at the time (and still does) was the Scruggs-style banjo that Earl Scruggs created. Instead of using two-finger picking, Scruggs used three-finger picking. This three-finger picking allowed him to play more notes, cleanly and in more positions on the neck.

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International Bluegrass Music Association. "History of Bluegrass Music."
     International Bluegrass Music Association. International Bluegrass Music
     Association, 2011- 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2012. <http://ibma.org/node/
     164>.

 Smith, L. Mayne. "An Introduction to Bluegrass." American Folklore Society
     78.Hillbilly Issue (1965): 245-256. JSTOR. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.
     <http://www.jstor.org/stable/538358 .>.

 Atkins, John. "Roots of Country Music: Bill Monroe." Maverick Apr. 2011: 34-37.
     Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.
     <http://0-web.ebscohost.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/
     pdfviewer?sid=fb9b817a-5707-4bce-bc9c-fac16ce8f714%40sessionmgr115&vid=6&hid=110>.

 Atkins, John. "Roots of Country Music: Earl Scruggs."
     Maverick May 2011: 56- 58. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Dec.
     2011. <http://0-web.ebscohost.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/ehost/
     pdfviewer/ pdfviewer?sid=fb9b817a-5707-4bce-bc9c-fac16ce8f714%40sessionmgr115&vid=8&hid=110>.