Bluegrass?

thejumpingflea

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Hey guys, I have been working very hard on a bluegrass piece that I feel needs a little more umph to it. Do you guys have any advice on writing for bluegrass music? What I mean is what exactly is the theory behind it? I hear the 5th used very often and a very large emphasis on Pentatonic scales but what else is there? dI await some very wise people to clue me in here. Thanks! :music:
 
i'm not a bluegrass expert and this may or may not help, but what i find most satisfying about bluegrass music is listening to the musicians take turns on solo'ing the melody as the other players back them up. it is awesome to hear the same melody played on guitar, then banjo, then mandolin, then fiddle, etc.
not to say they all play it the same way note-for-note, but generally work around the same melody.

also what i can approximate as a chop chord on a mandolin may be similar to a chunk on an uke. throw that in for rhythmic or percussive effect.

so not sure if you're writing your piece to be played with others but that is what i think of when i hear/enjoy bluegrass music.

i look forward to hearing what you come up with.:)
 
Hey guys, I have been working very hard on a bluegrass piece that I feel needs a little more umph to it. Do you guys have any advice on writing for bluegrass music? What I mean is what exactly is the theory behind it? I hear the 5th used very often and a very large emphasis on Pentatonic scales but what else is there? dI await some very wise people to clue me in here. Thanks! :music:

Bluegrass uses some very distinctive turnarounds at the end of musical phrases. I'd advise you to listen to Bill Monroe for some examples. Bluegrass also has some strict rules. Mixed meter isn't used, I believe. If your tune sounds like a gospel hymn, that helps. The solos are variations of what's usually a very simple melody.

But if you're not trying to be traditional (heck you're using a uke!) then "anything goes". But you might want to call it "Newgrass" instead.

I took my Martin SO to a bluegrass jam once. Got some weird looks from the mandolin players. The banjoists ignored me completely. I staye in the corner and played mandolin-style chops and that's it. But they tolerated my presence!
 
Bluegrass is pretty simple, as a genre. The progressions are combos of 1,4,5 and the strum and beat are "Boomchucka. boomchucka, boomchucka...". I've played (guitar) in practice sessions with a local bluegrass group in Encinitas (they meet every Thusrday in Encinitas at 6:00 PM, if any locals are interested. Dues are $5 bucks, which includes a salad and a slice of pizza). The singer picks the key and we follow along. The books they pass out, sometimes only have the lyrics. Ric
 
Hey man, I think it sounds really good! It doesn't really say "bluegrass" to me, though.

I think your beat is probably the main thing that prevents me hearing it as bluegrass. You're jumping the beat a lot. In bluegrass I never hear them jump the beat. They're right on top of the beat.

The other thing that prevents me hearing bluegrass is the lack of melody. In bluegrass, there's one melody, and everyone takes turns riffing on that melody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NcCgsAMxhs

Except for the melody that begins and ends your song, I don't hear any recurring melodies in it.
 
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Hey man, I think it sounds really good! It doesn't really say "bluegrass" to me, though.

I think your beat is probably the main thing that prevents me hearing it as bluegrass. You're jumping the beat a lot. In bluegrass I never hear them jump the beat. They're right on top of the beat.

The other thing that prevents me hearing bluegrass is the lack of melody. In bluegrass, there's one melody, and everyone takes turns riffing on that melody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NcCgsAMxhs

Except for the melody that begins and ends your song, I don't hear any recurring melodies in it.

That is the best lookin' mullet that I've seen in years...:rofl:
 
Man, poor ol' Bill's mike stand seems to have suffered a "Viagra, please" moment. What a trouper!

Listening to the bass reminded me...

Q: How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?

A: One. Five. One. Five. One. Five.
 
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