Journalism / My first article for the Waco Examiner (Analysis)
Bluegrass grown wild
Deep in the mountain country of Kentucky, a man sits alone in invigorating morning silence. It is spring time and the man is dressed in his usual garb for temperate climate: overalls, no shirt, no shoes. The stereotypical image of a traditional hillbilly. Sipping calmly from a jar of stout whiskey, the man lifts a heavy instrument from behind the massive and ancient chair that supports him. Softly strumming the strings with the tips of his fingers he twist the appropriate knobs on his archaic apparatus until an obvious harmonic relationship occurs and then relaxes into a more comfortable positon, with the banjo resting on his knee.
The miracle that follows was once a phenomenon confined almost exclusively to the Appalachian region of our continent, a beautifull and melodic sound slowly fills the air. A simple, sugary melody that flows from his fingertips like honey and soothes jagged nerves as easily as fine whiskey and that comes as natural to this man-relic as a fish to the sea.
The traditional bluegrass musician is a throwback to a time before music downloads or multi-million dollar arena performances. Bluegrass is music played for its own sake, not for any monetary profit or fame, but for the enjoyment of the performer and his neighbours. Mark Twain once said that "a gentleman is a man who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't" and I believe that is the essence of hillbilly philosophy: Its just not about showboating or personal benefit. Unlike other american art forms such as Blues, Jazz or Rock and Roll, Bluegrass music is not a vehicle for ego. Its just beautifull, timeless music. This quality of humbleness is largely responsible for the purity of the artform and for the dogged lack of commerciality in this genre. Bluegrass can never be anything but bluegrass and that all its ever been.
Tracing its roots back through origins as diverse as Irish and West African folk music, bluegrass first came to maturity some time in the mid 1940's with the additon of banjo player Earl Scruggs to a band called The bluegrass boys. The banjo has long become nearly synonomous with bluegrass music and Earl Scruggs could resonably claim to be the first true virtuoso of the instrument in what has come to be known the bluegrass style. Since its birth with the bluegrass boys, bluegrass as a genre has come to be characterized by the distinct use of traditional stringed instruments, usually finger-plucked and a unique kind of vocal harmonizing that involves two, three, or four parts, often with a dissonant or modal sound in the highest voice. The high-pitch vocal style has been characterized as the "high lonesome sound".
In more recent times, the spiritual home of bluegrass has somehow shifted from its birthplace in mountain country to the coffee houses of New York City. The main difference in this strain of bluegrass and traditional bluegrass is the attitude. New York bluegrass is known to be more political and to employ a different sense of humor in the lyrics but is still considered by many to be the torch bearer of this noble tradition. The 'Two man gentleman band' could be considered an example of the hipper more modern New York Bluegrass. With a lineup consisting of Vocals, plectrum banjo, string bass with both lead and tenor kazoo, The Two man gentleman band is popularized primarily through internet networking organizations like myspace.com and boast songs like 'Drip Dryin' and 'Fancy Beer'. Fancy beer is a distinctly northern jazzy song with a kickin' kazoo solo that features lyrics like "Theres no sense in saving pennies if I don't know where you are. I throw another two dollars on the bar". Slightly less popular are 'The Hot Seats' from Richmond Virginia. They may be less well known but they make up for it through instrumentation and a highly sophisticated sense of humor. There most popular song is probably 'Sell your babies' with a chorus lyric of : 'sell your baby to the army, we're looking for recruits, we're looking for some men who can salute and shoot'. This is a lyric typical of the lewd New York Bluegrass humor.
There is no denying that the home of bluegrass has shifted northward, but even here on the opposite end of the country, the mountain music is still alive and well. Just yesterday, as a matter of fact, someone brought me a cassete recording of three kids going to Junior High School in small town Wortham, Texas goofing around with an accoustic bass, a Kazzo and a harmonica and I'll be the first to tell ya, we Texans are on the fast track to bringing bluegrass back to the southlands.
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To be honest, I’m British so a lot of the references and content were over my head a little, however, the level of descriptive detail and evident passion for the subject matter comes through.
It did also paint quite a vivid picture, particularly the first passage which was a good openeing.
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beautifull – spelled wrong
A simple, sugary melody that flows from his fingertips like honey – describing the melody as sugary and then comparing it to honey seems repetitive
other american art forms – shouldn’t American be capitalized?
The banjo has long become nearly synonomous with - I would take out the word nearly
The banjo has long become nearly synonomous with bluegrass music and Earl Scruggs could resonably claim to be the first true virtuoso of the instrument in what has come to be known the bluegrass style – this entire sentence reads awkwardly, you might want to try rewriting or breaking into 2 sentences
Richmond Virginia. – a comma should always separate a city and state
There most popular song – there should be their
Overall, interesting piece about the migration of a regional type of music to an unexpected place. As far as your writing goes, I noticed that you tend to write a lot of long sentences. I think you could cut some of them down and make for a smoother read.
I love bluegrass, and you show a strong appreciation for it as well. However, I do desire a great deal more clarity in your piece. I feel like you had a good idea… and then it got muddled down by your excitement for the topic.
Beginning. Middle. End. Or a snapshot. You have a shapshot, a beginning, and then somehow we’re in Richmond, VA.
Are you tracing the history? Because there is much more.
I suppose I’m missing the point. I hope this is a first of many drafts. I like what you’re writing about and I like your word choices… I do not like not knowing the point.
Help me?
May I suggest:
with the tips of his fingers he twist -Try:
with the tips of his fingers he twists
knobs on his archaic apparatus- Try:
knobs on this archaic apparatus
a beautifull and melodic sound slowly fills the air.- Try:
a beautiful and melodic sound- slowly filling the air.
I could go on, but you get the idea- just needs a little tweaking here and there, and a hearty spell-check.
Good writing on a good subject. It flows nicely, and is informative in an interesting way- not boring.
Thank you for something interesting to read! Bibelot
It’s a great use of a quote. So much so that it may almost function near the opening to set the tone for the piece. For a short work it’s fairly informative. There are a few missed commas, but you especially don’t want to miss one in the opening sentence between invigorating and morning. It could raise an interesting debate. Is this your viewpoint or the constraints of the prerequisite?
The article was clear and concise, and you had sufficient information. As someone who’s never ever…. EVER in my life even considered listening to bluegrass this article has successfully peeked my interest. It should please both fans of the genre and those curious enough to read your article.
Not sure exactly how journalism works, but seeing as how you’re a Texan, I’ll assume there’s a specific reason why you’re writing about Bluegrass in the first place. Other under circumstances I’d call it a gamble, but I’m not sure how much your demographic enjoys it.
If they do, then this article definitely does Bluegrass justice.
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