Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Mountain Music

Appalachain Folk music, rather. Or, rather, the unique Appalachian blend of many worldwide folk music traditions.

I was talking to a friend about my distinction between country music (which I am not fond of) and what I call "mountain music." I'm not sure what the distinction is, if any, between mountain music and Bluegrass, but I would think there is. I suppose the instruments of the fiddle and the banjo are common to both, and perhaps the dulcimer. The Cedar Flute and the Jaw Harp are mixed in there somewhere.

I also was saying that I don't own any CDs of this mountain music, which I suppose is sloppy of me.

Well, I was curious to find some, and here it is:





see also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVMi3MH0uRU&feature=related

What do you think the difference is, if any?
Something I learned a while back is that "mountain folk music" is not really preserved in an original form. Much of mountain music popularized has been cleaned up, made very PG, whereas true mountain music is quite... well, not.

4 comments:

  1. Hmmmm interesting that original mountain music wasn't very clean! I'm not sure if I was aware of that. Maybe my family isn't the exception after all :-P

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  2. Have you ever heard of Alison Krauss? That may be someone you'd like. My dad is obsessed with her lol. Also, have you seen the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? I wonder if you'd like the soundtrack.

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  3. Sounds like it's like fairy tales in being greatly changed from the original.

    I second AmbeR's suggestion. O Brother Where Art Thou is something you might like.

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  4. I haven't yet seen 'O Brother' although it's been on my to-be-watched list for a long time. I also have heard that the soundtrack is very good, probably for the reasons you brought up the movie in the first place.

    My to-be-watched list is so very, very long, though. *sigh*

    It's kinda funny fairy tales were mentioned. Things like 'The Little Mermaid' have much been sanitized for the PG audience. What others?

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