bluegrass
Mountain string music
Bluegrass is a style of American country music characterized by acoustic string instruments—banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and upright bass—with tight vocal harmonies and rapid tempos.
The genre emerged in the 1940s, named after Bill Monroe's band the Blue Grass Boys.
We caught some bluegrass at the festival.
Separately, bluegrass is a type of grass common in lawns and pastures, named for its blue-green tinge when allowed to seed.
Kentucky is called the Bluegrass State.
Fretted drum-stringed instrument
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
- mandolinPlucked eight-string lute descendant
- dobroMetal-coned acoustic guitar
- flatpickingIndividual notes via pick
string band · jam · improvisation · picking · Appalachia · old-time · Americana · roots
Grass-covered earth surface
- lawnTended yard grass
- pastureGrazing ground for livestock
- sodGrass-bound topsoil section
- fescueFine-bladed pasture grass
perennial · meadow · forage · grazing · cool-season · rhizome · seedhead · tiller
Act of selecting
- jam sessionInformal improvisational music gathering
- campgroundDesignated outdoor lodging area
- stageRaised performance platform
- workshopPlace for making or learning
outdoor · Telluride · camping · open mic · contest · showcase
Massachusetts town, 1775 battle
- LouisvilleMajor Kentucky river city
- bourbonCorn-based American spirit
- Mammoth CaveKentucky's vast underground network
- CumberlandRiver or mountain gap
Daniel Boone · Ohio River · rolling hills · limestone · horse country · pastureland
Sung musical parts
- high lonesomePlaintive bluegrass vocal style
- trioGroup of three
- duetPiece for two
- tenorEssential meaning or import
baritone · blend · close harmony · lead · harmonizing · call and response · acapella · singing
banjo
Fretted drum-stringed instrument
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
- mandolinPlucked eight-string lute descendant
- dobroMetal-coned acoustic guitar
flatpicking · string band · jam · improvisation · picking · Appalachia · old-time · Americana · roots · gospel
turf
Grass-covered earth surface
fescue · perennial · meadow · forage · grazing · cool-season · rhizome · seedhead · tiller · groundcover
picking
Act of selecting
- jam sessionInformal improvisational music gathering
- campgroundDesignated outdoor lodging area
- stageRaised performance platform
workshop · outdoor · Telluride · camping · open mic · contest · showcase
Lexington
Massachusetts town, 1775 battle
- LouisvilleMajor Kentucky river city
- bourbonCorn-based American spirit
- Mammoth CaveKentucky's vast underground network
Cumberland · Daniel Boone · Ohio River · rolling hills · limestone · horse country · pastureland
vocals
Sung musical parts
- high lonesomePlaintive bluegrass vocal style
- trioGroup of three
- duetPiece for two
tenor · baritone · blend · close harmony · lead · harmonizing · call and response · acapella · singing
- rural Americanafarm, church, farmer, covered bridges, country stores
- AppalachiaAppalachian culture, Appalachian Trail, Cumberland, Great Smoky Mountains, hollows
- Appalachian folklorefolk traditions, folklore traditions, mountain ballads, ghost stories, tall tales
- folk genresAmericana, Irish folk, Appalachian, traditional folk, contemporary folk
- Range Plantssagebrush, big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, saltbush, greasewood
- music genresblues, pop, jazz, rock, classical
bluegrasselectronic music
Synthesizer-based musical genre
techno · EDM · industrial · dubstep · electronica
bluegrassarena rock
Large-venue music genre
electronic music · EDM · synth-pop · heavy metal · industrial music
bluegrassurban music
City-originated popular genres
hip-hop · West Coast rap · Detroit techno · New York punk · Broadway
- Kentucky bluegrassCool-season lawn species
- bluegrass musicAcoustic Appalachian string genre
- bluegrass bandAcoustic folk music ensemble
- bluegrass jamImpromptu acoustic folk session
- bluegrass festivalEvent featuring acoustic Americana