folk singer
Guitar-strumming storyteller
A folk singer performs traditional songs passed down through oral culture, or contemporary songs written in that style—typically acoustic, often with guitar or banjo, emphasizing storytelling and social commentary.
The term evokes artists like Woody Guthrie or Joan Baez: She got her start as a folk singer in Greenwich Village coffeehouses.
Fretted stringed instrument
- strummingSweeping across guitar strings
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
- unpluggedDisconnected from power
- coffeehouseEstablishment serving brewed beverages
open-mic · campfire · singalong · hootenanny · resonance · harmony · melody · wooden
Account of events
- balladNarrative poem or song
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
yarn · saga · chronicle · fables · allegory · epic · anecdote · mythology
One who plays six strings
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
- fiddlerOne who bows strings
- banjoFretted drum-stringed instrument
- mandolinPlucked eight-string lute descendant
harmonica · dulcimer · autoharp · accordion · concertina · busker · troubadour · gig
Direct effort for reform
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- justiceFair treatment under law
- solidarityUnity among allies
- anthemOfficial song of praise
movement · dissent · rally · march · broadside · union · resistance · pacifism
Inherited cultural legacy
- balladsNarrative verse set to music
- anthemsOfficial ceremonial songs
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- oral-historyRecorded firsthand accounts
roots · ancestry · customs · ethnomusicology · spirituals · Appalachian · Celtic · Americana
guitar
Fretted stringed instrument
- strummingSweeping across guitar strings
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
- unpluggedDisconnected from power
coffeehouse · open-mic · campfire · singalong · hootenanny · resonance · harmony · melody · wooden · luthier
narrative
Account of events
lore · yarn · saga · chronicle · fables · allegory · epic · anecdote · mythology · troubadour
guitarist
One who plays six strings
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
- fiddlerOne who bows strings
- banjoFretted drum-stringed instrument
mandolin · harmonica · dulcimer · autoharp · accordion · concertina · busker · troubadour · gig · venue
activism
Direct effort for reform
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- justiceFair treatment under law
- solidarityUnity among allies
anthem · movement · dissent · rally · march · broadside · union · resistance · pacifism · grassroots
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- balladsNarrative verse set to music
- anthemsOfficial ceremonial songs
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
oral-history · roots · ancestry · customs · ethnomusicology · spirituals · Appalachian · Celtic · Americana · indigenous
- folk singerstroubadour, bard
- acoustic musiciansguitarist, acoustic duo
- folk musicCeltic revival, traditional music, traditional songs, traditional ballads, traditional tunes
- folk musiciansfiddler, balladeer, troubadour, wandering minstrel, minstrel
- music makerssongwriter, composer, musician, vocalist, producer
- amateur musiciansbedroom producer, garage band member, weekend warrior, open mic performer, busker