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Regrowing Bluegrass

Regrowing Bluegrass

Date: Feb 04 2008

Themes: Music

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Bluegrass is traditional American music, and like most American things in American culture, its origins are murky. One big difference between bluegrass and American pop music is that bluegrass is improvised. In that way, bluegrass is like jazz. But the instrumentation is very unique. Since bluegrass started out in the country and on farms, some of the instruments used are normal tools found around a farm, like a washboard or a saw. How do you play a saw? You bend it and play it with a bow. While many nontraditional instruments are used in bluegrass, guitars and fiddles are common too. Listen Marni educate Mason about bluegrass.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Marni

Marni

Mason:  I saw your shirt thing earlier and I’m pretty savvy with fancy shirts, but Clampitt Gaddis and Buck...

Marni:  Oh yeah.

Mason:  I don’t get it. Is that like…

Marni:  Clampitt Gaddis and Buck.

Mason:  ...a fake western outfit?

Marni:  No…Clampitt Gaddis and Buck are actually a local Portland bluegrass band.

Mason:  Okay.

Marni:  Yeah. They are really good.

Mason:  Bluegrass like banjos?

Marni:  Well, yes. There is a banjo in the band. And a fiddle and a guitar and really great vocals. A lot of vocal harmony.

Mason:  Uh huh.

Marni:  Yeah.

Mason:  Twangy?

Marni:  Not really twangy. A little maybe. But, do you like bluegrass music?

Mason:  I mean, I don’t know if I know what bluegrass is other than… Banjo, I like. You know, I like fiddle music. You know, stuff where people do the washboard thing.

Marni:  Washboard. Yes, that’s often used.

Mason:  Saw. Do they play saws ever?

Marni:  Well…in some bands they do. I think that bluegrass has sort of evolved into incorporating the sort of traditional folk...kinda jug bands.

Mason:  Mmm hmm.

Marni:  ...sort of just that whole element was sort of lumped into the bluegrass.

Mason:  Maybe kind of a catchall term, now.

Marni:  Yeah, exactly.

Mason:  All the weird…

Marni:  No. I mean a lot of younger bands, I think, are starting to play that more traditional music. And I think, it’s good. I think it’s great. It’s you know. It’s actually easier on the ears.

Mason:  Yeah

Marni:  It’s kinda nice to go to a show…

Mason:  People just do it like live and acoustic a lot of time, right?

Marni:  It’s not so loud always. Yeah. I just think that there are a lot of really good bands around town that play bluegrass. And I am sure that they are popping up all over.

 

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Discussion

Mason was confused by Marni’s shirt. It had the words Clampitt Gaddis and Buck on it. Marni explains that Clampitt Gaddis and Buck is a bluegrass band from Portland. She likes bluegrass. Mason, on the other hand, doesn’t even really know what bluegrass is. He lists off several instruments that he thinks might be involved.

Marni says that not all bluegrass bands use traditional bluegrass instruments, like saws. She thinks the genre of bluegrass is expanding and changing. Clampitt Gaddis and Buck is just one new bluegrass band, but there are a lot of new bluegrass bands these days.

Is the traditional music of your country popular with young people right now? Do they people music with unusual things like saws or washboards where you live?

 

Comments

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longmeiling0829

China

i am interesting on this music,it will be fun.hahaha….

05:04 PM Feb 10 2008 |

岳轻风

岳轻风

China

hi

 

07:33 AM Feb 09 2008 |

张国强

China

   i never saw and heard so many music ,but i think music that has a soul of itself.

03:24 AM Feb 09 2008 |

张国强

China

   i never saw and heard so many music ,but i think music that has a soul of itself.

03:24 AM Feb 09 2008 |

Foliage

Foliage

China

Is the instrument in the picture named Banjo ?

10:17 AM Feb 08 2008 |

Foliage

Foliage

China

Bluegrass music—A type of folk music that originated in the southern United States, typically played on banjos and guitars and characterized by rapid tempos and jazzlike improvisation.
that’s what I knew about this kind of music

10:15 AM Feb 08 2008 |

sherryfun

sherryfun

Taiwan

Well,sorry I rated this lesson for 5 stars,but why it  shows up only 2 stars,it's a mistake,sorry.

07:24 PM Feb 07 2008 |

sherryfun

sherryfun

Taiwan

All kind of Music in harmony and peaceful are beautiful and great!

02:22 PM Feb 07 2008 |

sherryfun

sherryfun

Taiwan

Oh~well,it's interesting,I haven't heard the term <Blue grass>and the band-Clampitt Gaddis and Buck- from Porland before,but I've heard somebody played Saw Music before,on the TV show when I was very young age ;),but Chinese Music is lots different from western music in traditional way ,people on the farm also used Wash Board to play music ;), very interesting,I haven't heard this before either;) ,but this lesson taught me a lot about traditional music,and some insturment like banjos,it's kind of beautiful instrument to play music,those people used to play in the old time,anyway it's worth to learn,and I think if any of you can create kind of music in harmony,it's really amazing,isn't it? 

                                                                      Cool  Laughing

02:08 PM Feb 07 2008 |

kay Chen

China

I’m new here .who have time to have a talk with me

06:01 AM Feb 06 2008 |

candyrabbit

China

how I wish I could hear it by myself!

03:12 PM Feb 05 2008 |

susanking

susanking

China

i haven't heard about bluegrass before. but i did watched some shows that people play music with a saw. i 'm not sure if that music is bluegrass music.

12:54 PM Feb 05 2008 |

eazycase

eazycase

Taiwan

I am still confused about Bluegrass.

Is it just like the chinese instrument?

11:33 AM Feb 05 2008 |

pelanas

Colombia

yeah in Colombia we have a carranguero musis it is  a country music from boyaca region play with wood spoons, bull`s saw an guacharacas and lots of tools

 

11:52 PM Feb 04 2008 |

lims2000

lims2000

Egypt

nice

10:27 PM Feb 04 2008 |

Marlen76

Marlen76

Serbia and Montenegro

I have never hear for bluegrass but its ok. I always like to hear something new,maybe is fun!

07:54 PM Feb 04 2008 |

SÉRGIO

SÉRGIO

Brazil

Ok play the saw, it's not common but there's crazy for everything!! But nothing against!! Viva o rock'n roll!!

06:53 PM Feb 04 2008 |

halooma

halooma

Germany

 me to I never heard anything like that but I like to learn something new.

 

 

06:28 PM Feb 04 2008 |

HeavyMammal

Russian Federation

I think we should learn more about music which is not very popular, or well-known, because everyone knows the pop. one. It`s interesting and educational. Unusual may be

06:04 PM Feb 04 2008 |

beto.fon.gio

Brazil

It's more interesting that soul

04:39 PM Feb 04 2008 |

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