A typical Bluegrass band will have members playing the fiddle , acoustic guitar, upright bass, mandolin, five-string banjo, and possibly the resonator guitar (Dobro).  Each member of the band has an important role; however, some are used to provide lead (melody) or the rhythm. 

 

 

Activity 1

 

1.  Ask students to research the instruments used in a typical Bluegrass band (fiddle, acoustic guitar, upright bass, madolin, five-string

     banjo, and dobro).

 

2.  For each instrument

 

• describe the physical characteristics (size, shape, number of strings etc.)

• determine if it typically plays the lead or the rhythm in a Bluegrass band

• describe the way it is played in a Bluegrass band (e.g., picking, strumming, bowed, plucked)

• determine the timbre of the instrument and describe this as well as how it differs from the timbre of the other instruments in a Bluegrass band

• find one YouTube video that clearly shows the instrument and how it sounds in a Bluegrass band

 

3.  Create a written report of the above information.  Make sure to cite your work (i.e., url addresses).

 

 

Activity 2

 

In Bluegrass music, one or more band members often plays a solo in the middle of the music; that is, one member takes the lead while the other members all play rhythm (even if they do not usually play rhythm).  In fact, a 'breakdown' is a piece of Bluegrass music that is almost entirely made up of instrumental solos.  These solos are a way for a band member to show off how good they are on their instrument, and are improvised on the spot.  This technique is very similar to the way jazz performers do their solos.  It is also not unusual for the audience to clap after each solo in the middle of the song (just like they do for jazz players) even when the piece keeps going. 

 

Ask students to listen to the audio and identify the instruments in the order they take the lead (solo).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch the video of the same performance and ask students to check their answers.