David “Dawg” Grisman is a living mandolin master, and today we celebrate his contributions to bluegrass and newgrass music, as well as acoustic composition. He is so revered in the bluegrass scene to have invented his own genre of music called Dawg Music, into which we shall delve further along in this article. Dawg has…
Sam Bush is a pioneer of the newgrass style, a style of bluegrass that incorporates sometimes electric instruments and uses inspiration from genres like rock n roll. Bluegrass music traditionally takes song structure from old jazz music, where individual players take turns improvising over the main rhythm to show off their virtuosic skill. The tempo…
Bill Monroe is a very important figure in the world of mandolin. He helped create bluegrass music, earning him the title Father of Bluegrass. A Bit About Bluegrass Style Bluegrass is encompassed by the genre of country music, taking root in Irish, Scottish and English music while incorporating elements of jazz. These traditional music styles…
The Deering Goodtime Americana Banjo has a grand 12 inch rim and a beautiful Renaissance head. These combine to give the instrument an incredible bass response with a warm tone. From the peghead with the Americana name all the way down to the blonde rim, this banjo will look great while you're learning to play…
Mandolin takes 20th century root in American bluegrass and jazz style, both of which utilize tight improvisation and quick movement. With this article we take a look at five famous mandolin players who make/made significant contributions to the jazz mandolin style. 1. Jethro Burns Kenneth Charles Burns earned the name Jethro after touring as comedic duo…
Sierra Hull Sierra Hull is an American bluegrass musician. She sings and plays guitar and mandolin. She was signed to Rounder Records at the very young age of 13 and released a debut album three years later at 16, which hit #2 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart. She is from Tennessee, where she…
The Gold Tone Banjolele is a small instrument that looks like a banjo and ukulele hybrid but has a sound that is truly unique and distinctive. The sound that comes out the instrument sounds enough like a banjo to be pleasant, but people hearing it will wonder what you're playing. It's a sound that will…
This Kmise 4-string banjolele has a concert-size ukulele neck and the body of a banjo. It's a style that was popular in the 20s and 30s, and it's growing popular again as people look for instruments they've never played before. This revival has brought back a fun, unique instrument that can be used to play…
This article details how to play a mandolin - for beginners only. First, before we begin to play the mandolin, we must know how to hold the instrument! Take a look at this diagram below to get an idea of how to do it. How To Hold A Mandolin A key component to holding the…
It can be tough to tell the difference between a banjo, banjolele and ukulele if you don't understand what they are. It can be confusing for people who are looking directly at them and have experience. The banjo has a drum of sorts that stretches across what's called a “head.” The ukulele looks like a…
