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You Can Learn to Play the Guitar

In high school, did you ever dream about starting your own rock band? Want to duplicate the soothing sounds of folk tunes for family and friends? Does your favorite musician work magic with a Gibson ES 335? Is Jimi Hendrix your idol? It doesn?t matter the reason why you want to play the guitar - a seed has been planted and now it is time to nurture the desire.

Where to begin? Playing guitar (whether for fun or professionally) takes patience and determination. By following a few tips, you can harness your passion or interest for the instrument. You will also find that fueling your creativity and developing this new form of expression will take time. Great guitar players do not blossom overnight.

Purchasing a Guitar

Before you start learning the ropes of guitar playing, you?re going to need an instrument to carry out your lessons. The type of music you wish to play will determine the kind of guitar you require. For example, an acoustic guitar is used to generate the sounds of country, ragtime or folk. The body of the guitar is large and hollow, creating a sound that many deem ?natural.? Rock music often utilizes an electric guitar, which offers a rather distinctive amplified sound. Additional guitars to look into include the steel, solid body, archtop, resonator, bass and twelve-string guitar.

With the purchase of a guitar, there are other necessary pieces of basic equipment. A guitar pick is required to help play the chords of your instrument. The size of guitar pick is quite small, prompting easy breakage and it can also be easily misplaced. This is why beginners should have a good number of guitar picks on hand. When purchasing picks, the medium gauge varieties are suggested because they are less apt to break. You should also invest in a comfortable chair.

Getting Lessons

While some guitar players are able to naturally experiment with chords by ear and strum along with less guidance, others require the assistance of structured lessons. There are numerous ways to learn how to play the guitar. If you are able to afford a private tutor, you can take advantage of one-on-one instruction, which may speed up the learning process. Sometimes, beginners benefit from group learning, which provides a wealth of constructive criticism. The Internet also offers a way for beginners to privately learn online. Some websites offer a computer keyboard lesson on learning scales, which some beginners find quite easy.

Whichever approach you take in learning to play guitar, you should know that setting goals for yourself makes the process more rewarding. Achieving personal milestones further motivates your desire to find a common ground with the instrument and who knows how far your lessons will take you.

Recognizing why you want to play guitar in the first place will also help you to better accomplish your goals. Some people want to learn to play for fun, peaking with a performance in front of family and friends. Others would like to share their talents with a slightly larger crowd, probably visiting a few coffee shops or open-mic nights. Then there are the masses of learners who have bigger dreams of taking to a stage in front of thousands. No matter what the goal is, you can?t get there without loads of practice.

What You Will Learn

Guitar lessons usually start with building a basic foundation, such as how to properly hold the guitar and establishing correct posture when playing. There is a wide range of techniques involved in playing the guitar and after a few lessons, you may start to find your niche.

One of the most important things to focus on when playing a guitar is understanding and mastering the chords. There are books and charts to help you along this important part of the process. There are many different chords to familiarize yourself with and taking them one at a time will lead to better results.

Additional areas of guitar instruction may include learning how to properly hold a pick, memorizing scales, tackling music theory and selecting a music style. Instrument maintenance, such as tuning and caring for your guitar is also of importance.

Sticking With It

Staying motivated is one of the best things you can do when learning to play the guitar. It is easy to become frustrated with a new project and abandon it before truly experiencing any benefits. On some days, you may have to dig deep to reclaim your passion and dedication. Other days, you could be composing the next pop hit. Give the process a chance and remember that it takes time to get the hang of this instrument. The best thing you can do is continue to practice and soon, you will reap the rewards of hard work and focus.


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Essential Tips To Learn And Master The Guitar

Learn How To Play Guitar

In high school, did you ever dream about starting your own rock band? Want to duplicate the soothing sounds of folk tunes for family and friends? Does your favorite musician work magic with a Gibson ES 335? Is Jimi Hendrix your idol? It doesn?t matter the reason why you want to play the guitar - a seed has been planted and now it is time to nurture the desire.

Where to begin? Playing guitar (whether for fun or professionally) takes patience and determination. By following a few tips, you can harness your passion or interest for the instrument. You will also find that fueling your creativity and developing this new form of expression will take time. Great guitar players do not blossom overnight.

Purchasing a Guitar

Before you start learning the ropes of guitar playing, you?re going to need an instrument to carry out your lessons. The type of music you wish to play will determine the kind of guitar you require. For example, an acoustic guitar is used to generate the sounds of country, ragtime or folk. The body of the guitar is large and hollow, creating a sound that many deem ?natural.? Rock music often utilizes an electric guitar, which offers a rather distinctive amplified sound. Additional guitars to look into include the steel, solid body, archtop, resonator, bass and twelve-string guitar.

With the purchase of a guitar, there are other necessary pieces of basic equipment. A guitar pick is required to help play the chords of your instrument. The size of guitar pick is quite small, prompting easy breakage and it can also be easily misplaced. This is why beginners should have a good number of guitar picks on hand. When purchasing picks, the medium gauge varieties are suggested because they are less apt to break. You should also invest in a comfortable chair.

Getting Lessons

While some guitar players are able to naturally experiment with chords by ear and strum along with less guidance, others require the assistance of structured lessons. There are numerous ways to learn how to play the guitar. If you are able to afford a private tutor, you can take advantage of one-on-one instruction, which may speed up the learning process. Sometimes, beginners benefit from group learning, which provides a wealth of constructive criticism. The Internet also offers a way for beginners to privately learn online. Some websites offer a computer keyboard lesson on learning scales, which some beginners find quite easy.

Whichever approach you take in learning to play guitar, you should know that setting goals for yourself makes the process more rewarding. Achieving personal milestones further motivates your desire to find a common ground with the instrument and who knows how far your lessons will take you.

Recognizing why you want to play guitar in the first place will also help you to better accomplish your goals. Some people want to learn to play for fun, peaking with a performance in front of family and friends. Others would like to share their talents with a slightly larger crowd, probably visiting a few coffee shops or open-mic nights. Then there are the masses of learners who have bigger dreams of taking to a stage in front of thousands. No matter what the goal is, you can?t get there without loads of practice.

What You Will Learn

Guitar lessons usually start with building a basic foundation, such as how to properly hold the guitar and establishing correct posture when playing. There is a wide range of techniques involved in playing the guitar and after a few lessons, you may start to find your niche.

One of the most important things to focus on when playing a guitar is understanding and mastering the chords. There are books and charts to help you along this important part of the process. There are many different chords to familiarize yourself with and taking them one at a time will lead to better results.

Additional areas of guitar instruction may include learning how to properly hold a pick, memorizing scales, tackling music theory and selecting a music style. Instrument maintenance, such as tuning and caring for your guitar is also of importance.

Sticking With It

Staying motivated is one of the best things you can do when learning to play the guitar. It is easy to become frustrated with a new project and abandon it before truly experiencing any benefits. On some days, you may have to dig deep to reclaim your passion and dedication. Other days, you could be composing the next pop hit. Give the process a chance and remember that it takes time to get the hang of this instrument. The best thing you can do is continue to practice and soon, you will reap the rewards of hard work and focus.


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Why Would You Have Your Audio Mastered by a Professional?

If you are reading this then hopefully the question of "Should I get my Sound Mastered" has been answered. If not, then this article will quickly talk about it. If this question is bothering you, then your answer is more than likely "yes". Mastering is just as important as your recording and mixing process. Here is a question? You recorded your music, did you mix it yet? If yes, why? Is it because you wanted it to sound better? Well, what if I told you that the improvement you made from the recording to the mixing is the same type of improvement you will hear from the mixing to the mastering process. Yes, you heard it correct. Your sound will be so much harder and crisper you and your buddies will all be amazed.

Now, you are convinced to get your music mastered, but the professional part has not been discussed. Well, let us talk about that issue right now. Let me paint a picture for you. You are 55 years old and worked for a great company all your life. You have 2 wonderful grown children and 4 grand-children. You and your spouse are making a life changing decision today that can change your future. You are deciding to retire after 30 years service from your company. Now, your objective is to live off your 1 Million dollar life time savings you have accumulated over the past 30 years. That may sound like a lot of money, but consider the fact that you are used to living off of $60,000 per year. Being as smart as you are, you do the math and realize if you put that money in your bank or try to play the stock market, your savings may only last for 16 years. That means when you are 55 years young, you are out of money. Not to mention, cost of living increases. So, are you seeing the picture I am painting you? My question to you is, would you rather take a chance on your money and try to do it yourself in the market, or would you rather give this problem to a professional and have them do their job? Do you know anything about beta, dollar cost averaging, rebalancing? Do you think it might be a good idea to get a professional? If you answered yes for a professional, then you are on the right track. If not, then best of luck in your musical journey.

Think about your music in the same way. If you decide not to get it mastered by a professional and you are as serious about it as you say you are, then you could be potentially flushing your money down the toilet. You are an artist and are probably good at what you do or you would not be reading this. Mastering technicians are just like you, good at what they do. They would not pick up an instrument and try to show the artist how to play their own song. Their expertise is in the studio making your music sound even more hard and crispclear. Use them, that is what they do and that is why they are so valuable. Have I made my point yet?

Not many people are fortunate enough to have an audio engineer that can mix and master at the same time, but if you are, then a straight transfer could do the trick. If not, you need to consider getting your audio mastered by a professional. Some studios do their mastering in house and some studios have to send it off.

Most of the time there are many improvements that can done to the mixes. The market is demanding. Now, if you're reading this, then you are probably wanting your disc to be competitive in-store play, homes of consumers, and in radio markets, it has to be correct sonically. Think of it like a brand new car -without a good wash and wax, few people will appreciate how great it looks. You have to also remember that the mixes were recorded over a week or so at different times of the day. This makes the level and tones all different. Mastering creates a perfect whole out of a collection of individual tracks.

The mastering facility has ultra-clean processors that are made to handle stereo signals. Obvious as this may be - running your guitar through a limiter and equalizer is one thing, but it's a whole new story when you run your whole mix through it. A finished mix is a complex balance that can be made better or just as easily be made worse. It's worth using the best equipment available.


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Four Ways To Learn Guitar

With the increasing popularity of rock music during the last few decades, playing the guitar has become very appealing for many people. While there are many teenagers out there who dream of becoming rock superstars, there are also many people that want to learn how to play the guitar just for the sake of it. However, many of them don't find the best way to learn guitar and after a few unsuccessful attempts, they finally give up.

Different people have different learning needs. In addition, we also have different resources, different jobs, different errands to run and different schedules. If you're not at the level you want, maybe it's because you haven't found the best way to learn guitar yet. There are several ways to learn how to play the guitar. Listed below are only a few of them.

Theory Books

There are thousands of theory books on the market that teach you how to play the guitar. Some of them are even very good and can provide you with all the information you need. Books are an inexpensive and comfortable strategy to learn how to play the guitar. Unfortunately, experience shows that for many of us they just don't work. However, if you are a very patient person, a theory book might be the best way to learn guitar.

Video Lessons

Video guitar lessons are available on DVDs and video tapes in almost any music store, as well as on virtual shops. In addition, there are also some video lessons available online. Some of them are even free. Video lessons are more dynamic and have a better chance of keeping you focused. They have the advantage of allowing you to practice at home whenever you find the time to do it. However, the inconvenience is that you can't benefit from the personalized attention and useful feedback a teacher could provide.

Private Lessons

If you are willing to dedicate a lot of time as well as some money to this, private lessons are definitely the best way to learn guitar. A good teacher can design a customized teaching program to suit your learning style and provide you with individualized attention and positive feedback to get you motivated. In addition, he/she can also spot and correct your mistakes very fast.

Learning by Ear

Learning the guitar by ear can be very fun, especially if you have some sort of musical bone in your body, and that bone is humming with lots of vibration, you might find that this is the best way to learn guitar for you. With the modern slowing down technology, it is much easier now than it used to be for our parents' generation.

You should always keep in mind that playing the guitar should be fun. If you find it difficult or stressing, your learning strategy might have a lot to do with it. Sometimes you need to try several learning methods before finding the one that works best for you. However, if you really want to play the guitar like a pro and have enough time and money, taking up private lessons is probably the best way to go.

Masni Rizal Mansor provide tips and review on guitar chords, guitar tune and how to play a guitar.
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Top 10 Ways To Effectively Practice Piano

1) Looking for the top 10 ways to effectively practice piano?

Let us start by admitting piano practice isn't always fun. At times, it can be as grueling a task as mopping the floor or teaching your York Terrier to roll over (even when he hasn't done it for the hundredth time). The key thing about piano practice however, is that it isn't really supposed to fun -- it's supposed to improve your skills. That doesn't mean that practicing the piano **can't** be fun. We've even written an article describing how to **make** it fun. This article however, focuses on how to make practice more effective. And effective practice often accompanies a little thing we like to call, "dedication."

2) Plan your practice time and set goals.

Yup - as with every thing else under the sun, perfection at the piano requires a dedicated set time of practice. So take a look at your schedule and **make** time (don't 'squeeze' time) to practice. Make sure that this time slot is uninterrupted and void of frivolous phone calls or visits from friends and family. Put the terrier in the back yard and unplug the phone. This is how to build "you" time, or more correctly, time to strengthen the love affair between you and your instrument. On such a lovely date, you may want to finally figure out a passage that has been troubling you, or you may want build your basic skills. If it will help, write into your schedule book, the task that you'd like to master on each day that you practice. That way when you look at your planner, you'll remember how even Beethoven started out!

3) Play With Your Metronome.

Don't forget the metronome. Metronomes are designed to strengthen your rhythm skills and if you insist on playing without one, you're destined to produce inconsistent music (no matter how well you can count). Put your trust into the mechanics of a metronome and you'll stay on beat, every time.

4) Get Smooth

After a while, you may notice that your metronome is getting on your nerves. If so, chances are you've either got it turned up too loud, or you've advanced so much, you're ready to concentrate on other aspects of piano music -- like smoothness for example. During this phase of your lessons, your rhythm and timing have obviously improved, and now you're more interested in playing with emotion than following a steady beat. This doesn't mean that the metronome is useless however. It simply means that you can start focusing on letting your music flow. Turn the metronome down to its lowest level and refer to it only when you're nervous about getting off beat.

5) Practice in front of others.

Talk about getting nervous! Failing to regularly play in front of others will only turn you into a master among one: (yourself)! Get used to entertaining small crowds and you'll eventually gain the courage to play for a crowd of a thousand. With just a few more years of experience, you'll soon solo at the symphony!

6) Kill the mistakes.

This is where practicing in front of others really pays off because if you make a mistake, you can be sure you'll hear about it. And as daunting as this may seem, it's actually a good thing. You certainly want to catch and correct mistakes before you solidify them as a permanent fixture in a public performance.

7) Practice Every Day

Yes, even when you're tired, grumpy, or just plain don't feel good, you must practice every day. You don't have to produce a masterpiece every time you sit down to play the piano, but you can at least run through the drills. This will help keep your fingers limber and your pedal-work coordinated with your hands. Of course when you're feeling up to it, go on and rock the house! Just don't skip a day. Not even one. The masters didn't!

8) Work the Right Hand.

Since the right hand often plays the most intricate part of a song, you'll want to exercise it as much as possible. Take it slow if need be and then speed up to the right tempo when you're ready.

9) Speed It Up

There's an interesting theory in the piano community that claims playing faster, increases skills. This is a theory of course that only works after you've mastered a piece at tempo you're comfortable with. And it's idea claims that "speed playing" makes music appear easier to play than it really is.

10) Chill

You'll never master the piano if you continuously play it while tense, angry, or nervous. Certain pieces of music require that its musicians relax. If you never learn how to relax during practice, your tense, angry, or nervous condition will eventually become your personal playing style. And the music that you play will instill the same condition within your audience. Yikes! Learn how to relax your wrist, hands, shoulders and arms. Find a comfortable position and learn how to smile while you're playing. Yes, playing the piano is hard work, but it should never be forced.

Record Yourself.

Strengthen both your playing and listening skills by recording yourself playing the piano. Depending on how good you are, you may be in for a pleasant or terrifying experience. If the former - don't stop improving. If the latter - don't give up. After enough practice, you'll improve on your own without the aid of a tape recorder -- and you'll do so the instant that you press a key.


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Is Myspace a Waste of Time for Most Independent Artists?

If you?ve had a chance to talk with musicians, writers, directors, photographers, or other artists that have taken a crack at promoting their content on MySpace, you have probably heard varying accounts of measured success. The truth of the matter is that very few people will ever be successful at selling their music, film, artwork, photos, or books on MySpace. Why are so many people unsuccessful in generating income from a site that boasts over 100 million subscribers? Let me provide you with a few simple answers.

MySpace is a social-networking website that promotes artists that have already ?made it?. In other words, you won?t find an amateur band or director on the front page or landing page of the music or film section. For you writers, models, photographers, and graphic artists out there, your best bet of getting noticed is to join a group or write a blog. Strangely enough, they don?t openly promote that type of content on their site. So how does one get their content noticed by industry professionals? You have to follow the same steps everyone else followed before MySpace ever existed. You have to work hard to promote yourself.

I have to believe that I have seen it all when it comes to promoting profiles on MySpace. The quick and dirty way to get noticed is to make the equivalent of a cold call. This process involves going to someone?s profile that you do not know and just adding that person as a friend. That person may or may not accept the request for friendship, but if they do, then you have a warmer prospect. Will this person ever buy a CD from you or ask if they can buy prints of the photos you are showing online? Your chances are probably better in winning the lottery than having that person buy something from you. However, there?s always a chance.

Another way to promote your profile to others outside of MySpace?s blogs, forums, and groups is to invite someone to be your friend. Within the invite, you can include a message explaining to them just why they should accept your invitation to be your friend. If they accept the invitation then you have a much warmer prospect. Now, your chances of selling them something may have increased slightly to a most-likely-not scenario. Obviously, this is much better, but still not good enough. With this warmer prospect you may be able to cultivate a friendship over a number of months and get them to buy something from you as a friend. This is when you move into the ?there?s a small chance they might buy something from me? stage.

Getting someone motivated enough to actually send you money though is an entirely different story. If you become too pushy, they will probably realize that you are more a salesperson than their friend and they may block your profile ? putting all of your months of tedious work to befriend them to waste. Let?s not also forget that many of the people on MySpace don?t have the money to buy something from you. The demographics of MySpace may no longer be heavily tilted toward just teenyboppers and college-age students, but they still make up the majority of people that will accept an open invitation of friendship from people they don?t know without questions.

Now, suppose you are successful in being able to sell someone something. Let?s use a CD for the time being, since music is one of the major types of content promoted on MySpace. You are able to sell the CD that you paid $2.00 to duplicate (not including studio costs and everything else) for $15.00. You spent over 100 hours online befriending someone to make $13.00. Let?s just use 100 hours for simple arithmetic. That means that you made about $0.13/hour. When you add in all of the studio costs, manufacturing costs and everything else, well it?s about time to start looking forward to a tax write-off for the New Year. The plain and simple fact is that you need a lot of publicity to make money on MySpace. This brings us to our next point.

Myspace promotes big name artists. We already established that. So, if you?re not a big-name artist, how do people find you? How do you tap into the 100 million members plus that are available to you? I think the bigger question is how do those people find you out of a pool of 100 million other people? The simple answer is that they don?t. Unless you can make yourself known to these people, almost all of them will never find you. They don?t know you exist and they don?t care if you exist. It?s a hard fact, but it is the bottom line. You have to do all of the work to make yourself known to prospective buyers.

So, if you?re trying to make a name for yourself on MySpace, then I guess the answer to the question we posed in this article is a resounding yes. MySpace is definitely a waste of time for most independent artists. Notice that I use the word ?most?, because just like the lottery, you can always get lucky. If, on the other hand, you are simply trying to connect with other artists and aren?t worried about making money so much as making friends with like-interests, then MySpace might be a good place for you. That being said, I hope that anyone who is serious about his or her work is trying to make a living in it. There is no better job in the world than doing the job you love day in and day out.


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The Mandolin Sounds in the Roots of Bluegrass

Bluegrass music is traditionally played on acoustic instruments, which may include the banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, Dobro and bass. For readers unfamiliar with this musical genre, bluegrass music is the sound produced with particular acoustic stringed instruments like the Mandolin and the Debro. To understand bluegrass music is to realize and appreciate its musical roots. Bluegrass is an original American music formed from a number of varied influences including the early Old Time ballads, fiddle tunes and string band music with its proven roots to the homeland musical heritage of the immigrants who pioneered America.

Above all, bluegrass music is acoustic, although there are plenty of vocal and instrumental microphones on the modern bluegrass stage. Bluegrass tends to use both vocals and instruments as an ensemble. It is distinctively acoustic, rarely using electric instruments. In bluegrass, as in jazz, each instrument takes a turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others revert to backing the lead. This is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment.

The various types of music brought with the people who began migrating to America in the early 1600s are considered to be the roots of bluegrass music. This would include the ballads from the Scots-Irish immigrants of Appalachia and England, as well as the African-American gospel music and blues which sprang up from rural America. This Mountain music held on and grew into todays bluegrass despite the pressures from more socially acceptable forms of popular music. The rural people of the south and other parts of the country clung tenaciously to the music which has grown into an integral contribution to American culture.

Though its inception was influenced by Scottish and Irish folk music, bluegrass music is a distinctly American form. And, its Scottish and Celtic connections mixed with its vibrant and undeniable American roots define a beloved genre of music. Bluegrass music is more of a synthesis of American southern string band music, blues, English, Irish, and Scottish traditions, wrapped up in a sacred country music form.

It is important to note that bluegrass is not and never was simply folk music under a strict definition; however, the topical and narrative themes of many bluegrass songs are highly reminiscent of "folk music". In fact many songs that are widely considered to be bluegrass are older works legitimately classified as folk or old-time performed in a bluegrass style.

While bluegrass is not folk music in the strictest sense, the interplay between bluegrass music and other folk forms has been looked at by many music authorities and scholars. And, it has since received separate genre recognition as a form of country music. By in large its status as a genre is a credit to the talented artists, musicians and bands of the twentieth century as proof of their devotion and optimism toward a music style intrinsic to their heritage and prodigy.

Performing bluegrass bands have included instruments as diverse as the Dobro resonator guitar, accordion, harmonica, Jew's harp, piano, drums, electric guitar, and electric versions of all other common bluegrass instruments, though these are considered to be more progressive and are a departure from the traditional bluegrass style.

Beyond instrumentation, the singing, which is central to bluegrass music genre, has become known as "the high lonesome sound," which gives the song, along with its typically sad lyrics, a haunting and mournful timbre. This distinguishing characteristic of bluegrass is vocal harmony featuring two, three, or four parts, often featuring a dissonant, modal sound in the highest voice. If you hear toe tapping music played mainly on a fiddle, mandolin, five string banjo, guitar or bass guitar followed by an emotionally compelling vocal solo, then it's probably bluegrass music.

The most famous contributor of the bluegrass genre was the legendary Bill Monroe. His main instrument, of course, was the mandolin for which he has developed a distinctive and very influential style, but he has always played with a guitar back-up. His earliest recordings were with his brother Charlie, and The Monroe Brothers, like other country groups, all of whom sang tight harmonies with Bill's mandolin taking the instrumental solos and Charlie's guitar keeping the rhythm and bass tones going behind him.

Today Bill Monroe is referred to as the "founding father" of bluegrass music. The bluegrass style was named after his band, the Blue Grass Boys which was formed in 1939. His singing and music was directly influenced by the mountain church singing and melodic harmonies of his youth in western Kentucky. On October 28, 1939 Bill Monroe introduced the world to his style of music by playing "Muleskinner Blues" during the Grand Old Opry's Saturday night show. They became popular performers on the Grand Ole Opry with many appearances throughout the mid to late twentieth century.

By some arguments, as long as the Blue Grass Boys were the only band playing this music, it was just their unique style. Their music could not be considered a musical genre until other bands began performing the same style. Debate rages among bluegrass musicians, fans, and scholars over what instrumentation constitutes a bluegrass band. Monroe had a unique sound but wanted to fine tune the sound into more of an amalgam of old-time music, blues, ragtime and jazz accompanied by the acoustic instrumentals. Early in the 1940s and not satisfied with their current sound, Monroe began searching for other musicians to give his band a fuller sound.

He formed a new group which featured a young Earl Scruggs on 5-string banjo, and the unusually complex three-finger picking, combined with Monroe's driving mandolin. Lester Flatt's guitar, and Chubby Wise's fiddle, gave the group a power and excitement not heard before in country music. As one musician put itUltimately, the elements of bluegrass came together in Monroe's band as sacred and secular, black and white, urban and rural combined to form an altogether new strain of American music. A significant portion of the content we hear in Bluegrass music today is original Bill Monroe material.

In addition to what might be considered "mainstream" bluegrass, which has gradually changed over the last 60 years, there have been several major subgenres which have existed almost since the music's beginning. Although nearly all bluegrass artists regularly incorporate gospel music into their repertoire, "Bluegrass Gospel" has emerged as a major subgenre. Distinctive elements of this style of bluegrass music include lyrics focused on Christian faith and theology and soulful three or four part harmony singing mixed with an occasionally subdued instrumental solo.

In recent years, several modern country music artists have recorded bluegrass music albums. More recently, artists such as Ricky Skaggs, groups such as the Lonesome River Band and Alison Krauss have continued to spearhead a kind of country crossover that puts more emphasis on blues over that of pure bluegrass. Bluegrass music is now being played in venues all over the world. For bluegrass music fans, there are many summer bluegrass music festivals held annually throughout the United States, including Colorado's Telluride Bluegrass Festival which draws mainstream country artists like Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton.

Additionally, the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival and the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in Ancramdale, New York are budding annual festivals. Today, bluegrass bands and concerts can be found in every state in America. With the bands getting younger and the styles getting more hip and slick, there's also a wide range of bluegrass music available.

Bluegrass music is experiencing some of the greatest success its had in the past 60 years. Its pure acoustic sound with its down home appeal is winning new fans throughout the United States and abroad. It is now performed and enjoyed around the world. The International Bluegrass Music Association alone claims members in all 50 states and over 30 countries.


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