| The violin, as used
in traditional folk music, is commonly referred to as the fiddle.
The fiddle is the heart of old-time music, acting as the lead melodic instrument.
Old
time fiddle music evolved primarily for the accompaniment of dancing.
As the fiddle was often the sole instrument, double stops (2 simultaneous
harmonizing notes) and drones are frequently used, giving more volume and
a fuller sound. Some fiddlers raised one or two strings with matchsticks
allowing the possibility of triple stops or chords. A whole series of alternative
tunings may be used, allowing the strings which are not fingered to drone
or ring more freely.
Various clichés
describe the difference between fiddle and violin:
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"When
you are buying it, it's a fiddle. When you are selling it, it's a violin."
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"What's
the difference between a violin and a fiddle? About $10,000."
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"The
difference is in the nut that holds the bow."
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"The
violin sings, the fiddle dances."
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"A
fiddle is a violin with attitude."
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"No
one cries when they spill beer on a fiddle."
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5-string open-back
clawhammer banjo
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4-string tenor banjo
with resonator back
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The banjo
originated in America, descended from an instrument brought over by slaves
from Africa, dating back to the 17th
century. The banjo's distinctive sound is created by the strings
vibrating over the round "pot" covered with skin (nowadays, a synthetic
membrane on some banjos). The 5-string
banjo used for old timey music has an open back, without a wooden
resonator (the kind used later in bluegrass music), and the melodic/ rhythmic
playing style using bare fingers is known as clawhammer
or frailing.
During the early 1900's, banjos, along with other stringed instruments,
switched over from gut strings to steel strings. During the 1920's,
4-string
tenor
banjos and plectrum
banjos became popular, especially in Dixieland jazz; Irish tenor
banjos used in Celtic music have shorter necks and are tuned
like the mandolin. The 6-string
banjo has a guitar neck and tuning, allowing guitar players to
achieve a banjo-like sound. The 5-string banjo's distinctive sound
comes from the short 5th drone string, usually tuned to the key of G.
The 5-string banjo, kept alive in Appalachia during the reign of 4-string
banjos, became popular again with the advent of bluegrass music and the
folk music revival of the 1950's and 60's. The Vega Company made
a long
neck 5-string banjo popularized by Pete Seeger of the Weavers and
Dave Guard of the Kingston Trio, often used by many folk groups during
that era. An excellent summary of the different types of banjos can
be found here. |
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The 6-string acoustic
guitar is the perhaps most versatile of acoustic instruments, able
to play virtually any style of music. Descended from the classical
guitar, which had gut strings (later replaced by nylon), the larger and
louder steel string guitar became more popular by the turn of the
20th century. The dreadnought
guitar is a large-body design originated and popularized by the
Martin
Guitar Company during the 1930's,
allowing the flat-top steel string guitar to be played at a louder volume
with more bass response than previous guitar designs. The dreadnought guitar
is the most popular style of acoustic guitar in the world today.
In old timey music, the steel string guitar anchors the rhythm section,
along with an acoustic upright bass. Maybelle Carter invented the
unique "Carter
scratch" - the widely imitated "boom-chuck" guitar style by simultaneously
playing the melody on the low strings and rhythm on the high strings.
The 12-string
guitar, with a shimmering sound generated by 6 pairs of steel strings,
was popularized during the 1930's and 1940's in the U.S. by folk/blues
singer Huddie "Leadbelly"
Ledbetter, who wrote "Goodnight, Irene" and "The Midnight Special."
Pete Seeger held to popularize the 12-string guitar once again during the
folk revival of the 1950's and 1960's. Many folk groups and
singers began to use the 12-string guitar, including John Stewart of The
Kingston Trio, Gordon
Lightfoot, and John
Denver. One of the first pop songs to feature 12-string guitars
was recorded by a Greenwich Village folk group, The Rooftop Singers, with
their 1963 version of "Walk
Right In," a song originally recorded in 1930 by blues artist Gus
Cannon. |
Martin D-18
dreadnought 6-string guitar
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Guild GAD-G212
dreadnought 12-string guitar
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modern 4-string tenor guitar
with grand auditorium sized
body
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The 4-string tenor
guitar first appeared during the early 1900's, becoming popular
during the late 1930's, as a rhythm instrument that could be quickly learned
by 4-string tenor banjo and mandola players using familiar tuning (C-G-D-A),
allowing their orchestras to get a guitar sound without having to hire
a guitar player. Tenor guitars enjoyed a second wave of popularity
during the 1950's, especially through the music of the Kingston
Trio. Prior to the popularity of electric guitars and rock
and roll music, acoustic tenor guitars in the early 1950s were known as
"lead guitars" often used for playing instrumental leads and melodies.
Many tenor guitars are tuned using the 4 highest strings of the guitar
(known as "Chicago tuning" D-G-B-E), allowing it to be played like a baritone
ukulele, but with steel strings. Nick Reynolds, one of the original
members of the Kingston Trio, played a tenor guitar with this tuning, as
does Rick Dougherty of the current Kingston Trio. Tenor guitars are
fairly uncommon today, and are found mostly as vintage instruments, although
there are a few companies, such as Lark
In The Morning and Gold
Tone, that sell new tenor guitars. |
The mandolin
has its origins in Italy from centuries ago. Tuned in the same manner
as the violin, (G-D-A-E), the mandolin originally played classical music
in orchestras. The mandolin has four pairs of doubled steel strings,
and is played with a plectrum (pick). The original Italian (Neapolitan)
mandolin had a rounded, bowl-shaped back. After being brought over
to America during the late 1800's, the Gibson
Guitar Company redesigned the mandolin with a flat back, producing a louder
instrument that became popular for playing different styles of music besides
classical. During the early1900's, there existed entire bands and orchestras
playing only instruments of the mandolin
family, including the mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello,
and mandobass. The mandolin is primarily known today in bluegrass
music, which developed during the 1940's, with mandolin player Bill
Monroe leading the way. The mandolin can be played as both a
melodic lead instrument, as well as a rhythm instrument, where the chords
are played as a "chop" which accents the off-beat. |
Teardrop "A" style mandolin
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Florentine "F" style mandolin
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modern 21-chord Oscar Schmidt
OS73C
autoharp with vintage 1930's
style body
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McSpadden 21-chord
Evo Bluestein model autoharp
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The
autoharp
was invented in Germany during the 1870's, and brought over to the United
States, where it was continually refined. A member of the zither
family, the autoharp has up to 37 strings, no frets, and up to 21 chord
bars, which contain felt pads that dampen strings that do not belong to
a certain chord. The autoharp was originally designed to be a "parlor"
accompaniment instrument that could be learned quickly by pressing a chord
bar and strumming chords with a thumb pick, while held flat on a table.
Sara
Carter and later, Maybelle
Carter are credited with popularizing
the autoharp. Maybelle later originated the style of playing it held
upright, and she developed unique melody picking and chord strumming styles
still used by autoharp players today. The unique, shimmering sound
of the autoharp is unlike that of any other instrument because of the large
number of strings that harmonize when strummed. Many public school
systems made widespread use of the autoharp in their music classes because
they were more affordable than pianos. Some churches even used the
amplified autoharp in place of an organ. Oscar
Schmidt (a division of Washburn International), headquartered in Mundelein,
IL, is the foremost commercial manufacturer of autoharps. Bryan
Bowers is widely considered the contemporary "King of the Autoharp."
Did you know that John
Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful) and the late Janis
Joplin also played the autoharp? |
| The upright bass is also known
by a wide variety of names: bass fiddle, bull fiddle, double bass, string
bass, contrabass, bass violin, standup bass, doghouse bass. It is
the largest and lowest pitched member of the violin family. Originally
an orchestral instrument dating from 17th century Europe played with a
bow, the bass is played in the upright position by plucking the very thick
metal strings with the fingers and thumb of the playing hand, while adjusting
the string length with the other hand against the fingerboard, up and down
on the instrument's neck. Due to its deep, full, commanding tone,
the upright bass is still the standard bass rhythm instrument in old time
string bands, bluegrass, rockabilly, and many jazz bands. Even a 3/4 sized
upright bass has a deep enough low end for most bands. |
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The electric bass guitar was invented
by Leo Fender, a pioneer inventor who also popularized the electric guitar
during the early 1950's, was eventually adopted by bands of all types,
including rock and roll, country, pop, and jazz. Fender's design
used a solid wood body; some other electric basses emulated the design
of the arch-top hollow body jazz guitar, such as this Harmony electric
bass:
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Loose Change & Friends
welcomes new member, Tom Swenson (upright bass),
playing together at Strawberry
Fest in Long Grove, IL (June 25-26, 2005)
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Visit Ukulele
World
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The ukulele
is forever associated with Hawaii, and had its origins in a small 4-string
guitar-like instrument called the braguinha, brought to the Hawaiian
islands by Portuguese sailors around 1879. Native Hawaiians adapted
the instrument, eventually becoming what they called the "oo-koo-lay-lay"
which meant "jumping flea." Hawaiian King David Kalakaua and
Queen Lili'oukalani became proficient players and helped to popularize
the ukulele. During the 1915 Pan-Pacific
International Exposition in San Francisco, the ukulele was introduced
to U.S. audiences, eventually starting a national craze that found the
uke also playing jazz and pop music. During the Great Depression,
ukuleles
outsold guitars, and helped to keep the Martin Guitar Company is business
during the lean years. The ukulele originally used gut strings (replaced
by nylon strings after World War II), and they come in 4 different sizes:
soprano
(standard), concert, tenor, and baritone.
A second wave of ukulele popularity, during 1950's, was credited almost
entirely to pioneering television personality Arthur
Godfrey, who played the baritone ukulele. Godfrey's famous
slogan was, "Put a uke in a kid's hands, and he's not likely to get
into much trouble." Easy to learn, and fun to play, ukuleles
have enjoyed a recent third
wave of renewed popularity, as popular musicians such as Paul
McCartney, George Harrison, and Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) have performed
on ukuleles in concert. |
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The banjo
ukulele originated in 1918 and became popular during the 1920's,
when a number of hybrid banjo-like instruments appeared. The banjo
uke (also called the banjolele) has a small (8" diameter
or smaller) banjo "pot" combined with a soprano ukulele neck, and is played
like a ukulele, with 4 nylon strings, but with a louder tone and shorter
sustain. This instrument became especially popular in Great Britain,
through the music of the late George
Formby. Other banjo hybrids of the period include the mandolin
banjo, which featured a mandolin neck, 4 pairs of strings, with
a banjo pot; and the banjolin,
a small 4-string banjo with mandolin tuning. |
| Although it is an instrument
of recent origin, the unique strumstick
invented by Bob McNally, (co-inventor of the Martin "Backpacker"
travel guitar) is based on the tuning of the Appalachian
dulcimer (also called mountain
dulcimer), another centuries-old traditional instrument used for performing
old timey music. The mountain dulcimer is tuned diatonically; that
is, it favors one particular key, usually the key of D, and usually has
just 4 strings tuned D-A-D, with irregular-spaced frets. The dulcimer is
normally played lying flat on a person's lap or on a table, strummed with
a "noter" (a goosequill or flat pick); usually only the paired high strings
are fretted, while the lower 2 strings act as drones (said by early Scots-Irish
settlers to be reminiscent of bagpipes); giving the mountain dulcimer its
distinctive sound. The strumstick was designed to be easy-playing
instrument with "no wrong notes," based on the mountain dulcimer, but worn
with a strap and played like a guitar with only 3 strings on a long, thin
neck, strummed with a flat pick, producing a sound that is a cross between
a dulcimer and a banjo. The standard strumstick plays in the key
of G or A, while the slightly larger "grand strumstick" plays in the key
of D or C. |
strumstick
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Since the beginning
of the 20th century, the washboard
has been used as a musical rhythm instrument in many styles of music, such
as jazz, jug band, Cajun, zydeco, and skiffle, to name a few. Musical
washboards are usually played while held upright over the players chest
(sometimes worn like an apron), or sometimes held sideways (flat surface
at a right angle to the chest); it usually is played with a metal thimble,
spoons, or sometimes with a thumbpick or fingerpick. The rubbing
surface of most washboards are made of metal, but one company actually
manufactures one made of glass. Want to hear what a musical washboard
sounds like? (Click HERE)
Listen for the percussion
provided by the washboard and clog dancer's shoetaps, recorded on the Loose
Change & Friends' concert rendition of "Crow
Black Chicken/The Chicken Reel." |
