Bluegrass, Western Swing, And Country Two-Beat - History And Development Drummers Guide

Bluegrass, developed in Kentucky, it eventually came to be referred to by Kentucky's nickname "The Bluegrass State", attained immense popularity when Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys performed at The Grand Ole Opry in 1939, establishing them as the seminal force of this high-energy, primarily instrumental music. Traditional Bluegrass instrumentation is all acoustic and consists of a 5-string banjo, flat-top guitar, fiddle, mandolin, dobro, and bass. Eventually, the drum set became included in the Bluegrass ensemble as an integral instrument with the music of Earl Scruggs and Lester Flat. Ricky Scaggs brings Bluegrass up to the present day ("Country Boy" standing as a good example of his style) along with the Dixie Chicks, while its more traditional forms have had a recent resurgence of popularity, largely due to the soundtracks from the movies, Bluegrass songs may unlike songs in other Country styles intentionally speed up to add flare to solos ("passing a break," in Bluegrass terms) and a song's finale.

Ordinarily, Bluegrass drumming is played with brushes on a snare drum, with faster tempos featuring a "two feel." When Bluegrass's signature groove, the "Train Beat", is used in other genres it may be played with sticks (see "Train Beat" later in this chapter). Its main characteristic is the consistent snare pattern accenting the upbeats, reflecting the sound of the 16th notes played on the fiddle and the banjo. Since the tempo for Bluegrass is fairly fast, it is most easily felt in cut time, with quarter note = 100-160 bpm.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Western Swing was popularized by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. It featured swung rhythms and Big Band rhythm section instruments, including, for the first time in Country music, the drum set as an integral component (with drummer Smokey Dacus). (Later Wills drummers include Monte Mountjoy and Johnny Cuviello). Western Swing was also the first style to utilize electric guitar, bass, and pedal steel guitar. Fiddle legend Johnny Gimble has kept this style alive for the past six decades, paving the way for modern day Western Swing musicians such as Asleep at the Wheel and Dan Hicks. As in Big Band Jazz, the role of the drummer in this genre is to establish a strong sense of time. In addition, as the name implies, Western Swing invariably has a swung feel. The tempo is normally quarter note 132-216 bpm, but may be slower for ballads.

The Country Two-Beat (Two-Step) is found throughout Country music, ranging from early artists such as Hank Williams, Sr. to contemporary artists such as Reba McEntire and Lyle Lovett. The groove is characterized by a "two feel," emphasizing the upbeat throughout each measure and is often notated in 4/4. The tempo range is quarter note = 80-132 bpm.

The primary creators of the Country Shuffle were Ray Price and his drummer, Buddy Harman. Since its development in the 1950s, the Country Shuffle has come to be used in a variety of musical styles: Honky Tonk, The Nashville Sound, the Bakersfield Sound, and Modern Day Country. Its main characteristic is the swung eighth note feel borrowed from jazz and Blues. Early examples of the Country Shuffle are "Crazy Arms," "City Lights," and "I've Got a New Heartache." Tempos range from quarter note = 80-126 bpm.

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By Eric Starg. Eric favors Mapex Drum Sets and Mapex Snare Drums for easy Drum Tuning. Eric is an active member of Drum Solo Artist where he is answering drum related questions, and helping drummers with tips and advices.

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