Bluegrass Music, Monroe's Musical Legacy

[Marty Henrickson]

That little piece there is gigantic, I think. It creates all kinds of opportunity to show case, and to develop star quality. It changes the emphasis of the music and the nature of the show. Gigantic.

Right, and it goes hand-in-hand with another jazz-like quality that differentiates bluegrass from old-time, which is progressively improvising over the chord changes until the melody becomes less discernible. Of course, this quality has become more pronounced in certain sub-styles of bluegrass as time goes by, and some hard-core "traditional" 'grassers can't stand it when the melody isn't readily apparent.

[lgc]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: clearly Bill Monroe was one of the finest Monroe style mandolin players to ever live.

Silas

[Mandolin Mick]

I'll go out on a limb and say that he was the finest Monroe style mandolin player in the history of Bluegrass ...

[shortymack]

Right, and it goes hand-in-hand with another jazz-like quality that differentiates bluegrass from old-time, which is progressively improvising over the chord changes until the melody becomes less discernible. Of course, this quality has become more pronounced in certain sub-styles of bluegrass as time goes by, and some hard-core "traditional" 'grassers can't stand it when the melody isn't readily apparent.

That's where things get tricky. If the melody becomes less discernible to the point of it not being apparent is it still the same song or just free form fusion played on the same chordal structure?

[Marty Henrickson]

That's where things get tricky. If the melody becomes less discernible to the point of it not being apparent is it still the same song or just free form fusion played on the same chordal structure?

That's a good question. There's a fine line, sometimes, between inspired improvisation and "free-form fusion" gobbledygook. I wasn't making any kind of judgment in my previous post, just noting the phenomenon. Personally, I enjoy everything from early Monroe to the David Grisman Quintet and Tony Rice Unit, but some of the newer stuff leaves me cold.

[shortymack]

I totally understand and my response was not meant as a dig on your post just mere pontificating is all.