Resources suitable for a research paper?

[Alex Fields]

I'm writing a short research paper on mandolin in old time music and I need some sources as most of what I know comes from word of mouth. They don't have to be academic sources, just something trustworthy. Web pages are better than books as I don't have much time and can't wait for books to come in the mail. Does anyone know of anything that would be useful for me? Thanks in advance for any help.

[mandocrucian]

can't wait for books to come in the mail.

L-i-b-r-a-r-y

[John Flynn]

I have gone on exactly the same quest, not for a paper, but just out of personal curiosity. I haven't found a lot in print or on the internet. What I've learned, I learned from the players and from the Cafe' here. One of the best historians I've encountered on the topic is Lil' Rev. He is known mostly as a uke player, but he teaches mando workshops and knows a ton about the history of the mandolin in roots music. You could try sending him questions through his website. Other people I would reach out to are Skip Gorman, Curtis Buckahnnon, Chirps Smith, Bruce Ling and Clyde Curley. Also, there is (or was) an old-time mandolin anthology CD on Elderly at one time. You would have to wait for the mail on that one, but hopefully the liner notes would be give you some clues. Finally, an exhaustive search of Cafe' posts might yield some info. Any paper should definitely include mention of Kenny Hall, who has been an inspiration to a lot of the current OT players.

[PatC]

Mandocrucian, using the library sounds like a great idea, bu only if you live in a larger city. #I'm not sure where you live, but libraries in small cities or towns, even those with a university, often just don't have the depth needed to do good research. Interlibrary loans are helpful, but they take time and frequently have significant costs attached to them.

[mandocrucian]

From the Johnson City, TN Chamber of Commerce web site:


Population 2004:
MSA (metropolitan & surrounding area) 490,300
Washington County 111,600
Johnson City 57,800

Population 2008 (Projected):
MSA 494,600
Washington County 112,500
Johnson City 62,289
It's hard to believe that there aren't any books on old-time country music in the local library system serving a population of that size! #And after all, it is Tennessee, not Alaska!


Web pages are better than books as I don't have much time and can't wait for books to come in the mail.

When I see statements like the above, in the context of the OP, the impression it creates in my mind is ....:
"I put off working on my homework, but I've just remembered it's due this Wed. And web pages are best cause, I can just cut and paste info into a Word document with a minimum of typing, let alone writing. And if y'all will just post the URLs, it'll save me the time/trouble of Googling the subject myself.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

Of course, to quote Randy Newman (from "It's A Jungle Out There" - the theme from the TV show Monk)
"I could be wrong now...... but I don't think so!"

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Andrew DeMarco]

Peer-review journals are an extremely important source of information. A great index is:

scholar.google.com

Those papers that "cost money" can often be accessed through local university websites or a large library's computer system

[Vigee]

How about some of these:

Library of Congress had numerous music collections online.
Smithsonian -- more spotty.
Digital Library of Appalachia for oral history.
JSTOR pulls up mostly book reviews, but some of them should still be helpful.
EBSCO pulls up five hundred entries on mandolin, some seem relevant.

The last two you'll probably need to access via a library.

[Jim Garber]

Old Time Herald (http://oldtimeherald.org/)

Perhaps they have some back issues on mandolin in OT Music. or if your paper is publishable as an article they might be interested.

I assume this is a school paper and it is due soon? That is the reason for the rush?

[earthsave]

Try looking here IU Ethnomusicology Site (http://www.indiana.edu/~folklore/)

[Hondo]

I just searched the Johnson City Public Library online catalog and found quite a few resources listed...

[Alex Fields]

1. A large population or even a large library doesn't mean there are print resources on old time mandolin music. Hardly a common topic to do research on. And of course I'm using the library but that is not going to be enough which is why I posted here.

2. I was given the topic for this assignment just a few days ago and it's due by the end of this week, so no I didn't have time to get books shipped via interlibrary loan.

3. Insulting statements about me wanting to plagiarize websites are uncalled for and unjustified by anything I said.

[hattio]

mandocrucian....

You got something against Alaska?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Cary Fagan]

there might be some info on Mike Seeger's web site. Also, liner notes are a perfectly legitimate source of information.

[John Kasley]

I hate to be a wet blanket, but I don't think you're going to find much on the web. Your best bet may be to find a friendly reference librarian who has access to specialized databases that may yield what you're looking for.
I have quite a few books on country music in it's various forms and don't ever recall more than a couple of paragraphs in a few of them specifically about the role of the mandolin. I've also got almost every copy of Bluegrass Unlimited since 1969, and I know there's some good useable info in that collection, unfortunately I'm not aware of anybody ever indexing BU, so it would take weeks to find info. A couple of resources you might try, if you can find them: The Journal of the American Folklore Society, and the JEMF (John Edwards Memorial Foundation Quarterly). The AFS journal includes articles on country music but is not focused solely on it. The JEMF quarterly (ceased publication a couple of decades ago) was devoted entirely to country music...I think the Library of Congress has microfilm copies of it.

[Andrew DeMarco]

I suggest telling your instructor/professor that you require more than one or two weeks to write a solid research paper. That's ridiculous.

[allenhopkins]

Here's a link (http://www.jstor.org/pss/538357) to a JSTOR listing of a Journal of American Folklore article on the Skillet Lickers by Norm Cohen, including some reference to their mandolin player, Ted Hawkins.

Country Music USA by Bill Malone (University of Texas Press for the American Folklore Society, 1968) has a brief discussion of the rise of mandolin popularity in 1920's country music, especially with regard to the "brother duets" (Monroe Brothers, Karl & Harty, Blue Sky Boys) -- p. 126.

Here's a good quote from Bill Bolick (of the Blue Sky Boys), in Bluegrass; A History by Neil Rosenberg (U. of Illinois Press, 1985), p.34: "People kept writing in and wanted me to play the mandolin more, so in a very short time, I discarded the guitar entirely and we did practically all numbers with mandolin and guitar. #This I attribute to the popularity of Bill Monroe's mandolin...Bill Monroe was making the mandolin a popular instrument."

There's a reference in an earlier thread to a CD compilation:

RAGS, BREAKDOWNS, STOMPS & BLUES: VINTAGE MANDOLIN MUSIC 1927-38
Louie Bluie, Dallas String Band, Sleepy John Estes with Yank Rachell, Ishman Bracey with Charlie McCoy, Skillet Lickers, the Carolina Peanut Boys and lots more!

Sounds like both Appalachian and African-American music w/mandolin. If you can get a look at the liner notes, there might be quite a bit of info there.

My deepest sympathy for having to cover a large topic in inadequate time, and with people sniping instead of helping (you guys know who you are!). Good luck

[Alex Fields]

I suggest telling your instructor/professor that you require more than one or two weeks to write a solid research paper. That's ridiculous.
Well it's only a five page paper and it's not really a formal thing, I don't think he's going to hold the sources up to the same scrutiny you usually would for an academic paper. He might let me use personal correspondence as a source even but I will have to ask to see if that's okay. Otherwise I don't see how I'm going to get enough information because I can't find anything really devoted to the topic and, as someone said, books on country or old time music more generally don't seem to have more than brief references to the topic. Not enough for a research paper. Using liner notes is a good idea, I had thought of that, but I only have liner notes to one or two CDs that feature old time mandolin, since all my other 20s/30s recordings are on those huge DVD collections of mp3s. I've wanted a copy of that old time mandolin compilation for a long time but every time I've checked there's been no copy available at an affordable price.

Thanks to all of you who've given suggestions. I will look for the books mentioned in the school library, we probably have them.

[Vigee]

Well, you weren't going to find anything that gave you an easy answer. You'll have to write a paper that 1) primarly describes the history of old time music and 2) that tries to put the mandolin within that place, explaining 3) why it was a peripheral instrument even though 4) it has a prominent place in bluegrass, probably because 5) it competes with other string instruments, namely banjo and guitar, which are louder. At least a few of the interviews at Digital Library of Appalachia discuss the role of mandolin, being non-essential to the working band playing square dances.

[JeffD]

It sounds like it would be a cool paper. I hope you might consider sharing it with us when you finish. I know I would be interested.

[Alex Fields]

If I end up getting enough stuff together to write an interesting paper that directly addresses the topic I'll post it here, but if I have to fill up some space with non-mandolin content I probably won't. Either way I'll post back here if I find anything interesting.

[Susan H.]

Hi Alex, don't know if this will help or not. Found this right here on the Mandolin Cafe website. http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/briefhistory.html Good luck with your article.

[John Kasley]

After some additional thought about this, I think you might find some useful information searching books/album notes by using the names of early commercially recorded performers that featured mandolin. Some that come to mind are: Bill and Earl Bolick-The Blue Sky Boys, Karly and Harty, Mac and Bob, the Monroe Brothers. Google Books may come up with something, but will probably also include a lot of blank pages.

East Tennessee University is located in Johnson City, isn't it? They have a pretty well known bluegrass/old time academic program. I would think either their faculty or library would be a potential resource.
Incidentally, one heck of a list of all types of country music books, discographies, etc here:
http://www.hillbilly-music.com/library/index.php

[allenhopkins]

Also some fairly extensive references to the mandolin's role in American music, and the importance of the Gibson carved-top instruments, in Can't You Hear Me Callin'; The Life of Bill Monroe by Richard Smith (Little, Brown & Co., 2000), p. 76-77. However, Smith does err in stating that Gibsons had "a hollow curled scroll that gave [them] some added acoustical properties...". As we mandolin aficionados all know, that scroll is solid, man, solid...!

[Tom Smart]

Well it's only a five page paper and it's not really a formal thing...I can't find anything really devoted to the topic and, as someone said, books on country or old time music more generally don't seem to have more than brief references to the topic. Not enough for a research paper.
Alex,

A five-page, "not really formal" paper shouldn't attempt to cover the entire history of the topic. One of the biggest problems students have with writing papers is learning how to focus in on a manageable topic. You could easily choose one favorite old-time mandolinist, or even one favorite old-time song that incorporates mandolin, and write five pages analyzing the style of playing--describing it's role, comparing/contrasting it with other instrumental roles in the same piece, or with other mandolin styles, etc.

If you think you have to cover everything in five pages, you'll never know where to begin. The more you narrow your focus, the easier your task will be. Five pages is practically nothing; most students would have no problem texting that amount of information about what happened at last night's party, but somehow they freak out when they have to write that much about a "topic." The trick is to narrow the topic down, so that it's as manageable as writing about the party.

Also, "research" doesn't need to mean quoting from books. There's also such a thing as original research. For example, why not call a living old-time mandolinist and do an interview? That would give you five pages worth of material in no time. And you'd probably end up with something a lot more interesting than a pile of quotes.

Tom

[TimPiazza]

History of the mandolin. .5 pages. History of the mandolin in America, including the rise in popularity of mandolin orchestras and the fall following the economic downturn of the 30's. 1.5 pages. History of American "Old Time" music, it's genesis and influences, and the culture that supported it, contrasts from other types of popular music, influences of the phonograph and radio. 2 pages. The intersection of mandolin and old time music, including references to country dances, jug band street performers, bluegrass traveling shows, country blues performers. 1 page.

It's a fun paper to organize and write, because it's a wonderful subject to explore. Most of the time is going to be documenting references.

Tim

[JEStanek]

Mike Seeger dot Com (http://mikeseeger.info/) may be a useful resource. #The video in the linked thread (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=18;t=44294;hl=seeger+and+al ice) is great (mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard). #Not much talking about mando but still a worthwhile 30 minutes of your time.

Good luck, that's a challenging assignment, Alex. #I would like to read your paper, regardless of the extent of mando content.

Jamie

[JEStanek]

I will add a link to Alice Gerrard's website (http://www.tombradalice.com/alicegerrard/) which is part of Tom, Brad and Alice (a wonderful OT band IMO). Both she and Mike have contact us sections or addresses. I would suggest you try and set up interviews with either of them.... I would.

Jamie

[Tom Smart]

History of the mandolin. .5 pages. History of the mandolin in America, including the rise in popularity of mandolin orchestras and the fall following the economic downturn of the 30's. 1.5 pages. History of American "Old Time" music, it's genesis and influences, and the culture that supported it, contrasts from other types of popular music, influences of the phonograph and radio. 2 pages. The intersection of mandolin and old time music, including references to country dances, jug band street performers, bluegrass traveling shows, country blues performers. 1 page.
"History of the mandolin," etc., could fill several books. It's not an appropriate level of focus for a five-page research paper, and rather than earning a good grade it's likely to send your professor looking for the Wikipedia article you plagiarized it from.

If you want to knock your professor's socks off, focus on one teeny, tiny aspect of the subject and cover it in-depth. Make it something only you could have written, not a collection of vast generalizations cribbed from liner notes or Google searches.

[John Goodin]

[QUOTE]I've also got almost every copy of Bluegrass Unlimited since 1969, and I know there's some good useable info in that collection, unfortunately I'm not aware of anybody ever indexing BU.

I just checked and the Music Index Online (Harmonie Park Press) indexes most of Bluegrass Unlimited along with a chunk of Bluegrass Now and the Old Time Herald. It looks like the Sherrod library at E. Tenn. State subscribes to the Music Index and they have copies of lots of bluegrass and old time music magazines.

I agree that picking a narrower topic is the best approach.

John G.

[Andrew DeMarco]

A five-page, "not really formal" paper shouldn't attempt to cover the entire history of the topic. One of the biggest problems students have with writing papers is learning how to focus in on a manageable topic. ... The trick is to narrow the topic down, so that it's as manageable as writing about the party.
I agree 110%. Pick a teeny tiny niche that interests you and expand on it as necessary. That way you have very specific search criteria and specific questions to ask your old timer if you interview someone.

Another way to approach a research paper is to start by asking a question. For instance, "When was the mandolin first introduced to the United States?"

I do not know the answer but I can think of some very specific ways to try to find out. And if the answer isn't known then you have to use your researching skills to try to triangulate an answer, maybe from different bodies of literature...

[MikeVB]

Define your terms, Voltaire!

Old-Time music to most serious addicts is not BG or other country that was recorded in the olden days nor is it Old-Time just because it sounds "old timey."

If, by chance, your Professor happens to be into OT he might rip you a new A-cademic hole if you go rambling off about Bill Monroe and the like after turning in a paper titled, "Mandolin in Old-Time Music."

May be easier to do 5 pages on the mandolin in American "roots" music.[B]

[MikeVB]

I'll tell you a great personal reference for your project - Jody Stecher. #He's answered about two dozen of my emails, often with in-depth tomes and explanations of various musical subjects. #But be aware that he tells it like it is, and he doesn't suffer fools lightly.

In case you don't know who Jody is:

David Bromberg once said, "Jody Stecher was basically my teacher. He opened my ears to more beautiful music than anyone else ever did... more than I ever knew existed. He is also one of my favorite musicians on Earth to play with. I have never known anyone so intensely and completely enveloped in music. It's my suspicion that if you drained all the music out of Jody, you could carry what was left around in an eye dropper."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jody_Stecher

http://www.dawgnet.com/acd_html/artists/stecher.html

[MikeVB]

Oh yeah, one more person came to mind - Mike Compton. He's also very gracious in responding to emails in my experience. And I've heard he knows a little about mandolin:)