Originally Posted by
Gelsenbury
It's just an example of how indefinable musical genres are. The moment you fix a definition will be the moment somebody pushes the boundaries. Even the simplest distinction between classical and folk traditions is blurry, if you consider O'Carolan, or classical composers' borrowing from folk tunes, or the great Avi Avital's "Between Worlds" recording.
But the absence of a definition is not the same as the absence of a difference. I often think about it as a difference in spirit. The essence of the folk tradition, to my mind, is that it's necessarily participatory. To keep the tradition alive, people must join in regardless of their level of competence. Whereas other genres have branched off to cultivate compositional brilliance, technical virtuosity, fame or political messages, folk music is all about celebrating the tune and its sharing. That's not to say that folk musicians cannot be brilliant composers, excellent players, stars, or political activists - many are. But these qualities are neither essential nor necessarily aspirational to being a folk musician. When the record-selling celebrity plays the same tune as the hobbyist at the pub session, folk music is happening.
Bluegrass is an oddity inasmuch as it's a living tradition and participatory music, but also makes substantial demands on virtuosity and cultivates a showing-off of individual players as the take solo breaks. Perhaps unsurprisingly given its heritage, it has a performance aspect that isn't present in all folk music.
Celtic is a label that makes sense to Americans, but isn't used much as a genre label in Europe. Here in England, we talk about Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Breton, etc., knowing that there is overlap - also with the English traditions, which are not usually considered Celtic. Elsewhere in Europe, it's mostly Irish folk music that is well known, perhaps Breton too. But I haven't heard people call this Celtic, except in the titles of some high-profile festivals.
So how do you play "folk" style? In keeping with the thoughts above, I believe it's about playing in the right spirit rather than a question of technique. Worship the tune. The tune is everything. The player matters very little. The player is just one link in a long chain of lived tradition and experience. Keep it honest and simple, so that others can join in and take the tune away with them. Let others join in regardless of how well they play or whose "turn" it is. Favour simple chords and arrangements, for the same reasons. Use ornamentation to serve the tune, not to impress people. Stay close to the melody because it's the melody that matters. The music is infinitely bigger than any player.
Not that I'm qualified to talk ... But I've thought a lot about these things.
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