Country: Americas Music

1
Country Americas Music

• Early Influences and Instruments

2
Appalachian Mountains
3
Birthplace of Country Music

• Appalachia is a thirteen state region that
  stretches along the Appalachian mountain range,
  extending from southwestern New York State to
  northeastern Mississippi.

4
Log Cabin Symbolized Frontier

• Appalachian forests provided plenty of logs
• Cabins were simple and fairly quick to build
• No sawmill was needed to cut timber into boards
• Thick walls made log cabins warm in winter

5
Early Settlers Lived Off the Land
6
Old-Time Entertainment

• But people who lived in log cabins on the
  frontier were a long way from the city.
  
• Television and radio had not been invented.
• Neither had movies or video games.
• In the evening, there was only a fireplace or
  candle for light. So reading was difficult.
  
• What could people do to entertain themselves?

7
People Made Their Own Music

• Musicians were much in demand on the frontier
• When a wagon train went west, people liked to
  take musicians along
  
• In the evening, people would listen, sing along,
  or even dance
  
• What instruments were popular in Appalachia?

8
Old-Time Country Instruments

• What instrument is played by the musician on the
  left?
  
• What instrument is played by the musician in the
  middle?
  
• What instrument is played by the musician on the
  right?

9
Which of the instruments is missing from this
picture?
10
History of Drum with Strings

• The banjo originated in Arabia, came to West
  Africa with Islam
  
• African version had drumhead over a body made of
  hollow gourd
  
• Enslaved Africans adapted instrument design to
  North American materials

11
Early Banjo Player
12
The Banjo Key Points

• Banjos have how many strings? five
• How did the banjo come to the U.S.? Enslaved
  Africans in the South created instruments that
  resembled African instrument with a drum-like
  body
• How is the banjo played? held in lap, plucked or
  strummed
  
• How does a banjo sound? tinny, metal sound

13
From Spain via Ireland

• The modern guitar has its roots in Spain
• A smaller-bodied version was created to accompany
  Irish singers
  
• When they immigrated to the United States,
  musicians from Ireland took the guitar along

14
Passing Time at Sea
15
The Guitar Key Points

• Guitars have how many strings? six
• How did guitars first come to the U.S.? The
  Irish adapted Spanish guitars and brought them
  when they immigrated to the U.S.
  
• When was the guitar introduced to the U.S.? in
  the 1800s, or the 19th century
  
• How is the guitar played? held in lap, strummed
  or plucked

16
Fiddle or Violin?

• Scots-Irish immigrants brought the fiddle to the
  United States
  
• The fiddle is the same instrument as the violin
• But fiddlers have a different way of playing
• They seldom use vibrato
• Most set the fiddle up so they can play quickly

17
Can you spot the fiddler?
18
The Fiddle Key Points

• Fiddles have how many strings? four
• What is the fiddle made of? wood
• Who first brought the fiddle to the U.S.?
  Scots-Irish
  
• How is the fiddle played? It is rested on the
  shoulder and bowed or plucked.
  
• When was it introduced to the U.S.? 1700s, or
  the 18th century