Appalachian Folk Music

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Appalachian Folk Music
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Outcome

• I will be able to describe Appalachian music.

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Timbre
Dulcimer
Banjo
Fiddle
Guitar
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Timbre (continued)
Washboard
Jug
Voice
Spoons
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Melody
Easy to sing
Often tells a story
Catchy tunes, with memorable lyrics
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Harmony
Accompanies the melody
Many singers would add parts to the melody,
creating a rich harmony.
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Rhythm

• Simple

Simple doesnt mean easy. It means that there
arent layers and layers of complex rhythms like
there are in other cultures music.
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Form

• Usually Verse and Chorus
• Can also be AB or Round

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Purposes

• Recreational and
• Ceremonial (church or worship)
• Game Songs and Play Parties (this was actually
  dancing, but given another name when dancing was
  not allowed)
• Work Songs Railroad songs, sea chanties, etc
• Lullabies
• Ballads A song that tells a story with many
  verses

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Cultural Connections

• Handed down from generation to generation
• Like the Native Americans, the early folk culture
  made their instruments from their resources.
• Used functional instruments found in the home,
  such as spoons, jugs, and washboards for rhythm
  instruments.
• Some lyrics were put to familiar songs from their
  European ancestors (Irish, English, and Scottish)

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Cultural Connections (continued)

• Early settlers were not always able to bring
  their instruments from Europe, so they made them
  by hand once they arrived. (fiddle, guitar, etc.)
• Music told of their lives

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Folk Music is the music of every day people
passed down through an oral tradition and dealing
with every day things.