Music is a such a natural part of consciousness – people make music without thinking about it. We hum while we work, make little sing-song rhymes to accompany to match the rhythm of repetitive tasks. Kids are especially musical- almost anything they do can be made into a song or a beat.
Some folks have a better natural affinity for creating music, and these people often get training to expand their capabilities. This is a worthwhile endeavor, but at some point, those who don’t have obvious talent for making music start to drift away from doing this very natural act.
“Yes, I can hum through a kazoo, but I’ll never be able to play the piano or the French horn”, they think, and then the kazoo gets relegated to a junk drawer.
The music business enforces this, but not for sinister purposes. They know people want to buy music that’s immediately appealing and impressive, and so the music business moved swiftly beyond simple folk music.
But in the homes, especially in rural areas, music was played at that simple level. Mountain music, and blues, were developing as legitimate musical genres, with their own virtuosos, often on the simplest instruments and with the sparest of accompaniment.
For me, this is one of the greatest appeals of bluegrass music. It can be played alone, anywhere. This is pretty obvious to anyone who’s been to a bluegrass festival. Time and time again, folks make music out of nearly nothing. A fellow sits in his camp and strums his guitar – the sound blends nicely with the wind in the trees and the birds. Someone else stops by with an instrument and joins in, and a nice duo sound results.
Two pickers becomes three, then four, then maybe five or more – then something really special is happening. Out of the dust and heat of the afternoon, music sprang up. There is generally not anyone in charge, Often the players don’t even yet know one another before the jam.
I almost never travel without an instrument. Countless times, I have been able to strike up musical conversations with perfect strangers, many miles from home. Now, if I specialized in classical music, I’d have to be highly trained to whip out a concerto on whim. And, it’s highly unlikely that a casual passer-by would be prepared to join in.
But if I’m playing the blues, bluegrass or folk, I’m likely to enjoy the company of other pickers – almost anywhere I could go. I can’t easily describe the joy this has brought my life over the years. If you can play music, keep it up. If you can’t, take it up. If you have children, encourage them to play music – don’t let that kazoo languish in a junk drawer!
