Bluegrass is an offshoot of American country that took shape in the 1940s thanks to Bill Monroe (hence the name — from his band “Blue Grass Boys”). It is purely acoustic music of string-instrument bands: the banjo (in the characteristic three-finger style), the fiddle, the mandolin, the guitar, and the double bass.
The hallmarks of bluegrass are extraordinarily fast, virtuosic playing, improvised solos (taken in turn, as in jazz), high “piercing” multi-voice vocals, and roots in the folk music of the British and Irish settlers of Appalachia. It is joyous, energetic, technically brilliant music. Bluegrass remains a living and revered tradition of American folk music, and its virtuosic instrumentalism captivates listeners and musicians worldwide.
