Re: [Harp-L] Difference in the chord structure between bluegrass & Blues? (Ed)

[michael rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

I recommend the Fiddler's Fakebook.  It is a few hundred fiddle songs
written in standard notation with chord symbols.  I think fiddle
tunes, which are very related to bluegrass, often use I IV and V
chords like blues, but tend to use major chords instead of dominant
7th chords, even on the V chord.  I also find lots of II and VI chords
used and quite often they are major chords instead of playing chords
that would be diatonic to the major scale, minor ii and vi chords.

I also find most of the songs have a 32 bar structure.  There are two
themes, A and B.  Eah theme is 8 bars in length and each are repeated
once before moving to the next section.

So a song would go A A B B, each letter representing 8 bars of time,
32 bars in a progression unlike the standard 12 bar blues progression.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com

On Tue, Sep 13, 2011 at 10:54 AM, David Priestley - Press & PR
<dmharpman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>  I have a student who is wanting to get into Bluegrass music. He is coming
> from a 2nd & 3rd position 'Blues' background.
>
> My first advice to the student was to start his exploration of this genre on
> a tune by tune approach.
> Do you all feel that there is a characteristic difference in the the chord
> structures of Bluegrass and Blues?
>
> If you feel that there is such a difference could you please give an example
> that I can direct my young explorer to.
>
> Yours, David
>
> Holder of  IOJ Freelance card No 31032, IOJ Foreign (World) press card No
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