What is it? Where did it come from?What can we learn from this type of music?

American Folk Music

Folk music is music created and performed by common people (not the rich) and passed down from generation to generation.

What is Folk Music?

Folk music is found in every culture and is created by the common people of that culture. Since every culture is a little different, there are many types of folk music.

What cultures make folk music?

Indian Folk Musicians

Chinese FolkMusicians

How are all types of folk music the same?

American folk music comes from the common people of America. America, however, is made up of many cultures. The folk music is therefore a blend of many cultures.

When immigrants came to America, they sang the songs of their previous cultures. Their previous culture was a part of their identity and helped them remember their past.

As different cultures shared songs with one another, musical ideas began to mix together. Thus . . . American Folk Music

What is American Folk Music?

Most folk songs are traditional songs that are past down from previous generations. In many cases, no one knows who first sang them.

Folk songs are rarely ever written down. Instead, people share them to one another orally (by singing).

Because these songs aren’t written down, they change over time (words may change; melodies may lengthen or shorten; two or more songs may be mashed together).

Where do folk songs come from?

Because folk music was created by the common person, any instrument s/he owned could be used. The more popular instruments include:GuitarDouble BassFiddleBanjoMandolinDulcimerHarp

What instruments are found in folk music?

When slaves had no instruments, they made music with their voices.

Other musicians create their own instruments out of what they found around the house. These groups were called Jug Bands.

And when there were no instruments?

From the movie “Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas”

Folk songs usually have lyrics and those lyrics are often just as important as the melodies.

Folk song lyrics deal with almost every type of human activity (work, religion, love, family).

Some folk songs describe history so it’s never forgotten.

Other folk songs are fictional and have little meaning. Instead, they are meant for celebrations, for dances, and for enjoyment.

What topics are found in folk songs?

In America, there are a few types of folk songs we find again and again. The first is a ballad.A ballad is a song that tells a story, often times

about real events.

Another type of folk song is the spiritual.A spiritual is a song that deals with religion.African-Americans sang many spirituals . . .

some were about their beliefs and others were about escaping slavery and finding freedom.

What types of folk songs are there?

In additional to ballads and spirituals, many types of folk songs deal with activities or situations:

These are some (not all)Work songsPrison songsWar songsSongs for childrenDances (Reels, Square Dances)

. . . other types of Folk Songs?