The Gaelic-African Root System of American Music
The Gaelic-African Root System of American Music How Scots-Irish and African traditions fused in Appalachia and the South to produce six of the world's most listened-to music genres The Appalachian fusion corridor - VA, TN, KY, NC, WV, GA The South and Appalachia with state and city detail - Nashville, Memphis, the Mississippi Delta, the Smoky Mountains Two Root Traditions Gaelic / Scots-Irish brought: Fiddle tradition — reels, jigs, ornamentation Ballad structure — narrative, tragic story-songs Modal / pentatonic melodies — the "lonesome" sound Psalm-singing / lining-out — leader sings a line, group echoes it Shape-note / Sacred Harp choral singing The fiddle-banjo pairing: Gaelic instrument meets African instrument African / African-American brought: The banjo — descended from the akonting (Jola) and ngoni (Mande) lutes ...