Personal Comments

Fascinatin' Banjo Rhythm

There is something inherent in the banjo sound that is also present in several other instruments ( balalaika, shamisen) that emit a hard percussive "strike" when played. It presents the listener with a rhythmic element that is equal in importance to the melodic content. At least in my mind, being a good banjo player (in the traditional sense) is like being a good tap dancer. They are able to punctuate the song with rhythmic interest.

The fugues that Bach wrote and the Glenn Gould recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos have also given the same emphasis to the rhythmic elements. Bach has been a favorite of mine for the contrapuntal qualities. It is not to everyone's liking, of course, but I think the lines of preference of Bluegrass music over Country, for me, hinge on the promotion of rhythmic complexities of one over the other.