Shape Note Singing
An American oral singing tradition featuring rotating leaders and raw, direct singing
Solfege
A system in which pitches in the scale are associated with particular syllables, do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti
Banjo
American Lute with a circular resonator
Guitar
European Lute Chordophone introduced to the Southwest of America by the Spanish
Hawaiian Guitar
Guitar played by holding it horizontally on the lap, players tune the strings to pitches of a single triad so that chords can be slid up and down
Pedal Steel Guitar
Electronically amplified instrument in which the pitch can be altered both through a system of foot pedals and by sliding a metal bar on the fingerboard
Mountain Dulcimer
Plucked or strummed zither with frets over a curved hourglass-shaped resonator
Autoharp
European-American zither with dampers that create chords
Hoedowns and breakdowns
Vigorous group dances featuring elaborate instrumental figurations that evolved from English and Irish reels
Carter Family
Early country music ensemble that recorded over 300 songs and sold millions of recordings between 1927 and 1943
String band
Consists of a banjo, guitar, fiddle, and bass, and plays traditional dance tunes and accompanies singers
Singing Cowboys
Hollywood movie stars who sang in small vocal ensembles dressed as Cowboys
Western Swing
A fusion of country and big band jazz originating in Texas
Honky Tonk
Genre from Texas that features the Pedal Steel Guitar
Bill Monroe
Formed the band the Bluegrass Boys, which invented the Bluegrass style
Earl Scruggs
Banjo player who co-led the Foggy Mountain Boys bluegrass band
Woody Guthrie
Composer of “This Land is Your Land”
Pete Seeger
Composer of “If I had a Hammer”