About Folk Music
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About Folk Music

This is part of the "How To Folk" series of articles. In an effort to "jump start" your enjoyment of Folk music (and maybe reduce culture shock), we have provided a brief introduction to the kinds of songs and songwriters that embody "Folk" for most people interested in such things. .

A century ago, "Folk music" was mostly defined as music whose authorship is unknown, that is passed down from generation to generation, and performed mostly by amateurs as part of their cultural expression.

But in the mid-20th century, some of that music got on the radio and inspired a bunch of musicians to write and share music inspired by those old songs, in what became known as the "Folk Revival." This broadened the definition significantly, which upset some "purists." But this wave of creativity affected most popular music genres for the next two decades, so it's impact spread well beyond the "movement" itself.

In its most basic form, Folk music is about:

  • Sharing traditional and/or acoustic music you love and learning music other folks cherish

  • Joining in, with your voice, or with any appropriate instrument you know how to play, even if just a little

  • Respecting others

  • Welcoming newbies

If you think there ought to be more to it than that, the following articles may help you catch up faster:

Conclusion

This is just an overview of the kinds of songs and - to some extent - people you're likely to encounter if you begin dabbling in Folk music. To people outside of the community, we may seem to be working with self-imposed limitations, or stuck in the distant past. But if you listen to a sampling of the songs I've listed above, you'll realize that there is incredible variety and depth to the genre. And room for all sorts of creativity.

Wherever you are in your journey, welcome aboard.


*The traditional spiritual "Wait On the Water" was related to a popular superstition reported in John 5:4 that an angel would occasionally stir up the water in the Pool of Bethesda, and whoever plunged into the water first would be healed. In Pentecostal circles, this was taken as a metaphor. "Wait on the Water" meant, essentially, "Be ready to exercise faith when you sense that the Spirit is moving." As the song aged, its connection to John 5:4 was forgotten, and "Wait on" became "Wade in."

Sister Sites

Click to visit CreekDontRise.com, a repository about Folk Music and traditional instruments.Other sites we started to keep this site from getting too big to be useful include:

  • CreekDontRise.com is a repository of articles about Folk music and the instruments on which it has been traditionally played.

    The "Acoustic" page includes a long list of articles including maintenance and playing tips on all sorts of traditional acoustic instruments.

  • Click to see buyers' guides that actually explain things.RiverboatMusic.com is a buyers' guide for acoustic and traditional instrument from a musician's point of view, focusing on the uses, reliability, and practicality of various instruments, and not just the marketing hype about the shape of the fret markers or whatever.

    For instruments like dulcimers that have mostly small manufacturers or cheap imports, we try to tell you what to look for, irrespective of brand.

  • Momma Don't 'Low? is a program that support followers of our music-related web pages, including Creek Don't Rise?, Classic Train Songs?, RiverboatMusic.com?, and PaulRaceMusic.com.Momma Don't 'Low includes a free e-mail newsletter that discusses all of those topics above and more. We plan to include other features as time permits.

    Note - If you wish to sign up for our newsletter and ask a question at the same time, please click on the Momma Don't 'Low newsletter button to learn more and to get a link to our signup form.

  • Click to see Paul's blogs, memoirs, and more, including what he's up to musically these days.PaulRaceMusic.com is the "landing page" for Paul's own musical endeavors, plus many memoirs and blogs about music and the music business.

  • Click to visit a site about train songs that every train lover and Folk singer should know.  Or at least know about.ClassicTrainSongs.com describes railroad songs that every train lover should know. Or at least know about.

  • SchoolOfTheRock.com has articles about Christian music, Christian music careers and performance, Christian living in general, and vintage saxophones, another of Paul's interests. This site has separate newsletters, etc., by the way - there isn't a lot of overlap with the Momma Don't 'Low(tm) newsletters.

For information about other music collections and projects, check the links at the bottom of this page.


Paul Race playing a banjo. Click to go to Paul's music home page.Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you come away with some great ideas for "sharing the joy."

And please stay in touch!

    - Paul Race Click to see Paul's music home page Click to contact Paul through this page. Click to visit the Creek Don't Rise discussion forum. Click to see Paul's music page on Facebook Click to see Paul's music page on SoundCloud Click to see Paul's music blog page Click to learn about our Momma Don't Low Newsletter. Click to see Paul's YouTube Channel. Click to see Paul's Twitter Page.


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