Mountain Melodies: The Folk Music of Appalachia

The music of Appalacia, much like its geological history, is connected to traditions and histories from across the world. While primarily associated with rural, white “hillbilly” culture, Appalachian folk music has been equally influenced throughout its history by the musical traditions of poor Scottish and Irish immigrants as well as those of enslaved Africans who settles (or were brought by force) into the region.

The geography of the region influenced the instruments that are now associated with Appalachian folk music and its various descendants, like bluegrass and old-time. The mountains are not easy terrain to traverse with large, fussy instruments like pianos, so the portability of an instrument became very important. Instruments like the banjo, fiddle, and mountain dulcimer with the mandolin and guitar coming on later, alongside those that are fashioned from everyday household objects like the washboard, spoons, or washtub bass became the go-to choices for musicians living in the area due largely to their portability and versatility. 

We can see and hear the influence of various cultures in many aspects of Appalachian folk music. The banjo, for example, was an instrument that developed from the string instruments brought over from Africa by enslaved Africans. The original instruments used a gourd as the body and had a neck and strings, much like the modern banjo. This eventually developed into the banjo as we know it today

Image of early banjo (from banjo.com)

The tradition of the banjo has evolved over time and merged with other traditions like in this recording of John Tyree playing The Cuckoo Bird, a banjo standard that originated from a Scottish ballad. As the piece exists now, its relationship to the original ballad is not as easily decipherable as it has been infused with the influence of other, specifically African, styles of playing. 

And the following video is a field recording of Clarence Tross playing (and singing) another standard tune on his front porch in 1960:

The fiddle is another instrument that was influenced strongly by multiple cultures. We often think about the Irish and Scottish fiddle traditions when we think about folk music in the Appalachians, but this is yet another aspect of the genre that was strongly influenced by African Americans. First, both the flute and violin were common instruments for enslaved Africans to play on plantations. The fiddle was reminiscent of bowed chordophones from their home and so was adopted by enslaved musicians. In doing so, these musicians were able to stay connected to their musical traditions and, unlike drums, enslaved people were allowed to play the fiddle, often as entertainment for their enslavers. 

In playing this instrument, these musicians brought their musical traditions to the United States and the difference in the styles of Black fiddle players in contrast to white fiddle players was often noted. 

It is common, when discussing the history of this genre to simplify the blend of musical traditions by saying that many of the melodic and lyrical traditions of the genre were influenced by primarily white settlers form Ireland and Scotland, while the rhythmic traditions were largely influenced by African musicians. This is an oversimplification, though, that largely ignores the influence of African melodic traditions brought by these musicians. 

Another instrument associated with Appalachian music is the mountain dulcimer, also known as the fretted or lap dulcimer. With some influences from elsewhere in the world, this instrument seems to be an invention largely of the Appalachian region. 

Modern fretted dulcimer

The dulcimer mainly stayed within the region until its popularity began to grow in the mid-20th century with some well-known musicians playing it, including Joni Mitchell: 

Other instruments common in this collection of genres include the guitar and mandolin as well as homemade instruments like spoons or the washtub bass. Both of these are indicative the of the ingenuity of people looking to make music with each other. The washtub bass, made by stringing a cord or string through an upside down bucket or washtub and attaching it to a broomstick, is a particular feat of creativity in a place where an upright string bass is cumbersome to carry and take care of. 

The following is a fairly recent clip of someone playing a washtub bass solo: 

Appalachian music consists of both instrumental music and sung music. English and Scottish as well as African cultures had long traditions of telling stories and histories through music which resulted in the Appalachian ballad. It is equally common to hear songs as well as instrumental tunes in this genre.  Musicians who frequently play this music often play by ear, committing tunes to memory (often in multiple keys). It is common to gather together to play music by memory and improvisation, like in this improvisation between mandolin player Chris Thile and a couple of his bandmates:

This is barely scratching the surface on the music of Appalachia. There are many more influences and evolutions, some dark, like its connection to minstrelsy and Vaudeville, and some brighter and less terrible. The music from this area has influenced genres like country, bluegrass, and rock. It has given us folk revival and protest music (which is a personal favorite…. I love a protest song). 

References:

D.M. (n.d.). Appalachian traditional music. A Short History of Appalachian Traditional Music. https://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/appalach.htm

Djedje, J. (n.d). The (mis)representation of African American music: The role of the fiddle.Cambridge University Press. 

Ferrell, J. (2022). Spoons and other weird Appalachian instruments (and where to hear them). Almost Heaven-West Virginia. https://wvtourism.com/appalachian-music-instrument

Smith, W. (2016). Discovering the roots of Appalachian music. The North Carolina Arboretum. https://www.ncarboretum.org/2016/06/22/discovering-roots-appalachian-music

U.S. Department of the Interior (n.d.). African American southern appalachian music. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/historyculture/african-american-southern-appalachian-music.htm