Bluegrass vs Western Swing. Who won, and why?

Bluegrass and Western Swing were two new forms of country music from the 1940's. They have a lot in common, but one grew massively and the other almost died out. Watch this video to find out why!
Below are details of further fiddle resources from Chris Haigh
1. Patreon
2. Books
3. Subscription video courses
4. Website
5. Email to request pdf’s.
1. PATREON
This is a platform where anyone can directly help to support creative artists and get closer access to their work. You can join me on Patreon at three levels, for £4, £10 or £40 per month.

At the lowest level you get access to all my pdf’s and tune collections, plus many exclusive tuition videos not available to the public.
At level 2 you can join also me once a month for a group Zoom chat, and can request three backing tracks each month.
Level 3 gives you all the above plus a free lesson once a month, and access to all my backing tracks.
You can find me on Patreon at
/ thefiddlechannel
2. BOOKS
I have eight fiddle tuition books published by Schott, all widely available from the publisher, from Amazon, and many other outlets. All come with audio tracks illustrating the tunes and exercises.
Exploring Jazz Violin
Beginning Jazz Violin
Discovering Rock Violin
Exploring Folk Fiddle
Exploring Klezmer Fiddle
Hungarian Fiddle Tunes
French Fiddle Tunes
Exploring Country and Bluegrass Fiddle
You can order from
bit.ly/31ZWmgm
3. VIDEO SUBSCRIPTION COURSES
I have three video subscription courses
-
MUSIC GURUS- Exploring Jazz Violin. Based on my Schott book
Parts 1 and 2 are each £26 for 26 lessons, covering the first and second halves of the book
Part 1; tidd.ly/3SwHGhb
Part 2 tidd.ly/3SwHGhb
MUSIC GURUS Discovering Rock Violin. . Based on my Schott book
£35 for 46 lessons
tidd.ly/3SwHGhb
MUSIC GURUS Exploring Country and Bluegrass Fiddle. Based on my Schott book. 31 lessons for £31.99
tidd.ly/3SwHGhb
ACADEMY OF FOLK
Includes a folk fiddle primer course, with introductions to basic techniques and concepts plus an Irish Fiddle Course and Scottish fiddle course. A monthly sub of $9.99 gives access to all lessons
academyoffolk....
4. WEBSITE
My website is probably the most extensive and detailed summary of fiddle styles on the web, as evidenced by the range of top hits on Google for many fiddle styles.
www.fiddlingaround.co.uk
____________________________________________________________
TO REQUEST PDF’S, or ask any questions, CONTACT ME AT
[e-mail]

[@houstonsam6163]

I'm a Tennessee Hillbilly and uncompromising Bluegrass traditionalist, but I live outside Houston. And in the words of the late Waylon Jennings, "When you come down to Texas, Bob Wills is still the king."

[@Flint3162]

They're not a full blown western swing band, but Hot Club of Cowtown are fantastic! Just a fiddle, guitar, and an upright bass...they play western swing, gypsy swing, and American classics like 'Deed I Do, Slow Boat to China, etc.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Yes, they are a fine band! Played close to me in the UK this week but I missed it!

[@Frolicks1]

Yes, they should have been mentioned, even though they don’t fit the description of Western Swings bands in the video! They have been around for more than 20 years, and Whit Smith is probably one of the most prolific current guitar players playing the in the style of Aldon Shamblin, Bob Wills guitar player for decades. And Elana James is an incredible fiddle player, able to sound like a Paris Café violinist as well as a Texas barn dance fiddler alike!

[@joemeyer6876]

Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings, et al., and Milleneal acid grass festivals, complete.

[@lordofthemound3890]

I would say that Western Swing essentially merged with the Country Music mainstream in the late ‘40s and ‘50s. Drums, steel guitar, and electric guitar, all became common in mainstream Country Music by then (drums a little more slowly, probably due to Opry restrictions). But banjo and mandolin was relatively rare. Bluegrass, of course, continued, but was outside the Country Music mainstream. E.g. Hank Williams was a lot closer to Western Swing than Bluegrass, and his style essentially became the template for Country for years to follow.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

All true! But of course brass still remains a step too far for country, with the exception of a few Mexican trumpets!

[@wilhelmseleorningcniht9410]

@@TheFiddleChannellol, I'm just imagining now like a country / polka fusion band or something. Though knowing the internet that might actually already exist

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Check out Brave Combo!@@wilhelmseleorningcniht9410

[@jimlee871]

Jazzgrass musicians, especially Vassar, had several full collaborations with respected jazz musicians. But western swing never found respectability among jazz musicians, until recent years with a couple of jazz musicians' vanity projects that revisited the western swing that they grew up with (and left), like Buck Pizzarelli collaborating with Doug Jernigan. Or Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio, after he found respectability in NYC. I'm guessing that traditional jazz instruments were largely musically incompatible with western swing's pedal steel guitar, despite its acknowledged difficulty to master.

[@tizertim]

Thanks for another informative video Chris, nicely explained. And good to see The Boot Heel Playboys getting a small mention!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Shameless plugging!

[@tizertim]

@@TheFiddleChannel 🤣🤣🤣

[@alainkempf]

Very interesting, thanks! We have at least one thing in common: I'm a big Vassar Clements fan!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

My world changed when I first heard Old and In the Way!

[@williamnichols6253]

I love this stuff

[@MichaelFan]

What is the playout music? Great video! I just played my first western swing gig, and I figure I should actually learn the fiddle style instead of playing bebop licks.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Hi Michael. That's me playing with the BootHeel Playboys. Check out my videos on "Introduction ton Western Swing, parts 1,2 and 3.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Thanks, interesting points!

[@johntait491]

That was a pretty good and informative synopsis in the space of 12 minutes. Well done. Kenny Baker rules ..!! ;-)

[@tomasnoel4631]

you probably dont care but does anyone know of a way to log back into an instagram account..? I stupidly lost the password. I would love any assistance you can offer me!

[@marcjerry5604]

@Tomas Noel Instablaster ;)

[@tomasnoel4631]

@Marc Jerry Thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and im waiting for the hacking stuff atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@tomasnoel4631]

@Marc Jerry It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thank you so much, you saved my account :D

[@marcjerry5604]

@Tomas Noel Glad I could help :D

[@pillmuncher67]

Being a German and living in Germany, I nevertheless play bass guitar and double bass in a Honky Tonk / Western Swing band. Also: Wade Ray!

[@ScottJB]

I'm an American in the American West and I like German folk music too. Cool how that happens. We're all world citizens first and foremost.

[@Irishtradguitar]

Good job Chris!

[@EatScrabbleGoo]

Bob Wills is still the King.

[@barryguthrie]

Yow!!! Thanks!!!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

You're welcome!

[@DeannaWalsh]

Western Swing? Just look up Bobby Flores.

[@LEHEUBENJAMIN]

On the first pictures of the bluegrass boys it's not Chubby Wise or Earl Scruggs neither Lester Flatt :p

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Do you know, I spent ages comparing photos to check if I had the right banjo player. Red face!

[@stevehanes1268]

@@TheFiddleChannel Birch Monroe, fiddle. Don Reno, banjo. Bill Monroe, mandolin. Mac Wiseman, guitar, Jack Thompson, bass.

[@jerryconnors1703]

You're right -- there's more of bluegrass than western swing these days. But there's WAY WAY WAY more rock'n'roll, in quantity and influence, and one of the pioneering songs of r'n'r was based on a fiddle tune called "Ida Red," which was most popularly performed by -- Bob Wills and the Playboys. That tune is "Maybelline," performed in 1955 by -- Chuck Berry, whose "Johnny B Goode" is the proto-song of rock'n'roll and who has been called the "poet laureate" of rock'n'roll. Both genres, and others, are very much alive, in different ways, and all demand respective for their own accomplishments.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Hi Jerry. I once saw a film about the early days of Bill Haley and the Planets. I'd never realised that they were just the hottest western swing band!

[@jerryconnors1703]

@@TheFiddleChannel Haley's band first had the name of the Saddlemen; the name changed when the band's musical focus changed. Thanks for writing back. P.S. Haley's "spit curl" over his right eye? Trying to hide the fact that he was blind in his left eye!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

@@jerryconnors1703 I certainly didn't know that!

[@Flint3162]

Check out Bob Wills' Fat Boy Rag featuring Junior Barnard...sounds like early rock done in the mid 40s!

[@stevek619]

Why no mention of Lyle Lovett ? Maybe he does not fit into any of these categories. But I like some of his stuff.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

I enjoyed his "That's Right, you're not from Texas". Very Western Swing!

[@HolgerHendel]

Thank you! Very interesting.

[@mizzmaddieUTube]

Excellent.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Thanks!

[@mizzmaddieUTube]

I wrote my master's thesis on Milton Brown and did a full-score transcription of their recording of Who's Sorry Now?. During that time I was the resident western swing expert (though not really) and found myself explaining western swing as compared to other genres/styles like bluegrass. But I never came across a succinct discussion like you've offered here. Very interesting, and well-done!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Thanks, glad I got most of it right!@@mizzmaddieUTube

[@KathyFreeman]

Very interesting, thanks

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Thanks Kathy!