A Guide to Bluegrass History by Subgenre

Check out our upcoming workshops:
lessonswithmarcel.com/workshops/
Also, a big thank you to Hayes for helping me structure this video:
/ @hayesgriffin
---
SIGN UP FOR SKYPE LESSONS:
lessonswithmarcel.com/product...
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @lessonswithmarcel
Like the music? Listen to my album!:
open.spotify.com/album/3iEy7d...
Check out my website for free lessons and more tabs:
www.lessonswithmarcel.com/
Follow me on instagram (@lessonswithmarcel):
/ lessonswithmarcel
Like my Facebook page (@lessonswithmarcel):
/ lessonswithmarcel
---
AFFILIATE LINKS:
Get Guitar Pro 8!:
www.guitar-pro.com/#ae156
30 Day Trial Of Strum Machine!:
strummachine.com/marcel

[@op8388]

Marcel you should have this available as a pdf/poster, it's fantastic!

[@talon1623]

Yeah, a poster would be great.

[@bytecarter]

I'd definitely buy that

[@brokencreek]

Would happily pay some $$ for a pdf. of that inforgraphic.

[@controlsmithful]

Yes, a large poster. Good fund raiser material. I’d pay!

[@kellyzimmerman3117]

A poster would be awesome of the graphic.

[@RcMcNutt]

Dude! I need that graphic as a poster in my life! Fantastic presentation brother!!

[@beethovenian]

Please sell posters of this! It's so well made! I think there would be a lot of buyers. I would buy one right away : )

[@zanerkohl]

Would you mind releasing a full quality image of this presentation? You've done such a good job with the flow and there's so many paths to follow!

[@StashWyslouch]

Beautiful presentation and amazing job. New fans of Bluegrass are so lucky to have you as a resource ! !

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

Thank you kindly!

[@Dave-gf3kd]

WOW!…that is an impressive presentation! As a teacher and educator on different subjects than music, I’m blown away at how well you organized and presented the information. As a guitar player who dabbles in Bluegrass, I realize I knew NOTHING about it! I started attending Bluegrass jams because they were available in the small town I lived in….but I was unaware of the true history or progression of the genre. This should be “required viewing” for all players! Thank you for putting it together.

[@dylanhenson7146]

This is my favorite thing I’ve seen all year

[@blissisnow]

What, you didn’t mention Ricky Skaggs? Please. Also, the influence and continuing popularity of Old Time (yes, it’s a genre) music on Bluegrass. Thanks for getting a good start on the history of bluegrass!

[@Hinzenzo]

Hey Marcel where can I get that as a poster!? Brilliant, thank you!

[@Toteke]

Dude, as someone who's been learning banjo for a couple years but didn't grow up with bluegrass, this stuff is a godsend for keeping me in the loop with what other people talk about.

[@LibbysBluegrassVideos]

Great video! Impressed with how well you put it together. I think mentioning Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver was one of the most important points - for anyone new to bluegrass wanting to get into more, there's no better band to start with!

[@gam1471]

I've always thought that an important step came when songs by writers outside bluegrass were adopted, and this comes over well in your presentation - a first class job!

[@wodediannao4577]

I liked this before watching it. I just know it's going to be good.

[@NathanaelFosaaen]

The names dropped in this discussion feel appropriate to me. My musical roots are in melodic death metal and such, but I've always kept tabs on what's going on in bluegrass and folk music on the side, and the two worlds have been colliding a lot in the last decade or so. There's a band called Wilderun that incorporates Jerry Douglas-esque dobro melodies and I've noticed Billy Strings using arpeggio techniques that are specific to the metal repertoire. Banjo has been featured on tracks like Redneck Vikings from Hell by Aether Realm and Stone Cold Metal by Ensiferum. It's a weird time to live in between these worlds.

[@fiddleman22]

I mean, I'm not sure you can get a more succinct interpretation of bluegrass music in under 20 min. I'd be interested in a poster of the info graphic for sure. Very well done!

[@harmonirat]

Fantastic! Thanks for the map. Great job.

[@cawarnick]

Amazing job, Marcel! Truly amazing!

[@ShurtleffSquad]

Is there a printable file for this graphic? This would look good on a wall in a music studio.

[@ClutchAsFvck]

I would definitely buy that to hang in my house!

[@lordofthemound3890]

@@ClutchAsFvcksame here!

[@ValeryTalma]

What amazing work!

[@zachfromthe1900s]

This was awesome and so helpful!!

[@randcamp1790]

This is awesome -- a huge thank you for your scholarship and passion.

[@als1023]

Excellent graphics and content ! So glad you did this, you have a wonderful perspective and a very detailed knowledge based inventory that shows your love and respect for the whole genre. It is such a thrill to see my album collection scrolling across the screen and some discs I need to buy ! Hope all is well !! You seem a long way from the start of the channel on the wet coast. All the best, from Vancouver Ilsand !

[@Wqsmh]

Thank you! you’ve helped me a lot! I‘ve just put many albums you recommended here into my playlists!

[@calebmunson1982]

What a great presentation! Thank you for taking the time to do so! Awesome vid

[@MichaelSvenson]

My introduction into the genre was with Dawg music through David Grisman and his son Sam. Dawg music changed my life.

[@zampano00]

Wow! Informative and enjoyable...puts a lot in perspective. Well done Marcel!

[@petergiffin9238]

Incredible work Marcel! This would make a GREAT wall poster! Might be worth considering! I would love to have one to frame and hang in my music room! Thanks for putting that great presentation out! 🎼😎👍🏼

[@ajdneuro]

Thanks for all of the new tunes to check out!

[@jeffgough]

Good job Marcel! Great overview and you’ve given me several bands to go check out.

[@davidweitzel7729]

Great job! Looking forward to the graphic being poster-sized merch in your store.

[@billbutcher]

Thank you for this great presentation. Great information that puts all of these bands and styles in perspective. Keep up the good work!

[@ifolkinrock]

As a bluegrass picker and a fan of the Secret Base channel, I commend you for your graphical representation of history.

[@Bluecat33]

Very well done ! Interesting history

[@aufidiusbassus2231]

what a fantastic, useful resource for those like myself wanting to dive deeper into Bluegrass! Liked and subscribed.

[@LynnwoodBrown]

Loved it! I grew up listening to and loving almost all these sub-genres and never could have teased them all out. Thanks for laying it all out. Makes sense.

[@SRartz25]

Awesome video!

[@zornjohn2241]

It took me like an hour and a half to get through this video cause I kept having to pause and bookmark tracks and albums in my Spotify. This is 🔥

[@BTT279]

Great breakdown! Amazing to see how the genre evolved over time. I have so much new music (to me) to listen to now!!!!

[@jimmccarley9609]

Hey Marcel, thanks for the history lesson. Nice to connect some dots. I recently went to a Wernick method jam camp, (super fun), and learned of Pete, and Hot Rize. (Red Knuckles is amazing too!). I am overwhelmed by the shear volume of talent, and great music past and present. I've always loved Allison Krause Union Station, and Doc Watson. The participation part is what has drawn me to bluegrass. The singing, and playing both are really fun. I'm ok if the "gatekeepers" turn their backs now and then. The youngsters are defining the future.

[@stevenmoorebanjo]

Good stuff! It's great because there is a flavor out there for everybody, and you start to develop a taste for other flavors when you find hints of familiarity in the ones you haven't tried yet. Keep pickin'!

[@steve0852]

Excellent video, thanks Marcel.

[@theferdymayne]

Gotta be one of my favorite videos on KZbin. Great stuff brother 🫡

[@Rybanez120]

Just a fantastic video for someone like myself who's been immersing myself for a couple years now but haven't been able to make sense of all the different sub-genres or scenes and could is still working through all the essential albums. Thanks Marcel!

[@thaneglenn]

Masterful job! Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@ChrisHenryVideos]

lot of good work here! a brave and bold endeavor that will no doubt help a lot of folks understand the subjects better. really nice production aesthetics too - love the fox in the graphics!

[@mandoshane]

well done Marcel! this will become a classic indispensable tool in the bluegrass cannon! thanks for the effort you put into this.

[@patferris3640]

Great presentation from the history to the graphics. Your knowledge of the genre as well as your comedic dry humor make this an award-winning presentation!

[@j-c-moore]

Great video! So much useful information.

[@richardnolet250]

All these recommendations should be a Spotify playlist

[@lucasfurseth]

music and charts- my two favourite things! I need so much more this content, I literally couldn't stop watching this video, thank you!

[@iuppiter]

I honestly want this as a poster

[@PickinAndAGrinnin]

This is amazing. Its hard to chase down those distinctions, and you did with clarity. Would love to see followups regarding breakdowns into those movements, and characteristics of bands today. Props for Cadillac Sky mention and for the toad reference from O Brother. Thoroughly enjoyed the content and the production quality!

[@eriksanderson3695]

Marcel, this is a fantastic resource! I'm more into trad Irish music, but I was still able to follow along, and mostly agree with you, every step of the way!

[@jamesbrown8303]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@thadeggen2442]

Marcel- love your humor!

[@alan4sure]

Excellent, Marcel!

[@elliottcrews4997]

I appreciate this. I was with you up to around 2000 but then the gaps in my knowledge kicked in. I was aware of some but wasn't clear on where they fit in. I listen to Molly, Billy, Punch Bros, and just picked up the Kitchen Dwellers recent album but need to find Crooked Still and a few others you mentioned. Keep em coming.

[@adekatim3315]

Thanks Brother

[@eviking7553]

Thanks for sharing! Impressive amount of work to put this together. The Seldom Scene-Live at the Cellar Door still ranks as most influential for me. I would also include Hot Rize somewhere on the list.

[@gordonbrackett7220]

Good morning Marcel! Great segment!

[@jamesakers1175]

That was an excellent presentation Marcel.The history is rich with the bands and influential performer's that made Bluegrass the soundstage for the players of today.Thanks.!

[@LukeByEar]

Dude, that was incredibly well done.

[@joeylazio5989]

Fantastic job man!

[@ahdcehs]

Great Job!!!! Sharing with everyone I know!!!

[@NorthernFlavor]

This video!!! Ahhhh!!! It filled my spirit, sooo many great things! I wish I’d discovered this music before I was in college… but better late than never. Can’t wait to get home tonight & play a lil more mando-mash! ❤😅

[@j.douglassizemore792]

Born in 1949, I grew-up knowing Bluegrass first hand. Thanks for this concise history.

[@aburtch]

As a long-time bluegrass head I have to say this video is amazing! Such a good job of highlighting the main sub-genres and influential artists. And you saved yourself at the end by finally mentioning Hot Rize. 😂 The key phrase in the entire video is at 5:44 - "Bluegrass musicians who were more open to change thrived." Back in the '90's I got into a LOT of arguments on the bluegrass-L listserve. So many "traditionalists" were hard-line in that anything that didn't sound like the original traditional Bill Monroe style music wasn't bluegrass. I wasn't having it. Music is not static, it's ever-changing and when people push boundaries that's when music gets interesting. Your phrase sums up that ethos perfectly and that's proved to be true in reality with the current popularity of the modern-era fusion bluegrass.

[@GabrielWsieman]

Great stuff Marcel!

[@josephpeter2000]

Admirable effort 😊 of a fun ride of creativity

[@swayzestyle]

Nice work Marcel!

[@ricknielsen4160]

What a great video. Dunno how you do all this. The content is superb, the production is superb.

[@TheRealJ_Hizzy]

Very cool vid marcel! Definitely agree this should be required viewing for newbies, as a colorado native i was almost giddy when we got to jam grass, and to learn how those bands i grew up on (yonder mtn, string cheese, ect) fit into the progression of the genre. i was also happy to hear that the stanley bros called it "mountain music".... i've always said that about my own playing and it kinda feels legit now lol history is the best!! also the mix on "born lonesome" is really incredible, thanks for the recommended listening!

[@f5mando]

Bravo, sir. You did a wonderful job of what seemed an impossible job. Well laid out and explained for anyone to follow and understand. Thank you.

[@Mrsournotes]

Well done Marcel. 👍🏽👍🏽

[@KokowaSarunoKuniDesu]

I was waiting for you to mention The Seldom Scene. Used to go and see them at the Birchmere in Alexandria, back in the 80s.

[@KokowaSarunoKuniDesu]

And what was it John Duffy was talking about when he called for some "Acid Grass"?

[@EliGilbertBanjo]

wow can't believe you didn't mention

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

I was going to but then I

[@Ithumpify]

Thank you so much for this tutorial on bluegrass music. I've been a bass player since the late sixties in Memphis but my experience has been playing rhythm and blues. Of course back in the day I was aware of Flatt & Scruggs and players like Clarence White. Marty Stuart and the superlatives have pulled me back into that kind of music and especially players like Billy strings. It's the most honest music out there that I can think of

[@jclimenh]

Awesome!

[@sneddenc]

So good.

[@charlestew8792]

Great presentation and very educational of where we were, where we are and where we are going. Thanks. c2

[@5150show]

Dude you are a star

[@gregfitzpatrick9326]

This was amazing! You should do deep dives into each sub genre! I have a lot of new tunes to check out!

[@ragesoss]

awesome vid, Marcel! i just happened to go to a store with a small record section right after watching this... and found Markology for $3. listened to it last night, what a record!

[@aBluegrassPicker]

Great job! I'm a 66 year old banjo player and was lucky enough to see many of the early bluegrass bands from Bill on... In those days you could jam with them outside their trailers at the festivals.....

[@petenewman6014]

We’ll done Marcel!.. yes, should mention HotRize.. ;)

[@Slayogorath]

Great video!

[@we7438]

Nice job, Sir! Made some connections for me I didn't know

[@steveelfers3080]

This is a gift, Marcel...I didn't know how much I didn't know about Bluegrass!

[@russellschmidt4541]

hard to digest it all in one sitting...great job bringing it together

[@Ravenscaller]

Wonderful

[@djba]

Thanks for creating this video. I found it very interesting. Do I recall that Leon Russell teamed up with the New Grass Revival at some point?

[@thesouthernidiot1246]

Poster would be pretty cool. Mighty Poplar is a bluegrass band will be another one to add, and Caitlin Canty’s new album seems to fit too.

[@timothywryan]

Great summary. I was going to mention Hot Rize, so lol'd when you did. I know you can't get everyone and every seminal album. I would however have thrown in Lester, Earl & Doc's Strictly Instrumental. I think that set the tone for the Tony's and Sam's of the world. But, I agree you can't get everyone and everything. Will definitely share this. You must have put hours into this.

[@Jonnyrockin71]

Very good use of graphics in a presentation.

[@jimlee871]

Fantastic summary, @LessonsWithMarcel ! I suggest album guides like about CA bluegrass subgenre, which can be split into musical family trees based in L.A. and in S.F.

[@josephbrosk4384]

I once heard that Bill Monroe described "bluegrass" as "Contemporary music arraigned for these instruments." Now that's a traditional approach! And a shout out to Jens Kruger, best banjo player on the planet!

[@brandonmcduffie3803]

I’d totally buy a poster of this for my band room if you ever printed one…

[@Skillminus5]

My first impression of Bluegrass was a Jam grass Video Roll in my Sweet babys arms of 1991. Its so cool to see how this all begun.

[@DaveBest-io5xv]

I've come to appreciate a wide variety of music over the decades including bluegrass, New Grass and onwards. The downside, if you can call it that, of liking all kinds of music is you only have two ears and 24 hours a day to enjoy it. You've created a 'railway journey' for me where I can get off at any station, i.e. bluegrass artist; stay a while, get to know these folks, get back on board, head off to the the next station and get to know them better. A bluegrass railway journey.

[@sadie376]

Interesting... I've known Flatt & Scruggs 'Rocky Mountain Breakdown' since I was a child (no idea how/why, LOL), but until 'O Brother where are thou', Bluegrass music wasn't really on my radar (here in the UK)... Since then, there has been a steady trickle of Bluegrass, Country & Americana (notably Gillian Welch & David Rawlings) & since I started learning guitar again, that trickle has increased... Obviously, artists like Molly Tuttle & OCMS didn't appear out of nowhere, but it's good to see a bit more of the history of the stuff in-between.