What feelings are invoked by Folk music?
A band Inspired by Rhythm and Instruments:
The Carolina Chocolate Drops is a black string band composed of musicians, Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons, and Justin Robinson. Utilizing a number of classic folk music instruments, the band creates a unique and yet nostalgic sound that reflects on and honors the history behind folk music.
In a 2010 NPR interview with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, journalist Terry Gross delves into the history of string band music being rooted in minstrel shows and blackface, and what it means to the band to play that genre. Giddens explains her feelings:
– “…we’re one of the first generations in the African American community that has been able to look back without personally being as touched by it.”
– “But there’s a lot of great music and dance, and there’s a lot of Black musicians and dancers who persevered through the stereotype and who were able to, you know, show their skill and their entertaining, and they were able to do that”
These statements suggest that the feelings invoked by the instruments and songs of folk music for previous generations have become easier to look at objectively and historically as a younger generation. Time has allowed us to see more of the artistry and innovation of folk music created by our ancestors. In the song “Cornbread and Butterbeans,” there is a distinctly repetitive nature to the story being told, as well as a continuity in the dynamics. An upbeat and lighthearted song, the rhythm and story speak to normal days rather than the dark struggles of slavery.
“Hoein’ corn and cotton too, and when the day is over. Ride the mule and cut the fool and love again all over”
Instruments Used by the Band
Five string banjo
Fiddle
Kazoo
Guitar
Four string banjo
Harmonica
Jug
Snare drum
Bones
Autoharp
Vocal beatbox
