Where Did Folk Music Come from

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Where did Folk Music Come From? Folk music originally came from the black slaves of America when working all day long, some of the songs we still know today, like ‘down by the riverside’. The songs were about overcoming hardships and struggle. Another song would be ‘We Shall Overcome’ which was one of the bases for Martin Luther Kings speech. There were also different types of folk music even before the American slave era, the songs based from different melodies told stories and were passed down generation by generation. Folk music was when manual labour was happening and the workers wanted something to cheer them up, keep them motivated. So they sang, this was folk music as well. Generally opinions differ of the creation of folk music. People said it reflects the character of the race that made it, some said it came from the reasons that I’ve already said. As well as that people say that folk music is usually learnt and taught by ear although in some cases it’s noted, this caused the main difference, as the cultures that did not rely on noted folk music could not be readily categorised. Some traditional folk music became known as World Music or Roots Music. Instruments of Folk Music. There are many instruments used in folk music, the one I use in my Folk Group is the 6 string acoustic guitar. Others include the mandolin, the ukulele, the banjo, the twelve string guitar, a few percussion instruments like the maraca. But the main thing is the voice. All folk music has a special type of voice you hear that comes from the head and not the chest. My Personal Experience of Folk Music. I’m in a folk group called Phoenix Folk Group run by Ricky Wilkinson; there are nine of us – four year 3’s, 2 year 8’s 2 year 9’s and a year 7. The year 3’s just sing while the other year 8 that isn’t me plays piano and sings. We have a base player who is one of the year 9’s and

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