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Mar 13, 2024 · folk music, type of traditional and generally rural music that originally was passed down through families and other small social groups. Typically, folk music, like folk literature, lives in oral tradition; it is learned through hearing rather than reading.
A folk instrument is a traditional musical instrument that has remained largely restricted to traditional folk music, and is not usually used in the classical music or other elite and formal musical genres of the culture concerned, though related intruments may be.
- Accordion. The accordion might be most associated with polka music, but it's a versatile instrument. You'll find accordions used in all kinds of music, including vaudevillian style old-timey folk music, klezmer, and Cajun music.
- Banjo. What we call a banjo probably evolved from an instrument brought to America by African slaves. They were called banzas, banjars, or banias. Because the slaves weren't permitted to play drums, they started making banzas.
- Dobro. A dobro is an acoustic guitar with a metal resonator built into its body. This resonator serves as an amplifier, and you might hear it referred to as a resonator guitar.
- Fiddle. The fiddle is a mainstay in all styles of traditional and rural music, from classic country to bluegrass, folk, and roots rock. Though it's technically the same instrument as a classical violin, the technique used to play it turns a "violin" into a "fiddle."
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music.
Explore the collection of instruments played by famous and unknown folk artists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. See examples of guitars, banjos, fiddles, violins and more from different genres and eras of American folk music.
In its 21st-century urban and institutional manifestation, folk music is normally performed by singers accompanied by stringed instruments, by instrumental ensembles, or by choruses. By contrast, in its traditional rural venues, most folk music is monophonic (that is, having only one melodic line).
A number of instruments played by famous folk artists, along with those of less-known and unknown artists, are housed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. ... Learn more.
