Permission Letter (revised)

8 September 2010




To Mr. Nadziejko and students,



I would like your permission to study and report on the bluegrass musicians in southern Illinois and southern Missouri. In my research I will focus primarily on the fiddle players and their instrument. I will, as background information, also write about the back-up musicians such as guitarists, bass players, mandolin, and even the auto-harp. I will present to you the people behind the music, in the form of interviews and literature. I would also like to write about the bluegrass fans that support the musicians.

I have a few friends within the bluegrass circle and this will allow me to get in close contact with the people who participate. I also know someone who runs a business called The Bluegrass Shack. Here they have a variety of instruments, books, and gear. They teach lessons, do repairs, and also have bluegrass jams where musicians from all around can come and play and have a good time. There will also be excellent opportunities to observe the subculture at local events such as the Popeye Picnic in Chester Illinois and a Bluegrass Fest at Fort Kaskaskia. There are also various videos of bluegrass music on youtube.com.

This subject is a broad one and there is no way that I will become bored with this subculture. There are many different styles of playing and levels of difficulty to the arrangements of the pieces. There are also rules for fiddle competitions such as you must have a waltz, a hoedown, and a tune of choice. In some competitions, there are pieces that are not allowed to be played. These are called “trick pieces” and include the “Orange Blossom Special” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f_QySKfsgI and “Listen to the Mockingbird.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTWtQ6KAEoI The trick bowing in “Orange Blossom Special” is called “Hokum”, which is a particular bowing pattern. Many competitions will only allow standard tuning which is the four strings tuned to the notes: G, D, A, E.

I would also like to write about my experience as a back up musician. I know some people that needed a guitarist to accompany their daughter in the fiddle contest in the Missouri State Fair. The practices included getting to know the pieces and the style of the fiddler. For example, the fiddler might use rubato, which is changing the speed at which the song is played. To be able to do this properly, the fiddler must be able to give clues, such as nodding, foot tapping, or making eye contact with the accompanists. The accompanists must also be attentive to the soloist and be ready for those cues.

I believe that this is a very interesting and lively subculture to study. I once again ask for your permission to continue and I also ask for any suggestions on how to proceed. In the actual report, I will go into more detail as to different techiniques for playing the fiddle and I will also explain some of the musical terms so that everyone will understand what I'm talking about. I look forward to becoming more familiar with this group of people throughout the course of this semester.



Sincerely,

Kira Browning