Chinese Bluegrass (REDGRASS): Red Chamber 紅庭, Jaybirds

Now available on iTunes! Katy Hill performed by Mei Han's Red Chamber with John Reischman and the Jaybirds. REDGRASS CD: http://www.asza.com/store.shtml See article: http://www.penguineggs.ab.ca/peggs.php?page=samplestory
Featuring:
Mei Han - liuqin
John Reischman - mandolin
Trisha Gagnon - bass
Guilian Liu - pipa
Jim Nunally - guitar
Geling Jiang - sanxian
Nick Hornbuckle - banjo
Zhimin Yu - ruan
Red Chamber: http://www.mei-han.com/redchamber.html
Jaybirds: http://www.thejaybirds.com/

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bluegrass
• world
• music
• chinese
• liuqin
• 柳琴
• pipa
• 琵琶
• mandolin
• banjo
• sanxian
• 三弦
• ruan
• 阮
• Jaybirds
• Red
• Chamber
• Mei
• Han
• 韩梅
• John
• Reischman

[rakkav]

One thing that Celtic and Celtic-derived music (such as bluegrass) has, despite its basis in diatonicism, a melodic organization in the pentatonic scale. No surprises then that these Chinese instruments can play bluegrass. What surprises me is that everybody's playing in more or less the same temperament. I'm pretty sure the Chinese lutes weren't created with equal temperament in mind!

[ZaDiscs]

Actually modern Chinese lutes are all made in equal temperament.

[rakkav]

@vllmer (et al.): "Bending" notes is common across many, many musical cultures and like as not had its origin in ancient Mesopotamia where the lute (fretted and unfretted) was first invented and then spread to the rest of the world.

[ZaDiscs]

bending notes are an imitation of vocal music and are found in many cultures around the world. There is evidence of fretless instruments in a number of world cultures concurrent with and predating those in Mesopotamia.

[Ihateironman]

This is why multiculturalism is awesome folks.

[Parzefail]

That's what I imagine music being like in the second season of firefly.

Why yes, I am still bitter.

[newdawg100]

@polmaccaba01 "and we get a few slanties on board"

Clever, clever. Your wit makes us all proud.

[MyBadplayer]

what a wonderful blend of cultures!!!!thank you for allowing all of us to enjoy.

[polmaccaba01]

I have to say that was fun just watching it...what a good advertisement for blue grass, and we get a few slanties on board....happy days all round...go China!

[TheGenesisSpirit]

@PaintBalla701 haha! your comment reminded me of the line "Needs more cowbell" :-P :-D ;-)

[TheGenesisSpirit]

this was great!!! I grew up w/Bluegrass & to see bluegrass being played on chinese instruments was fantastic!! I loved seeing their expression of how fun this music is while playing their chinese instruments. This was so much fun & I'm so glad to see music that derived from the moonshine mountains being enjoyed in other cultures. I wish you all the best in your music endeavors, 4 u all are no doubt awesomely talented! Thank You for sharing w/us!!

[MajorBluntz]

Chinese Bluegrass. I was like WTF? Then I was like OH.

[PaintBalla701]

needs more bass drops, LIKE SKRILLLLLEXXXXXXX.

[rwnes]

Y'all be twanging it . Great sound

[wilkee41]

Dainty Chinese girls in the dark Appalachian mountains.

[utahjai]

I wish the whole world should be harmonized like the way the instruments do. It sounds good.