Build Your Own Bluegrass Song

Posted by Brett Hooton Feb 6, 2007

Here at Folk101, we know that our readers idolize Ralph Stanley, Bela Fleck and any other musician that can tease the old banjo into makin’ sweet, sweet music.

Well, now is your chance to live out your dream of becoming a bluegrass musician. Well, sorta.

The State of Virginia has created an amazing new website for its Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. This tiny, scenic stretch of road winds through rural areas of the state, beginning where the Piedmont Plateau meets the Blue Ridge Mountains.

If you listen close enough, you may even hear John Denver singing.

In addition to a great overview of the area and its history, the website gives you a chance to build your very own bluegrass song!

You simply answer a series of questions, such as your recipient’s name, his or her occupation, his or her hobbies, etc. Then, your completed song is played by that group of bluegrass virtuosos, No Speed Limit.

Write one for someone you love, and then have it delivered via email or over the phone.

Guys, listen up. If there is one thing that Folk101 knows, it’s the ladies. And ladies love Old Timey music. Well, maybe not all of them, but this is still pretty cool.

As an added bonus, residents of the lower 48 states can then enter to win a handmade mandolin, or if you are lucky enough, the grand prize of a trip to Virginia and a hand-crafted guitar.

The Crooked Road area has long been considered the heart of traditional American folk music. It has given us the original Carter Family, the Stanley Brothers, and many, many more influential musicians.

As the website says, “Musicians keep the spirit and values of a place better than its historians,” in that they keep these traditions alive, growing and evolving.

Be a part of this music by creating your own song and discovering this fantastic art form.