I’m something of a fan of folk music; among my family, I’m known as an aficionado on the topic.
I should probably quantify what I mean by “folk music”. What passes for “folk music” on Spotify and such nowadays is not folk music. Folk music is any music that is created by regular working class people for their own enjoyment. It is played on acoustic instruments with vocal accompaniment by singers of average ability. It is literally the music of the folk.
When I search for “folk music” on Spotify or YouTube, I typically get something along the lines of the Lumineers, or Mumford and Sons. Now, I’m not saying don’t listen to those bands; I somewhat enjoy their music, in fact. But don’t think that what they play is in fact folk music.
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They try to imitate the “feeling” one gets from listening to folk music, but they seem to lack the sincerity of actual folk music, in my personal opinion. When compared to authentic folk music, there seems to be a certain lost quality that I cannot quite put my finger on. Perhaps some music expert in the audience can help me out here.
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Not to say that this quality, whatever it is, is missing from all modern folk. There are several artists and bands that preserve it quite nicely.
Anyhow, what got me thinking about this was a tweet from a friend about the subject:
He continued:
We’ve become so disconnected as a culture, it seems almost like we’ve lost the ability to sing together. We think that one guy who sings while he works is goofy or eccentric. We get annoyed at the guy who brings the guitar to the bonfire because he’s just a blowhard. Well, I am that guy. I’m the guy who sings while he’s working in the garden, or what have you. I suppress the urge so people don’t think I’m a nut.
We’re really just sad that we cannot participate as our ancestors did. It used to be we had songs for nearly every occasion; planting, harvest, drinking, sailing, etc. Songs were how we passed on stories, knowledge and cultural values. Instead we just put on a Spotify playlist or listen to whatever’s playing on the local station.
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It seems that the custom is only preserved in Churches, but even that is dying out, thanks to the contemporary Christian music industry and the proliferation of worship bands.
We’ve become jaded and depressed. We’ve become disconnected from our fellows. We’ve lost the joy of singing and instead rely on artificial amusements.
So how do we fix it? Simple; sing. Learn some folk songs and sing them to your children. Try taking up an instrument and learn a few folk tunes on it. Don’t let the old songs die out. Keep the tradition alive for future generations. Don’t let it fade into dust.
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