While bluegrass music sometimes brushes up alongside popular culture or academia, the community oriented focus can make it difficult to begin searching for repertoire. Published recordings are just a small percentage of the bluegrass music out there. Instead, knowledge is often shared in community settings at festivals, jams and concerts. Out of print, rare or bootleg recordings that aren't widely available are circulated by word of mouth. It is important to remember that searching library catalogs or commercial streaming platforms yield the most "relevant" results, but what is missing?
Tip: Compilations are an excellent way to start familiarizing yourself with the genre. Spotify or Apple music playlists can be similar, but compilation albums also include detailed album notes that add context about the musicians and the repertoire. As you listen to and browse through compilations, become familiar with the names of the artists whose music you feel drawn to.
Go to the UNC Library Catalog https://catalog.lib.unc.edu/
Start by trying a subject search or keyword search.
In the drop down menu in the search bar, use "all fields" for keyword searches and "subject" for subject searches.
Subject Search Suggestions: Bluegrass music, String band music, Old-time music, Folk music -- United States, Blues (music), Country music, Jug band music
Key Word Suggestions: Bluegrass fiddle, Bluegrass banjo, Women in bluegrass music, American Roots Music
2. Scroll down to use the search limits on the left side of the screen to narrow down your search.
Resource Type: Try narrowing your search to "music recording"
Physical Media: You can narrow your search to "CDs" "Vinyl Record" or "Online" depending on your preferences
As you scroll down, you can continue to add limits to your search, including publication date, genre, new titles, and more.
Most online bluegrass music recording resources in the UNC library is through Alexander Street Music Online. If you are routed to Alexander Street from the catalog, you will see the album page with a media player on the top of the page. On a computer, there is a box on the right with three tabs: Details, Tracks, and Related Documents. The related documents are usually digitized copies of the album notes. Album notes can be a great resource for learning about song backgrounds, personnel, or even what tunings the instruments are in. On a phone, this metadata appears below the "Related Items". Unfortunately the “related items” feature of Alexander Street isn’t always that related to the content being listened to. However, you can search Alexander Street similarly to how you search the library catalog.
Catalog searches and finding compilations may be a good starting place, but because they often only include the most well known examples, they tend to exclude marginalized musicians. For example, many white, male bluegrass musicians learned from Black musicians and/or women musicians who either weren't recorded, or aren't classified as bluegrass. Understanding the socio-historical context of these recordings can help uncover these overlooked stories.
Use the UNC library catalog or Alexander Street Music Online to do the following searches:
Using the subject heading "String band music" find a recording published before 1950
Using the keyword search, find a compilation of bluegrass music that is available online
Find a bluegrass music recording featuring women musicians