Gems of Bluegrass

Series produced by Philip Nusbaum

Series image

short modules about bluegrass music

Each under 5-minutes, highly produced "Gems of Bluegrass" module discusses a key element of bluegrass music. Some Gems of Bluegrass relate to a particular bluegrass style or sub style, repertoire, commonplace bluegrass themes, playing techniques or study the work of a particular artist.

Each Gem of Bluegrass contains snips of music taken from CD, along with Phil Nusbaum's commentary. Phil is an experienced radio producer, bluegrass scholar and bluegrass performer.

Each Gem of Bluegrass also appears on the Bluegrass Review broadcast with the same number. (The Bluegrass Review is a one-hour bluegrass show available free of charge from PRX, or from Phil Nusbaum. For information on the show, see the Bluegrass Review listing on Phil Nusbaum's section of the PRX website or go to www.bluegrassreview.com.

Gems of Bluegrass fit well on established Bluegrass or folk shows, and can be used to forward promote the Bluegrass Review. Hide full description

Each under 5-minutes, highly produced "Gems of Bluegrass" module discusses a key element of bluegrass music. Some Gems of Bluegrass relate to a particular bluegrass style or sub style, repertoire, commonplace bluegrass themes, playing techniques or study the work of a particular artist. Each Gem of Bluegrass contains snips of music taken from CD, along with Phil Nusbaum's commentary. Phil is an experienced radio producer, bluegrass scholar and bluegrass performer. Each Gem of Bluegrass also appears on the Bluegrass Review broadcast with the same number. (The Bluegrass Review is a one-hour bluegrass show available free of charge from PRX, or from Phil Nusbaum. For information on the show, see the Bluegrass Review listing on Phil Nusbaum's section of the PRX website or go to... Show full description


363 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Phil with Zeitfunk, Credit: Karen Van Norman
Tom Dooley. It’s an American Ballad that has shown staying power. Why? Part of it is what it’s about: sex and violence. Plus, everybody was talking...

Bought by WMMT


  • Added: Mar 27, 2012
  • Length: 07:16
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Phil at a radio conference, Credit: Karen Van Norman
What’s in a song? You might ask. Well if there is a lyric that is ear catching, people will want to listen to find out what’s in a song.

  • Added: Mar 14, 2012
  • Length: 08:35
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
When the history of bluegrass music is told, it usually begins with the Scots irish people settling in the south. At the time if immigration, Celti...

  • Added: Mar 06, 2012
  • Length: 07:28
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
On the American frontier, the fiddle was the most important instrument. For one thing, the Scots Irish settlers was an instrument used to accompany...

  • Added: Feb 28, 2012
  • Length: 07:46
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
There’s a vein of humor that runs through country music and bluegrass. Over the years there have been different approaches. It’s probably because t...

  • Added: Feb 27, 2012
  • Length: 09:24
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
Bluegrass fans get a kick about talking about the main focus of bluegrass love songs: the exit point of the relationship. It’s funny because, unlik...

  • Added: Feb 05, 2012
  • Length: 07:11
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
Bluegrass fans pay close attention to bluegrass, thinking about bluegrass tradition and whether certain songs or groups are traditional or not. The...

  • Added: Feb 05, 2012
  • Length: 06:38
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan yun
You hear that songwriters and musicians write and play music reflecting their experiences Fair enough but it doesn’t stop there. In old time music ...

  • Added: Jan 26, 2012
  • Length: 06:06
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
When you think about bluegrass, what do you think of?. I’ bet it’s reckless speed and drive, or maybe harmony singing especially the kind of 4-part...

  • Added: Jan 26, 2012
  • Length: 08:26
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
Bluegrass fans pay close attention to bluegrass, thinking about bluegrass tradition and whether certain songs or groups are traditional or not. The...

  • Added: Jan 26, 2012
  • Length: 06:38
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
In any musical idiom most of what comes out fits a model of normalcy. But then there are the bands and the recordings that signal that a change is ...

  • Added: Jan 15, 2012
  • Length: 08:49
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
Bill Monroe’s contribution is combining the traditional types of songs he heard in Kentucky where he grew up and in the south where he performed. B...

  • Added: Dec 08, 2011
  • Length: 06:28
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
It must be that over half the songs in any music style are concerned with love. That includes bluegrass, though theres’s a lot of everyday life in ...

Bought by WAMU


  • Added: Nov 30, 2011
  • Length: 10:27
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
For regular users, piece for Nov 26-Dec 3, 2011. Others use anytime. Since the dawn of the commercial era, there have been performance models in ol...

Bought by Robin Hood Radio/ WHDD AM 1020/FM 91.9-WLHV FM 88.1 /WGHQ AM 920 and WAMU


  • Added: Nov 20, 2011
  • Length: 06:11
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
Rhythm guitar. When you are talking about the old bluegrass and old time music, you scarcely need to use the word rhythm. That’s because guitars w...

Bought by WXXI Rochester, Robin Hood Radio/ WHDD AM 1020/FM 91.9-WLHV FM 88.1 /WGHQ AM 920, and WAMU


  • Added: Nov 16, 2011
  • Length: 07:20
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
In 1938, one of the times greatest duet acts broke up. Bill and Charlie Monroe. It’s not known for certain the reason for the breakup. But although...

Bought by WAMU


  • Added: Nov 06, 2011
  • Length: 07:49
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
A good song connects with an audience. A songwriter accomplishes this is by putting a frame around some activity, or by telling us just the what is...

Bought by WAMU


  • Added: Nov 02, 2011
  • Length: 09:11
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
The blues is a pervasive influence in American music, and it some of its musical ideas affect everybody who plays the blues. But there are some dif...

Bought by WDVX and WAMU


  • Added: Oct 21, 2011
  • Length: 06:58
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
The fiddle is the bluegrass instrument that is most like the human voice, and you can make it sound like birds or automobiles and trains. And over ...

Bought by WAMU


  • Added: Oct 14, 2011
  • Length: 09:48
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Phil at work, Credit: Sejan Yun
To casual listeners, bluegrass is that fast stuff with the banjo and the fiddle riffing madly. Well, that’s certainly part of it! But not all of it...

Bought by WDVX and WAMU


  • Added: Oct 06, 2011
  • Length: 07:14
  • Purchases: 2