You are living at special moment in the history of Bluegrass music. This is the first time that musicians in China are connecting and playing bluegrass together on a growing basis. Around you, as we speak, bluegrass music is finding new fans who want to listen and learn how to play. It’s taken a few decades to get to this point, because while musicians were learning the music, they didn’t know there were others out there also learning. Plus, some people got distracted by rock and jazz, but it’s ok now. More and more people in different cities around China are able to play Bluegrass together, using the common repertoire of songs and instrumental tunes, and coalescing through regular community groups and events. We are making history together.
你正身处蓝草音乐历史上的一个特殊时刻。这是中国的音乐人第一次开始越来越多地彼此联系、一起演奏蓝草音乐。就在此刻，在你身边，蓝草音乐正在吸引越来越多的新听众，他们想要聆听，也想学习如何演奏。走到今天花了几十年时间——因为早些年音乐人在学习这类音乐时，并不知道还有其他人也在学习。如今，中国不同城市里越来越多的人能够一起演奏蓝草音乐：大家共享一套共同的歌曲与器乐曲目，并通过定期的社群团体与活动凝聚在一起。我们正在一起创造历史。
Old Time and Bluegrass in China v1.1.pdf
Old Time and Bluegrass in China v1.1.pdf
When did the first American banjo come to China?
The earliest banjo from America probably arrived in Shanghai in 1892 with William Wallace Simpson, from Tennessee.
第一把美国班卓琴是什么时候来到中国的？
最早的一把美国班卓琴于 1892 年 随来自田纳西州的 William Wallace Simpson 抵达上海。
Why do some Chinese songs have the same melodies as the old songs, She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain, Susannah, Red River Valley, or Clementine?
These songs made their way over here, along with many famous early jazz standards with exchanges in the 19th and early 20th centuries. While the lyrics are sometimes different for some of these songs, the Chinese version of Red River Valley is extremely well known and almost a direct translation of the English. These melodies also appear in study materials for students learning musical instruments.
为什么有些中文歌曲的旋律和《Oh! Susanna》《She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain》《Red River Valley（红河谷）》《Clementine》等老歌一样？
这些歌曲在19世纪末到20世纪初的交流过程中传到中国，同时传入的还有许多早期著名的爵士标准曲。对于其中一些旋律来说，中文版本的歌词有时会与英文原版不同；但《红河谷》的中文版本非常家喻户晓，而且几乎就是英文歌词的直接翻译。这些旋律也经常出现在学生学习乐器的教材与练习材料中。
Why does everyone want Bluegrass musicians to sing Take Me Home, Country Roads? Hotel California?
In the 1970s, while Deng Xiaoping was visiting the US, he attended a show at the Kennedy Center, during which John Denver sang his famous song. After this, Country Roads was played on Chinese radio, and a whole generation gained familiarity with the song. We generally prefer to sing more authentic Bluegrass songs, but if you catch us in a good mood later at night, we’ll sing it for you.