Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!

[richlevy]

I find myself agreeing with UG on this . Bluegrass is steeped in traditional English and Scottish music. If I remember correctly, there is even some kind of link between the (dulcimer? banjo?) and bagpipes.

From here

Although it is an instrument of recent origin, the unique strumstick invented by Bob McNally, (co-inventor of the Martin "Backpacker" travel guitar) is based on the tuning of the Appalachian dulcimer (also called mountain dulcimer), another centuries-old traditional instrument used for performing old timey music. The mountain dulcimer is tuned diatonically; that is, it favors one particular key, usually the key of D, and usually has just 4 strings tuned D-A-D, with irregular-spaced frets. The dulcimer is normally played lying flat on a person's lap or on a table, strummed with a "noter" (a goosequill or flat pick); usually only the paired high strings are fretted, while the lower 2 strings act as drones (said by early Scots-Irish settlers to be reminiscent of bagpipes);

From here

The banjo is an instrument that many people on this list have declared as
having a unique character due to its 5 string drone, which puts it in the
catagory of instruments like bagpipes, strummed dulcimers, hurdy gurdies,

[Mr.Anon.E.Mouse]

Not denying the corelation between bluegrass/Appalachian folk music/Irish folk music, not here. I've been a huge fan of irish music for quite a long time, and have quite a collection of it, but, returning to the point, I'm really digging what seems to have been labeled 'alt.country' and the like. And I'd rather listen to a bunch of Irish musicians than to a cranky Scotch sheep shagger any day.