![2024 Allegheny Ukulele Soirée](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2023-12/Horizontal%20Logo%400.5x.png?itok=Rkwr1ykU)
Have any questions? Email us at info@ukulelesoiree.com
Have any questions? Email us at info@ukulelesoiree.com
This workshop is an introduction to the music genre known as the murder ballad. Derived from the British/Scottish Broadside Ballad tradition as a means to spread news, the tradition was carried over to America and continued most notably in Appalachia, sometimes as a cautionary tale, and sometimes as a means to reinforce social order. Some like to think of them as an “old time true crime podcast” before we had such things.
We will go over the history behind some of the genre’s most famous songs like Stack o’ Lee, Frankie and Johnny, Knoxville Girl, Matty Groves, their transformations over the years, and learn how to play them as a group. Time permitting, we will also take a look at how the structure of the contemporary murder ballad has changed to reflect modern societal mores.