#Bluegrass Region

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

Horses, History & Hospitality in Paris, KY

Want to go to Paris? The question is which one! I have been to Paris France, Paris, Tennessee, Paris, Illinois, and now Paris, Kentucky! The town is known for horses, history and hospitality. The actual motto for this town located in the heart of Bourbon County is “Thoroughbred Capital of the World”. Almost everything, everywhere in Paris, KY is connected to horses! Tractor Show Keith with the…

[monmorgandy]

Abandoned with Overgrown Yard by durand clark Via Flickr: Caught a glimpse while driving on rural 392 east of Cynthiana, Kentucky. Turned around and found that this image got the most of this house with it's totally overgrown setting. Mother Nature is busy reclaiming this one.

[hillbillyoracle]

I wish people who set stories/cast TV shows that are in the South would either skip the accents or just hire Southern actors. 

It’s such a pain wanting to watch a series and hearing how bad the accents are in the previews. 

[headspace-hotel]

everyone who lives in the bluegrass region of kentucky PLS take detailed photos of clovers and asters and basically all the little plants that you see ESPECIALLY in areas that are open and meadow or prairie like DOUBLE ESPECIALLY in sinkholes or rocky areas without much soil and stony hilltops and areas that have been grazed by cows but not very heavily. This place was a very unique ecosystem and I just know there are super-rare endemic species still hanging out somewhere.

in 2013 we found the kentucky clover which is a rare clover only found in the bluegrass region of kentucky. i just Know there are more rare plants

[history105rockandrollblog]

Lecture 1: Early Hillbilly musician Al Hopkins (1889-1932) (along with his band, His Buckle Busters) performs “West Virginia Gals” from 1927. Music historians credit North Carolina-born Hopkins (1889-1932) with inventing the term “Hillbilly Music,” a type of music that combined folk (especially from the Appalachian Mountain region), bluegrass, gospel, Old-Time, Scots-Irish, and other types of traditional 19th Century American musical influences. Hopkins recorded his first songs in 1924 and quickly rose to stardom as one of the most famous early Hillbilly acts, but tragically his career was cut short by an auto accident in Virginia in 1932.

[intheholler]

the inexplicable enjoyment i feel listening to bluegrass and folk music with religious themes even though i actively reject all of it???? especially neo folk/bluegrass.

i feel like neo artists, especially from appalachia, tend to include these themes as a part of the gothic of the region, so maybe that's why i'm more accepting of it? it could just a part of them even in a distant way, the way it is for me.

or maybe it's because my (absolutely wonderful) mama listened to gospel all the time when i was growing up, and so it's just like... background comfort? for me now. who knows. it's good shit tho

[gothicfairytopia]

not really a hot take but lucy is the songbird AND the snake.

district 12 is appalachia. appalachia has a long history of snake handling, particularly within the pentecostal faith. snake handling is a sign of power, of communion with god. if you watch the way that she handles the snakes in the arena, it bears some resemblance to old photos and films of snake handlers back when it was a more popular practice.

(plus, snake handling was an often illegal act done in defiance of governments afraid of atypical religious practices, which is just a fun note.)

sure, lucy gray might not be originally from district 12, but i think that it’s hard to look at her with her bluegrass music and her with her snakes and not think of snake handlers and the bluegrass/folk hymnals of a pentecostal service.

to think of snakes as “evil” is just too lacking in nuance. snakes were docile and gentle to those who deserved it. when they struck out, it was an act of god. she handles snakes, coriolanus does not. she handles them as a sign of power, as a sign of transgression, as a sign of righteousness.

anyway, i just think the snake handling angle is a lil overlooked by a lot of the fandom, which makes sense since it’s a regional thing, but honestly watching lucy gray handle snakes like that in the arena made me cry because i’m a desperate whore for appalachian stories in popular media

[steviewashere]

Laughter Like a Kiss on the Lips

Rating: General CW: Steve Harrington has Lackluster Parents (Not Terrible, But Not Amazing Either) Tags: Established Relationship, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Dialogue Heavy, Making Promises, Reflecting on the Good Parts of Childhood, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Laughter, Tickling, Ticklish Steve Harrington For the @steddielovemonth prompt: "Love is wanting to know everything about what makes up the person you're in love with, even the difficult stuff."

💕—————💕

They’ve been laying on the carpet of Steve’s living room for the better half of an hour. Sprawled, loose, listening to one another breathe. The day’s been a long one. Early work shifts, car breakdowns, a short and resolved argument. It’s just been rough.

Debriefing usually results in this. Silence and floor. Closed eyes and steady chests. But Eddie, the restless jumble of energy he is, begins to hum. Not something he’d usually go after, at least that’s what Steve believes. Isn’t heavy. Isn’t loud or dark or saturated. Light. Effervescent and warm. Like sun rays cascading through a stain glass window.

It’s almost country, funny enough. Again, at least that’s what Steve thinks it is. He’s not the most versed when it comes to music. Sure, he knows about jazz and pop and early rock, blues and all. He’s aware of all that and some more indie things that Robin likes to shove down his throat when they’re driving out somewhere. But Eddie’s not one to steer far from his usual course, so this humming music he’s got going on, it’s new yet welcomed to Steve.

“That’s new,” he points out.

Eddie stops and his head shifts against the carpet, hair lightly scraping. He’s gonna be a frizzy mess, but Steve adores taking care of it at the end of the day. A questioning hum emanates. But neither of them open their eyes.

“The song you got stuck in your head,” Steve notes, “it’s a new one.”

Chuckling, Eddie mumbles, “Ain’t that new.” Steve hears him turn on his side. His voice closer against the shell of his ear, facing towards him then. “Something from when I was growing up.”

“Wayne like country or something?”

Eddie scoffs. “It isn’t country, Stevie. It’s bluegrass. Different kind of folk, babe.” A hand settles on Steve’s chest. His thumb rubs in circles where Steve’s heart is. “‘Nine Pound Hammer’, but it’s Merle Travis’s version. Mom was from eastern Tennessee, the Appalachian region. Lots of folk songs come from the Appalachian people.”

Steve opens his eyes and lolls his head to look directly at Eddie. They softly smile at each other. “She sing that to you?”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Eddie murmurs. “More so heard it on her records. She wasn’t the best singer, not to speak ill of the dead. But—“ He sucks his teeth. “—Yeah, she’d sing. Dance to it, too. Dad came from Tennessee, too, but moved up to Indiana when he was a little kid. Didn’t stop him from pursuing a failed music career or women. He sang to her, what she liked, played it on his acoustic.”

Steve hums. “Music is your family’s world, isn’t it?”

Eddie chuckles again. “Well, it got my parents together. And they had me. So, it’s kinda like god in a sense. The life bringer.” He sighs. “What about you, Stevie? Got any songs from your childhood?”

Thinking back, no not really. His parents have always been very distant from one another. Not necessarily away from him, but the crumbling of their marriage lead to the rusting of the bridge that connected the three of them. There isn’t any rich storytelling within the Harrington name either. Nothing like a cute little meeting at a bar on the outskirts of town. Or even something where they went from high school rivals to close friends to lovers and then back to strangers.

No, his parents were forced to meet over a business deal meeting. Forced into a marriage neither of them wanted. And they made love in the dark. Steve was conceived in a dark bedroom where only their stuttered breaths could be heard. And they didn’t look after one another. Didn’t take care of each other, not like Steve does with Eddie and Eddie does with Steve.

So he shrugs. “No,” he answers honestly.

“Really?” Eddie incredulously questions, “Nothing at all?” He sits up on one of his elbows, eyes wide down at Steve. “That feels hard to believe.”

“You wanted to know, so I’m telling you. It’s not a pretty story.”

“What isn’t a pretty story? The birth of some song that reminds you of being a little kid?”

“I don’t—There isn’t anything that takes me back to being a little kid. I hated being a little kid. The story’s ugly anyway.”

“Tell me,” Eddie quietly pleads. “Tell me even if it’s shitty, I wanna know.”

He has to really think hard on this. Still, there’s no music. No movies or plays or anything of that nature. Books felt like an obligation, too, when they were teaching him how to read. There was bible study and church Sundays and his starchy, stiff outfit. His mom and her spit slick thumb and his unruly eating habits. Manners taught and hands slapped.

There’s not much good, unfortunately. But, something nice comes to mind.

“My parents didn’t like each other. I don’t think they really knew how to do that,” Steve starts. “I was just kind of a product of that, I guess. Like I was the trophy to complete their gauntlet. They dated and they bought a house and they got engaged and they got married, they had me. Forced dating, though.” He rests his own palm on the back of Eddie’s hand. Scratching dully at his skin. “But, as much as they hated being near one another, there was this one thing they did constantly. That they included me in on.”

Eddie hums. “Sounds promising,” he whispers. “What’d they do, babydoll?”

Steve squeezes Eddie’s wrist. Pulls away and runs his fingers through the ends of Eddie’s curls. “They did each other’s hair. They did my hair, too.” He eyes the frizz that he knew would eventually make itself known. Raking over the pattern of Eddie’s curls. The rough, choppy cut to his bangs. He adores Eddie’s hair. “It was kinda funny. We’d all be topless—sans like my mom’s bra, y’know because the hair would get on our shirts anyway?—and we’d huddle in the downstairs master bathroom. As big as this house is, that room is fucking small.

“I’d sit on the counter. In my sleep shorts, hands wrapped around the soft tummy of this brown teddy bear my mom got me, socks on my feet. Butt on the edge of the sink. Feet kicking around in the open air. I liked to sit in front of my dad.” His hand gently rests on the side of Eddie’s neck, eyes remaining glued to the spot. He’s never shared this before. Kinda wants to remain lost for a while.

Continues, “He has this very thick handlebar mustache. He’s always had it. And as my mom stood behind him—trimming up the top of his head, raking her fingers through with mousse—he’d take his own shears to his ‘stache. Would shape it up, stretch his lips down, raise his eyebrows in focus.

“It made me laugh. And he’d kinda chuckle. But when he was done?”

Eddie’s still smiling at him. He can feel it. His own face must be doing the same. “What’d he do, sweetheart?”

“He’d set his shears to the side and he’d—“ Steve chuckles. “He’d tickle my ribs! The bastard would turn his attention to me, crinkle up his eyes in sadistic laughter, and shove his fingers in my ribs. It was stupid, but I liked it. And obviously, it made me laugh. I used to honk-squeak. Like super loud.” He takes a deep breath, and on the exhale his smile wisps away from him. “It’s the only time we really laughed together. It’s the only time I felt like—Like I was their kid. Not some object to show off. Now I just do my own hair. I miss that time, those feelings,” he quietly admits.

Above him, Eddie gently coos. A soft sound. But when he finally chances a look, there’s a mischievous glint to his eyes. Mirth. In one swift motion, Eddie is straddling his hips, cold hands under Steve’s t-shirt, rucking the clothing up, and jabbing his fingers into his ribs. 

Steve tries to shove his hands away, but can’t help the way he surrenders. Curling in on himself, smile stretching across his face, nose scrunching with his laughter, the kind of laughter that leaves him gasping and honking and squeaking. Just like it was when he was a little boy. The sensation leaves him breathless and squealing, slapping at Eddie’s chest. Still smiling and wonderful when Eddie relents.

“And there he is,” Eddie whispers. “There’s Steve Harrington. Smiling at me all gorgeous. Can’t believe you’re ticklish, baby. That’s adorable.”

A half-hearted slap lands to the center of Eddie’s chest. “I told you that with confidence. Don’t use it against me.”

“Oh, I won’t,” Eddie swears. “Eye for an eye. I gave you my love for bluegrass, you gave me the joy of your laughter.” He leans down into Steve’s space again. His body yin-yang to his own. A hand petting over Steve’s hair. “You know what we get to do now?”

Steve gives him his own questioning hum.

“We get to combine. Make our own good memories. Tell each other our tainted stories. About your insufferable parents and my criminal dad and my long-gone mom. About your cold house and mine that was consumed by fire. I’ll melt your ice, you’ll douse my fire. And we find you a song that’ll remind you of the start of this. And you take care of the frizz in my hair.” He kisses Steve’s forehead. Murmuring against the skin, “I saw you eyeing my ends. You ain’t discreet.”

In response, Steve laughs once more. He sighs and leans up into Eddie’s space, a soft kiss square on his lips. Pulling away, he whispers, “To new beginnings.”

“And to happily ever afters,” Eddie promises.

💕—————💕

[penny-lane-posts]

Everybody freaking out about Lucy Grays song and I just have to say

If you want to hear THE SAME FREAKING THING go to ANY bar in Appalachia. I’m in rural NC and I heard some old lady belting some bluegrass during music night at Hardee’s and let me tell you it was the same damn genre.

And then watching people realize it’s Appalachia It’s like people are realizing district twelve actually 😨EXISTS??😨 and it’s called the poverty stricken folk music havin’ under educated population of the Appalachian region 😨😨😨

district twelve is not just some fantasy dystopian place that doesn’t exist, it’s the neglected people whose government has abandoned them in the most confusing and deadly mountain ranges in America, the populations of people who sacrifice their lives in old mining towns, the schools who are so underfunded that the windows are boarded up with wood because they can’t afford to replace all of them, It’s the kids who slowly drop out of high school and middle school because their families are having trouble staying afloat and daddys business ain’t doing so well. And it’s the old lady’s belting bluegrass about hating the government in an old Hardee’s

[adamshallperish]

one thing i find fascinating about the hunger games fandom is that because the films are so mainstream, so many people are willing to overlook the intersection of region and class presented in the books. i was raised in rural colorado, so please take this with a grain of salt, but from what i understand district 12 is based on and pretty much mapped onto modern day appalachia, a region that has been deeply culturally stigmatized due to the legacy of systemic impoverishment of its residents. it's interesting to me, therefore, that people are only willing to engage with the region if it's filtered through a culturally acceptable lens. to the people on the outside, we can watch hollywood's romantic depictions of appalachian life in films that cost millions of dollars while dismissing people who live there as hicks who love voting republican, we can gush over indie-folk ballads composed for these films while mocking bluegrass and country music, we can romanticize rural images and tag them "cottagecore" and "ethel cain" and therefore co-opt the images of a place where actual people live into aesthetic. i think it can be a really challenging line to walk between appreciation, depiction, romanticization, and exploitation in this regard. people talk about how when the hunger games came out people only focused on the romance element was resonant of the capitol's individualist consumption (which i think is astonishingly apt of suzanne collins), but i feel like that same criticism must be extended to how people see the appalachian region and rural poverty as a whole. the people in the capitol only begin to engage with katniss when the image of the place she grew up is marketable to them and they can act like they relate to it. a new hunger games film comes out and the cycle begins again.

[moonshynecybin]

I know Vale had a lot of Spanish fans but after sepang 2015 did his following in Spain shrink likes Marc’s level of Italian fans probably dropped immensly but vale is like the king of the sport so I’m not sure if he would have lost as many Spanish fans as Marc did Italian ones. Also because he involved 2 Spanish riders would that impact the Spanish following and I’m not sure if the JL fans were fans of vale before sepang either.

Home to over a million people, Western North Carolina is a region in the United States culturally associated with the traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. This region has a proud history that defies common stereotypes seen in films and television, which often prey on the generational poverty, lack of access to education, and distinctive accents that have characterized the region in the past. Contrary to these depictions, people from Southern Appalachia have cultivated a warm, unique folk tradition that has generated myriad works, including unique cultural practices concerning food, music, and craft. Bluegrass/country music is probably the most famous of these practices, and some of the most celebrated songwriters on the planet are from Southern Appalachia, including Dolly Parton (born ten miles from Great Smoky Mountain National Park), Loretta Lynn, and Tyler Childers. picture sources.

Of course, the first people to live in Southern Appalachia were the Cherokee People, who still live in the area today. A federally recognized tribe, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee People are the descendants of the few who where able to avoid systematic removal of their ancestors by the US Government via the Trail of Tears. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the remaining members of the tribe consolidated their collective land holdings in WNC to create an entirely Tribally-governed reservation, which has over the years introduced several tribal initiatives to revive and maintain the Cherokee people's unique culture, practices, language, food, art, and folk tales. It cannot be overstated the influence the Cherokee have had (and continue to have) on the culture of the region. art source.

It should also be noted that this is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Western North Carolina is home to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as several National Forests that serve to protect a myriad of unique biomes and local wildlife. This area is one of two temperate rainforests in the United States, and experiences more rainfall in inches a year than Seattle. The name "Great Smoky Mountains" originates from the effect of the rainfall. Moisture hits the leaves of the abundant flora, and transpiration occurs, causing the plants to release evaporative clouds of mist, creating a "smoky" effect on the mountains. One of the most iconic wildflowers found in the area is trilium, which tends to bloom in the early spring in the shady patches of higher elevations. One of my personal favorites is called dutchman's pants! Which look like little lederhosen.

The area is home to many forms of wildlife, including deer, black bear, elk, river otter, possums, red wolves, turkey, and skunks. We are also known as the salamander capital of the world, and the National Park hosts over 30 unique species, including the hellbender! The largest type of salamander in the world.

Popular activities and attractions in the area include hiking, biking, whitewater rafting/kayaking, driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, visiting the Biltmore House (in Asheville, NC), and, speaking from personal experience, just kind of hanging out in various grocery store parking lots with your friends. Its a wonderful and beautiful place to live and I love it lots. all of this to say. i do not know SHIT about spanish perception of vale post-sepang. i suspect he was mostly fine.

[monmorgandy]

Mansion with a view and a lot of yard by durand clark Via Flickr: Overlooking the Ohio River and downtown Maysville, Kentucky. One of several large homes that line the steep hillside downriver from the town's center. Many suffer from years of neglect.

[classtrialguru]

Okay here we go.Being a horse jockey must be an exciting profession and I am here to explain the in's and out's of Ace's talent.

Origins

While modern horse racing was introduced in the 18 century, the earliest records of the sport came from the Greeks as they had chariot racing as one of the competitions of that age, so horse racing was inspired by this activity, then it spread to neighboring regions like the Middle East, Africa, Persia, and more . Races in the medieval times were conducted to determine one's speed on horseback. The King's Plate races were introduced by Charles the second which were the first ever races that gave out awarded prizes and when the rules of the sport were first made known.France then established the Prix du Jockey Club in 1836. Betting on the winner has also been around since Louis the 14th.

The Process of a Horse Jockey

Well to become a horse jockey you got to learn how to ride a horse which probably means that Ace learned how to ride a horse prior to becoming a professional horse jockey. The legal age of becoming a horse jockey is around sixteen in America and England. Then you go to an academy like the Bluegrass Community Technical Colleges Equine program which is located in Lexington, Kentucky or the Professional Racetrack Exercise Rider/Jockey Program in Olds College in Canada, and The British Racing School in Great Britain. They also have to have a high school diploma or GED.They are also required to pickup a job in that profession like a stable hand or groomer which means Ace probably knows how to clean a horse in the proper way your suppose to clean a horse. Then you would need to get an apprenticeship license which in the US you would need to pass all their exams and be placed in a racetrack for sixty days by a committee to get hands on training. Another thing that a jockey would need would be a professional and personal reference which personally makes me think. Who was Ace's personal reference like sure he is very talented with riding horses, but with his overall personality assuming that his bark with no bite type of behavior was a thing before he went professional and went like "yep he'll be fine". I mean yeah the reference might be he's parents, but anybody else that was close to him would probably know how he would react in such a dangerous sport, but back on topic. You would then need to compete against schooling race and get your journeyman jockey license. To get your journeyman jockey license you would need to have a two year degree from jockey school and the schools usually limit the amount of students to twelve per year.Next thing to do is hire an agent and join a jockey's guild. The guild's bargain for their members and will provide life insurance, disability benefits, and will advocate for safe working conditions.

On The Tracks

Now that we know the process of becoming a horse jockey, I think we should get into the general stuff they do. The average salary for a jockey is around $52,645 and the crazy things that they only get five percent of what they win. They do a lot of calisthenics like squats and burpees, they're also some weightlifting thrown into the mix. Jockey got a riding simulator to practice how to ride and balance on the horse properly. They usually eat foods with high in proteins and fibers, but they diet themselves and drink little to no water since the weight limit of a jockey is one hundred and twenty five pounds. The horses also have to be one hundred to six hundred. pounds. The colors the jockeys wear are actually for the owners or trainers that employ them and the tradition was influenced by racing events in Italian city communities. Now there are five types of racing that range from flat racing to Steeplechase racing. Flat racing is the kind of usually racing where the jockeys and their horses go around the track to the finish line. National hunt racing or better known as jump racing has the horses jumping over hurdles to the finish. Endurance racing is a fifty to one hundred mile that takes the horses and their riders through different kinds of terrain like forests and mountains. Quarter horse racing is a race that's a quarter of a mile to see which horse can go the fastest under such a short distance. Lastly we got steeplechase racing which is basically the same as national hunt racing, but with different obstacles like water and bushes. There's also a race for horses that haven't won a race. Horses can get over excited because they know they are about to race so the routine in a stable is designed to keep the horses calm.

Betting

Investigation Time

So betting on horses is a complicated system of statistics and the ability of the horse you're betting on. So the least complicated bet would be the straight wagers, which the person would bet on if their chosen horse will win wager it will need to get first place, for place it would need to get first or second place, and for show it would need to get into first to third place. The minimum you can bet on them is $2. Exotic wagers are more complicated and difficult to win since you would be betting on multiple horses. So Exacta is where you bet on which two horses will get in first and second place, Quinella is like Exacta but the places of the horses you bet on can be interchangeable, and for Doubles you can bet on two horses that are in two different races. A technique used by a group is known as show parlay, where the group will bet on the same horse and double the amount they bet on. This is the repeated till they lose their bets.

So now we're at the final stretch. Now it seems that Ace can't do a lot to help solve a murder but he is very strong and stubborn which helps when bodyguarding the crime scene or helping with arguments as an extra insight. He also definitely has a lot of knowledge on workout equipment because of the requirements of his talent, which I will admit is very specific in the case that there's a gym in this chapter and if it was anything else then he would just be a bodyguard. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask at any time.

[brightgnosis]

TikTok Repost: September 22, 2022

My Brother in Law took care of the garden while we were at the Bluegrass Festival for a week. Still a lot to take care of after I got home, though!

«Oklahoma - Region 2» ⬩ «Grow Zone 7a» ⬩ «Heat Zone 8»

[headspace-hotel]

i'm feeling autistic about plants so, maclura pomifera

It's a small North American tree commonly known as the Osage orange or "hedge-apple"

Before barbed wire was invented, it was used to make living fences; when you kept pruning it, it would sprout a thick impenetrable wall of thorny shoots.

The wood's properties are also insane: it's super-strong, burns really hot, and is highly resistant to rotting. It is said to have been VERY valued by Native Americans for making into bows.

However it produces these

DEEPLY CURSED fruits that are huge and inedible. Not poison. They just suck. They're hard, woody and secrete weird latex.

And they produce SO MANY it weighs the whole tree down

Before colonization it was found only in a small patch of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Now they're everywhere. In the Bluegrass region of Kentucky you see them loaded down with fruit all over the place.

HOWEVER we have no idea how it's supposed to spread naturally. No living animal is any good at seed dispersal. It's like the sunfish of trees.

Why, Maclura pomifera. Why are you like this

[thatbanjobusiness]

Would you say that a banjo's sound can be accurately described as a "twang"?

I would say it depends on the style of banjo being played! I have zero issue calling picking styles twangy and do so myself. But when people less familiar with the music use it as an automatic designator, I feel it demonstrates incomplete assumptions of what a banjo is (alongside regional assumptions - as if pairing it aurally with a spoken Southern "drawl").

The prototypical banjo sound today is Scruggs style picking. The picking hand places three picks on your first three fingers. This provides a sharp, snappy sound. The fretting hand creates ornamentation that slides about the string, hitting blue notes, gliding in and out of dissonance and consonance; the result feels like the twaaaang of an arrow going off a bow, or the sliding diphthongs of Southern American Englishes. This is twangy and it's yummy.

If someone watches a clawhammer banjo picker and goes, "Oh! I love the twang!" I suspect they're judging by the visual of a banjo and its stereotypical associations, not judging what they're hearing. Clawhammer banjo utilizes strums, alternating your thumb striking a note and your fingers brushing down the strings. There are no picks. You are often playing banjos with different construction (open back versus resonator). The resulting tone is mellower. Maybe you still think it sounds twangy, and that's fine, but there's no denying it's a very different sound than the three-finger picking styles like Scruggs style.

There are many, many, many more banjo styles. I'm simplifying for the sake of simplifying. But Rhiannon Giddens, for instance, does not play with a twang to my ears.

Second, I feel like "twang" suggests "down home bluegrass." Like there's connotations of (stereotypical Southern) region, (rural) class, and "non-properness" there (contrasting, say, how classical music has a genteel connotation). But banjo can be heard in everything from 1920s jazz to ragtime to Celtic. And even bluegrass has high variability, with different eras and bands sounding like the rock side of the 1960s Folk Revival, modern rock, country, old-time, classical, jazz, or whatever the heck they want to throw in there.

That "twang" suggests "down home bluegrass" could be my own associations clouding judgment with the word twang, though. There's no denying something like Vess Ossman's plectrum style in ragtime has snappy twang to it. So I could be overassuming what other connotations people associate with the word "twang."

There's a third aspect at play here -- I find banjo's tonal variations huge. I'm sure many folks think, "Yep, that banjo sounds like a banjo," and that's the start and end to it. For me, the banjo's colors are highly variable between instruments and players.

I prefer using detailed descriptors to explain what I hear between different banjos and pickers. Ralph Stanley's tone is bright and narrow, sharp and thin and brittle like fingernails, but ancient. Earl Scruggs's tone sounds earthy. It's deep browns and the power of dirt, thrown into a man whose fingers are so precise they're a machine gun shower of notes. Kenny Ingram is pure machine gun - much sharper, weaponistic in its attacks. Béla Fleck's tone sounds silvery. It's pristine, light, delicate, gliding off the top, sonic embroidery suited for marble halls. They sound nowhere near the same even when playing the same notes because their tones are that different. Why would I call Béla twangy when his tone's so glitterily elegant?

Banjo is an instrument with an unusual amount of tonal customization possible. And I do mean there's lots here about what affects tone, how much you as an owner can alter it, and how variable the final product's sound is. Banjo is juicily customizable. Banjoists turn into mad scientists taking apart their instruments to modify them according to their sonic preferences. It would be a whole other post to discuss what gives the banjo its tone and how that can be modified - and frankly I've only learned the surface.

I'm mostly being picky (ba dumpt tssh get the pun?) when I say, "not all banjos, banjo pickers, and banjo styles twang." I feel off when someone calls certain old-time styles twangy, but I groove when people call a good Scruggs style twangy. In the end, language is flavor, and I may use my flavors of description differently than the next guy.

In general, though, yeah, I'd say "twang" is a fine description.