9. Participate in a Long Tradition:
All music is part of a tradition, even the throw-away pop songs currently in fad, but folk music consciously taps into a long, venerable tradition. I can hardly imagine people in 200 years singing a Brittany Spears song, but I can imagine people still singing “Amazing Grace,” “Auld Lang Syne,” or “Greensleeves.” By learning and performing traditional folk music, you can participate in something that will outlive you and the particular fads of today. It’s not so much about individual ego as it is about understanding our place in the musical tradition, and for some (like myself) that can be a consoling thought. We are all mortal, but there is something in the best folk songs that endures.
All music is part of a tradition, even the throw-away pop songs currently in fad, but folk music consciously taps into a long, venerable tradition. I can hardly imagine people in 200 years singing a Brittany Spears song, but I can imagine people still singing “Amazing Grace,” “Auld Lang Syne,” or “Greensleeves.” By learning and performing traditional folk music, you can participate in something that will outlive you and the particular fads of today. It’s not so much about individual ego as it is about understanding our place in the musical tradition, and for some (like myself) that can be a consoling thought. We are all mortal, but there is something in the best folk songs that endures.
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