How to Sing Like an Appalachian Folk Singer

There's a certain spark in the voices of those singers who emerge from Appalachia to serenade the world. It's part culture and part artistry. Imitating the Appalachian style takes a knowledge of what makes the region special.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Try for the inflections. Pay attention to the way Appalachian folk singers use glottal stops or add rising or falling inflections to words during a song line. You can hear them in bluegrass recordings by artists such as Flatt and Scruggs or the Red Clay Ramblers, but they're often more evident in the small, local bands from the mountains in the Appalachian states.

2. Get range. Many folk singers in Appalachia use high notes for dramatic effect. See if you can hit one of these highs during a lyric.

3. Use the right instrumentation. Appalachian music often features the special sounds of instruments like mandolins, banjos, dobros, steel guitars or homemade string instruments.

4. Learn from the original singers of Appalachian folk music. Listen to the tunes of bands like the Carter family or other true Appalachian music collectives for clues to authenticity.