"Plunky's Lament" Bela Fleck

This cool song from Fleck's collaboration with a bunch of awesome bluegrass players on the Bluegrass Sessions album is one of a handful of slow songs thats the artists picked for the album. The song eventually involves a number of instruments including back, fiddle, mandolin, bass fiddle, and possibly others. The song is in major. The first 8 measures are just the banjo a melody and harmony, the melody is like sol-do-mi-fa-mi-do. The first 8 measures are also the first phrase of a parallel period. The second time this period repeats, in the 9th measure, the bass fiddle plays alongs for the next 8 measures, pleaying the same note/notes the whole melody, a new one, for 8 measures, that sounds if it could be on the dominant chord. Next the banjo takes over the same melody for eight measures along with the fiddle echoing, the melody switches to the fiddle again, but it keeps on with the melody for 16 measures, with added harmony by the banjo. The melody switches 3 more times before the song ends, and the mandolin is finally more noticeable. The songs kind of sad, probably becuase it's a lament! Although it is not depressing, possibly becuase of the fairly bright, major chords and melody. The feature of the fiddle and banjo is cool how they seem to be playing to one another, or having a sort of conversation. I enjoy this genuine bluegrass piece and like it's soothing, slow nature.