Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish and English traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of Appalachia, and was influenced by the music of African-Americans through incorporation of jazz elements.
In bluegrass, as in some forms of jazz, one or more instruments each
takes its turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the
others perform accompaniment; this is especially typified in tunes called breakdowns. This is in contrast to old-time music,
in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument
carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment.
Breakdowns are often characterized by rapid tempos and unusual instrumental dexterity and sometimes by complex chord changes.
Bluegrass music has attracted a diverse following worldwide. Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe characterized the genre as: "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound."