Breakdowns are the barn-burning, breakneck, slapdash stalwarts of bluegrass and old-time traditions. They can be banjo songs, mandolin songs, fiddle songs — but every single one is truly a dancing song. Sometimes, all you need is an up-tempo bluegrass tune to get you going, so here are 10 breakdowns that will help you avoid any/all other types of breakdown.
âFoggy Mountain Breakdownâ
Of course we had to lead off with this icon! Earl Scruggsâ most popular instrumental, for sure. It may be overplayed, but going back to Earlâs original reminds us why itâs ended up getting so many miles. It deserves the recognition and repetition, thatâs for sure.
âShenandoah (Valley) Breakdownâ
Itâs like âBoil Them Cabbage Downâ but fast fast fast. This one goes by two names because with a tune so nice, they named it twice. Alan Munde gives it the melodic treatment, but youâll notice his bouncy melody-driven take doesnât lose a single ounce of drive. Thatâs Munde for you.
âWhite Horse Breakdownâ
Casey Campbell and Mike Compton give âWhite Horse Breakdownâ an incredibly tasty mando duo treatment, juxtaposing their distinct approaches to traditional, Monroe-style mandolin. This one just lends itself to duos, whether fiddle/banjo, mando/mando, or whatever combination you fancy!
âCrucial County Breakdownâ
BĂ©la Fleck and his illustrious Drive band (Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, Mark Schatz, and Mark OâConnor) turn the breakdown format on its ear for this newgrass-meets-traditional take. A nice reminder of why BĂ©la and Drive are absolute essentials in the modern bluegrass canon.
âBlue Grass Breakdownâ
The best example of a mandolin-centered breakdown, this one was named before bluegrass had been combined into one word — before the genre itself existed! The Father of Bluegrass himself, Bill Monroe, wrote the tune and kicks it off as only he can. Itâs like âFoggy Mountainâ but with F chords!
âChampagne Breakdownâ
Itâs a decadent, indulgent, wild one that registers only barely as a breakdown as we know them — I mean, modulations?! — but the Country Gentlemen were always about pushing the envelope and this delightful tune surely does that. You never quite know where itâs going to go next and that, my friends, is what breakdowns are all about.
âPike County Breakdownâ
All I can tell you is, make sure you get that signature lick right in the A part or the jam circle might give you some sidelong stares. Scott Vestal nails it on this recording, of course — along with Aubrey Haynie, Wayne Benson, Adam Steffey, Barry Bales, and Clay Jones. STACKED. Clean, hard-driving bluegrass. Itâs what the world wants.
âOld & In The Way Breakdownâ
In 1973, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan, and John Kahn coalesced as Old & In The Way, becoming one of the most influential bluegrass ambassador bands in the history of the music. Jerry Garcia shows his five-string chops quite well on this tune, which also goes by the name âPatty on the Turnpike.â But then it wouldnât be a breakdown, now would it?
âSnowflake Breakdownâ
And now, a fiddlinâ breakdown. Breakdowns are an integral part of fiddle contests — contests often require each contestant to play a tune considered a âbreakdownâ during competition. This one, performed by Bluegrass Hall of Famer Bobby Hicks, is often heard in contest situations, if not for the unexpected chord changes, simply because emulating Hicks never hurt anyone in a fiddle competition. No one really wonders why that is, either.
âDawggy Mountain Breakdownâ
Written by David âDawgâ Grisman, âDawggy Mountain Breakdownâ doesnât just sound familiar because of its purposefully malapropistic name, itâs also the theme song for NPRâs incredibly popular radio show, Car Talk. The show’s hosts, Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers (AKA Tom and Ray Magliozzi), were/are big bluegrass fans and especially fans of Dawg and his music. Itâs a beautiful little bluegrass easter egg on public radio — which are much too few and far between, if you ask me.
“Girl’s Breakdown”
(Edited to add:) Thank you to a commenter on social media for pointing out that, as is much-too-easy to do in bluegrass, our list of breakdowns didn’t include a single woman! Alison Brown, one of the world’s premier banjo players, even penned a satirically-titled tune to skewer this sexist paradigm in bluegrass. Y’all have heard “Earl’s Breakdown” plenty, it’s time for a dose of “Girl’s Breakdown.”