East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2021 In Seeking a Definition of Mash: ttitudeA in Musical Style Thomas Cassell East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Appalachian Studies Commons, and the Musicology Commons Recommended Citation Cassell, Thomas, "In Seeking a Definition of Mash: ttitudeA in Musical Style" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3916. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3916 This Thesis - unrestricted is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. In Seeking a Definition of Mash: Attitude in Musical Style ________________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Appalachian Studies East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Appalachian Studies ______________________ by Thomas Andrew Cassell May 2021 _____________________ Dr. Nate Olson, Chair Dr. Lee Bidgood Mr. Roy Andrade Keywords: mash, bluegrass, downbeat ABSTRACT In Seeking a Definition of Mash: Attitude in Musical Style by Thomas Andrew Cassell “Mash” is a term used to describe one of the most recent major style shifts in the iconic American string band music known as bluegrass. Beginning in the 1990s, the bluegrass sound began to evolve, and ‘mash’ worked its way into the genre as a descriptor of a certain sound.