Dan Lundberg: Swedish folk Music - from village greens to concert platforms
New folk music instruments

NEW FOLK MUSIC INSTRUMENTS If we continue to follow new trends in modern Swedish folk music by examining new ensemble types and new ways of playing together, the 1980s could arguably be described as the decade of the instruments. A great number of new folk music groups appeared in the 1980s, inspired among other things by groups from Ireland, Hungary and the Balkans (and of course by other contemporary Swedish groups). Two influential groups from this decade were Filarfolket (picture) (1980-90) and Groupa (1980-). What above all distinguished the sound of these groups from earlier folk music bands was the use of wind instruments (saxophones, clarinets and trumpets) in combination with percussion (mainly miscellaneous striking apparatus with folk music origins). With woodwind and percussion in the foreground, Filarfolket experimented with “riffs” (rhythmic and melodic ostinati) as an accompaniment to folk tunes.  Balladen om Vallevan. Filarfolket 'Utan tvekan' (AMCD29) The new common denominator in these groups was the great variety of instruments; several of the players were also multi-instrumentalists. It is noticeable that the separation between the “original” folk music version and the “new” version which was clearly distinguishable in the arrangements of Gråtlåten and I fjol så gick jag med herrarna i hagen is less in evidence or lacking entirely. The ideological grounding which was brought about by the folk music vogue of the 1960s and 1970s meant that in the midst of these enthusiastic experiments there was still a strong determination to perpetuate tradition. However the new instruments brought problems concerning intonation and rhythm in folk music into focus in a different way from before.

New folk music instruments
Dan Lundberg: Swedish folk Music - from village greens to concert platforms