Some Rules of the International Bluegrass Pickers and Singers Association (IBPSA)

Those of you who have followed us for a while know that at our concerts we strive to obey all of the rules and guidelines of the International Bluegrass Pickers and Singers Association. These rules are spelled out in the IBPSA members' Handbook For Performers and in the Bylaws. The Rules are far too numerous to us to describe all of them here (you do want to finish reading this before dinnertime, don't you?) but we can run through the ones that are most important or are most easily overlooked by any band who don't consider such things important. If you are a performer interested in improving your compliance or a fan who is curious about the difficulties that we face as an active band, read on. In no particular order:

- Banjo Note Quota

Every concert actually billed as bluegrass shall have a minimum of 600,000 banjo notes. (Concerts not billed as bluegrass or simply part of a larger, more comprehensive venue are exempt from this requirement.) Banjo notes shall be counted with a Model 29A or Model 3716 Digital Note Counter. Within 48 hours after the completion of each concert the Note Counter shall be connected via the Internet to the IBPSA server, which shall query the counter for the note total then reset the counter in preparation of the next concert. Repeated failure to satisfy the Banjo Note Quota shall result in revocation of the band's Bluegrass License.

Editor's note: This is the most important Rule of all.

- Mandolin Tune Frequency

In honor of Bill Monroe, a band shall play a mandolin tune every so often. The definition of "every so often" is intentionally left ambiguous. In practice it is left to the judgment of the band, but y'all really know what it means. A mandolin tune is defined as any instrumental (a.k.a. insurmountable) which starts and ends with a mandolin break (not counting recognizable banjo tunes). Any other instrument may play solo breaks between the first and last.

Editor's note: This Rule is as important as the Banjo Note Quota.

- Lost-Love Song Frequency

Every concert shall include a Lost-Love Song every so often. If appropriate for the venue (left to the judgment of the band), the band may explain the necessity of inflicting a Lost-Love Song on the audience. (For the definition of "every so often", see Mandolin Tune Frequency.) An example is if the situation involves pleasant weather or a nice day which might otherwise be spoiled by the presence of a Lost-Love Song. If the Lost-Love Song is sufficiently sad the band may play it fast enough to counter that sadness - the sadder the song, the faster it may be played.

- Banjo Tune Definition

IBPSA recognizes only two Banjo Tunes, Foggy Mountain Breakdown and The Other One. All other Banjo Tunes, including those written by members of the band, fall under the definition of the The Other One. These other Banjo Tunes can be distinguished from each other by their titles.

- Guitar Pick Requirement

All guitar notes shall be played with a flatpick. The only exceptions to this rule are Gospel songs in which the guitar is played in a 3-finger style and there is no banjo. (Note, this rule has no interaction with, nor incompatibility with, the Banjo Note Quota as described above.) Bluegrass theorists have objected that Lester Flatt did not use a flat pick (note the difference in spelling), but as of this writing this objection is not sufficient grounds for IBPSA to grant a waiver of the Guitar Pick Requirement.

We hope these explanation will be helpful to you. Other rules are known to exist, and we will attempt to explain them as soon as we understand them. Happy picking, happy listening!
Note: For those of you who can read Portuguese but not English, you can find a Portuguese version here! Thanks go to Erio Meili, Sao Paulo Bluegrass Music Association.
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