How is folk music traditionally passed from one generation to another?

Folk music is traditionally passed down through oral tradition, meaning it is learned by hearing rather than by reading written words or musical notation. This transmission typically occurs within informal, small social networks, such as among family members, friends, associates, and coworkers.123

As a song is passed from one individual to another, it often undergoes a process of communal re-creation. Rather than remaining static, the music is frequently altered by those who learn and perform it due to factors such as creativity, forgetfulness, and the influence of other musical styles. Consequently, while a song may originate from an individual composer, its form at any given time is shaped by the community that adopts and performs it.34

In the 20th century, this traditional face-to-face learning began to be supplemented or replaced by mass media and recordings, which allowed performers to hear and adapt various arrangements of folk music.24