My talk today is about beginnings, the beginnings of a music we know and love, and the application of different viewpoints to its history. In a short film by Raye and Charles Eames: "Powers Of Ten", a wonderful exposition of the concepts of space and time, it is suggested that one can often achieve a better understanding of a subject by examining it at differing levels of scale – by stepping back to look at it from a distant viewpoint and alternatively, by coming up very close to examine it in minute detail. I have found it worthwhile to apply certain scientific paradigms, borrowed from the fields of physics, biology, and mathematics, to use as filters for fresh glimpses or views of the music, and perhaps, new ways to better understand our own reactions to bluegrass.