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1[[quoteright:350:[[Music/WoodyGuthrie https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thismachinekillsfascists.png]]]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:You might say that the greatest weakness of a fat cat is ThreeChordsAndTheTruth.]]
3
4One of three vague main categories of music, alongside ClassicalMusic and Popular (or {{Pop}}) Music.
5
6The easiest way to understand the differences between the three would be: in Folk Music, the author is often ambiguous, and music is often distributed by rote; Classical Music refers to the tradition of music being performed from the score; and Popular Music refers to the tradition of music being played from recordings to reach a wide audience.
7
8Despite it being the oldest category of music out there, no one seems to be quite able to define what folk music really ''is'', or if it even constitutes a proper genre. To many modern commentators, it is any music played by a lone singer-songwriter with a guitar, [[ThreeChordsAndTheTruth three chords and the Truth]]. Except, that is, when it's played by a band, with complex arrangements, and there are no acoustic instruments in sight. The Leslie Fish definition (somewhat tongue in cheek) is "music played on instruments small enough to pick up and run when the cops show up."
9
10To understand what folk music is and the kind of genres it covers, it is best to look at the history of the term. It is derived from folklore; i.e., the culture, traditions and customs of agrarian and working-class society. According to its original definition, it was distinguished from classical (or "art") music and popular music. The main characteristics of folk music were that it enjoyed mainly local popularity and was played by non-professional musicians. Later, it became largely synonymous with traditional music; i.e., songs that had been handed down orally for many generations and were still known to some segments of the population, and ''weren't'' part of one of the newfangled musical genres (like Tin Pan Alley, music hall, ragtime, or {{Jazz}}).
11
12In this context, it was soon used to describe music that was peculiar to a particular part of the world and that did not fit the mold of academic or popular music. WorldMusic is now the more commonly used term for this category.
13
14In the British Isles and North America, a renewal of interest in folk music took place between the 1890s and the 1960s. As singers such as Music/WoodyGuthrie and Music/LeadBelly led the scene during TheGreatDepression, it culminated in the American folk music revival, which began in 1948 with the rise of Pete Seeger and the Weavers. There was something of an interruption during the RedScare of TheFifties, since even playing a guitar was grounds for suspicion for communist sympathies, and some of the major figures like Pete Seeger and Ewan [=MacColl=] openly identified as socialists. However, the revival continued into TheSixties with the likes of Music/JoanBaez, Music/BobDylan, Music/PeterSarstedt and Music/PhilOchs.
15
16Although all these musicians, from Guthrie through Dylan, drew heavily from tradition and were well versed in ancient ballads, it was at this point that many of them began to write their own material, addressing highly relevant political issues of the day; some of these songs had enough universal resonance to become standards themselves. Folk music became strongly associated with progressive politics and the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement.
17
18A similar movement took place in Britain and Ireland, with perhaps a little more focus on the traditional aspect (although especially in Ireland, singing traditional songs ''itself'' is a political act).
19
20It was from this Folk Revival that a new conception of folk emerged. Music/BobDylan, the [[EnsembleDarkhorse major breakout figure]] of the movement, soon abandoned politics in favour of more poetic, introspective songs. In 1965, he released two albums- ''Music/BringingItAllBackHome'' and ''Music/Highway61Revisited'' that blended folk music with blues rock. In the same year, Music/TheByrds released their hit single "Mr. Tambourine Man", a Dylan cover, which brought a pop-influenced upbeat and rhythmic element to the song. Bob Dylan and The Byrds were now the TropeMakers of a new genre: Folk Rock. From folk rock emerged Psychedelic Folk, Indie Folk and countless other genres. While it ultimately derived from the Folk Revival, folk music was not a classification anymore, but a particular style of music influenced by the one that emerged in TheSixties. It is a popular genre, if a somewhat alternative and underground one, to this day.
21
22This is only one narrative drawn from the history of folk. Along the way, its many subgenres and regional variants spawned {{Blues}}, CountryMusic, {{Bluegrass}}, FolkPunk, FolkMetal and some of its elements incorporated into {{Slowcore}}. Depending on which definition you use, all music was at some point derived from folk. Before there were [[Music/JohannSebastianBach Bach]] and [[Music/LudwigVanBeethoven Beethoven]], before Music/TheBeatles and The Buzzcocks, there were a few lone singers and instrumentalists who made songs purely for the love of it.
23
24Around the 80's a genre called antifolk emerged, the shtick being subversion of the earnestness of 60's style folk, mocking pretension and seriousness and often being raw and experimental. Its definition is as loose and broad as folk itself. An example of a band influenced by this is the [[Music/TheMountainGoats Mountain Goats]].
25
26European musicians, particularly in Eastern Europe, have followed in exploring their own folk traditions through the use of electric or electronic instruments. This music tends to be more traditional and folklore-orientated. However, the "sung poetry" genre in the Baltic States and Poland also focuses on setting the works of national poets to music. Other movements include "turbofolk", which had UnfortunateImplications in Serbia, where it was largely sponsored by the Milosevic clan, particularly Mira Markovic.
27
28One of the more unusual outgrowths of Folk Music is [[FilkSong Filk]], the music of SF and Fantasy fandom; while it can be in almost any style, the majority of Filk is stylistically folk music, and indeed the name of the genre stems from a misspelling of 'folk' in a an essay submitted to a fanzine.
29
30Perhaps all this confusion is best summarised by a quote from Music/LouisArmstrong: "All music is folk. I ain't never heard no horse sing a song".
31
32!!Common Tropes:
33[[index]]
34
35(Also discussed in [[SoYouWantTo/WriteAFolkSong So You Want To Write A Folksong]])
36
37* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Occasionally subverted by the [[IWillWaitForYou woman who does wait]] and then double subverted by her lover in disguise who [[SecretTestOfCharacter tests her]] by trying to woo her away from her promise.
38* ACappella: Many folk songs are intended for unaccompanied voices, sometimes with a chorus joining in on the refrain.
39* AlwaysMurder: Too many murder ballads to count!
40* BalladOfX: With bonus points for giving the trope its name from actual ballad form.
41* BawdySong: Probably as many of these as murder ballads, if not more.
42* BrokenRecord: Repeated lines and refrains will be heard a lot.
43* CallAndResponseSong
44* DeterminedHomesteader and related tropes, sometimes used ironically.
45* DisguisedInDrag
46* DrunkenSong: Folk song sessions can often be found in pubs and bars, and are just as often about drinking. As Creator/TerryPratchett observed, any song that begins "As I was a-walking..." is rarely sung sober.
47* EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes
48* GoodLookingPrivates: Most of the time when a song is about lovers, the man is a soldier. In Scottish songs, becomes ManInAKilt.
49* GoodOldWays: By definition, folk music is traditional, or at least looking back to tradition.
50* TheHighwayman, which leads to:
51** DefiantToTheEnd
52** FaceDeathWithDignity
53** PublicExecution
54* HillbillyMoonshiner (and plenty of other drinking tropes)
55* HistoricalBiographySong
56* JobSong: Very common, especially if the job involves ships, farming, or trains.
57* MurderBallad
58* PirateSong
59* ProtestSong:
60** Common in 20th century American folk music. The tradition began with Music/WoodyGuthrie, whose music was defined by left-wing, pro-labor messages, and whose guitar famously proclaimed "This machine kills fascists", and many folk singers in the 60's wrote songs with pro-environment and anti-Vietnam war messages.
61** Also in earlier periods in some countries, the use of traditional music and instruments was outlawed by colonial occupying powers, so performing any folk music at all was ''de facto'' protest music.
62* RevengeBallad
63* SweetPollyOliver
64* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth
65* TrainSong
66* TrueCrime: Many {{murder ballad}}s and broadsheets were early examples of a creative take on the genre. Naturally, though, any truth behind the murders in question usually takes second place at best to ArtisticLicense.
67* UnpluggedVersion: Much folk music was created in eras or settings where acoustic instruments were the norm. Then again, Folk Rock is also a thriving form. There's naturally a very BrokenBase here among folk purists, as infamously demonstrated when Music/BobDylan [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Dylan_controversy switched to electric guitar]].
68* WoodenShipsAndIronMen: Sea shanties, and songs about sailing, are a major subgenre of folk music in many cultures.
69* WorkingClassAnthem: Quite a few folk songs are written as anthems for solidarity with labor unions. Especially notable contributions can be found from Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Ewan [=MacColl=].
70* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: Applies especially to IRA songs, but most outlaw ballads and a few protest songs also fit.
71
72!!Some folk music artists are:
73* Music/AlexanderJamesAdams
74* Music/AfroCeltSoundSystem
75* Music/{{AJJ}}
76* Music/TheAlarm
77* Music/{{America}}
78* Music/AmericanMurderSong
79* Music/IkueAsazaki
80* Music/NicoleAtkins
81* Music/TheAustinLoungeLizards
82* Music/EvaAyllon
83* Music/JoanBaez
84* Music/JulienBaker
85* Music/TheBand
86** 1969 - ''Music/TheBandAlbum''
87* Music/WildWillyBarrett
88* Creator/JoeyBatey
89* Music/JamesBay
90* Music/TheBeards
91* Music/BenAndBen
92* Music/GeoffBerner
93* Creator/MattBerry
94* Music/{{Beyonce}}: While her roots are in Main/RAndB and Main/{{Pop}}, she has taken to exploring a plethora of other genres, including [[Main/CountryMusic Country]] and Main/SouthernRock.
95** 2024 - ''Music/CowboyCarter''
96* Music/BigRedMachine
97* Creator/TheodoreBikel
98* Music/{{Bjork}}: Recorded one album almost entirely in a cappella, with lots of throat singing. Her other albums sometimes include folk elements, too.
99** 2001 - ''Music/{{Vespertine}}''
100** 2004 - ''Music/{{Medulla}}''
101* Music/MichelleBlades has most of her musical inspirations tied to the FolkMusic of Latin America.
102** 2015 - ''{{Music/Ataraxia}}''
103** 2016 - ''{{Music/Polylust}}''
104** 2017 - ''Music/PrematureLoveSongs''
105** 2019 - ''{{Music/Visitor}}''
106** 2020 - ''Music/NombrarLasCosas''
107* Music/CarsieBlanton
108* Music/BluesTraveler
109* Music/EricBogle
110* Music/BonIver
111* Music/BillyBragg
112* Music/PhoebeBridgers
113* Music/BrightEyes
114* Music/JeffBuckley
115** 1994 - ''Music/{{Grace}}''
116** 1998 - ''Music/SketchesForMySweetheartTheDrunk''
117* Music/TimBuckley
118* Music/BuffaloSpringfield
119* Music/JakeBugg
120* Music/TheByrds
121** 1965 - ''Music/MrTambourineMan''
122* Music/{{Calexico}}
123* Creator/HamiltonCamp
124* Music/{{Capercaille}}
125* Music/VanessaCarlton
126* Music/HarryChapin
127* Music/TracyChapman
128* Music/CharmingDisaster
129* Music/CheerUpCharlieDaniels
130* Music/ChasAndDave
131* Music/{{Chumbawamba}}
132* Music/GerryCinnamon
133* Music/CityAndColour
134* Music/TheCivilWars
135* Music/ClamaviDeProfundis
136** 2020 - ''Music/{{Chieftain}}''
137* Music/BruceCockburn
138* Music/CocoRosie
139* Music/LeonardCohen - Very good writer, less good singer, [[CoveredUp gets covered frequently]] as a result.
140** 1967 - ''Music/SongsOfLeonardCohen''
141** 1969 - ''Music/SongsFromARoom''
142** 1971 - ''Music/SongsOfLoveAndHate''
143** 1974 - ''Music/NewSkinForTheOldCeremony''
144** 1977 - ''Music/DeathOfALadiesMan''
145** 1979 - ''Music/RecentSongs''
146** 1992 - ''Music/TheFuture''
147* Music/ShawnColvin
148* Music/{{Comus}}
149* Music/TheCorrs
150* Music/JonathanCoulton
151* Music/TheCraneWives
152* Music/CrashTestDummies
153* Music/JimCroce - With elements of blues, country, and pop.
154* Music/CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung
155** 1970 - ''Music/DejaVu1970''
156** Music/DavidCrosby
157* Music/SherylCrow — Also a bit of rock and country
158* Music/HeatherDale
159* Music/{{Danielson}}[[note]]Also see Music/SufjanStevens, Music/WovenHand[[/note]]
160* Music/DaveMatthewsBand
161* Music/DaysNDaze
162* Music/DeathInJune
163* Music/TheDecemberists
164* Music/DeltaRae
165* Music/LanaDelRey - Swung this direction from Sadcore during the late 2010s.
166** 2019 - ''Music/NormanFuckingRockwell''
167* Music/JohnDenver
168* Music/{{Devotchka}}
169* Music/AniDiFranco
170* Music/{{Donovan}}
171* Music/TheDoubleclicks, purveyors of nerd folk.
172* Music/DouweBob
173* Music/NickDrake
174* Music/TheDubliners
175* Music/BobDylan
176** 1962 - ''Music/BobDylanAlbum''
177** 1963 - ''Music/TheFreewheelinBobDylan''
178** 1964 - ''Music/TheTimesTheyAreAChangin''
179** 1964 - ''Music/AnotherSideOfBobDylan''
180** 1965 - ''Music/BringingItAllBackHome''
181** 1965 - ''Music/Highway61Revisited''
182** 1966 - ''Music/BlondeOnBlonde''
183** 1967 - ''Music/JohnWesleyHarding''
184** 1969 - ''Music/NashvilleSkyline''
185** 1970 - ''Music/SelfPortrait''
186** 1970 - ''Music/NewMorning''
187** 1974 - ''Music/PlanetWaves''
188** 1975 - ''Music/BloodOnTheTracks''
189** 1975 - ''Music/TheBasementTapes''
190** 1976 - ''Music/{{Desire}}''
191** 1978 - ''Music/StreetLegal''
192** 1979 - ''Music/SlowTrainComing''
193** 1989 - ''Music/OhMercy''
194** 1992 - ''Music/GoodAsIBeenToYou''
195** 1997 - ''Music/TimeOutOfMind''
196** 2009 - ''Music/ChristmasInTheHeart''
197** 2020 - ''Music/RoughAndRowdyWays''
198* Music/EntertainmentForTheBraindead
199* Music/{{Ergyron}} - Chukchi (Russian [[EskimoLand Eskimo]]) song and dance ensemble.
200* Music/FairportConvention
201** 1969 - ''Music/WhatWeDidOnOurHolidays''
202** 1969 - ''Music/{{Unhalfbricking}}''
203** 1969 - ''Music/LiegeAndLief''
204* Music/MarianneFaithfull
205* Music/FatherJohnMisty
206* Music/FishermansFriends
207* Music/FleetFoxes
208* Music/FirstAidKit
209* Music/ShelbyFlint
210* Music/FloofAndTheTimeBandits
211* Music/TheFugs
212** 1965 - ''Music/TheFugsFirstAlbum''
213** 1966 - ''Music/TheFugsSecondAlbum''
214** 1968 - ''Music/ItCrawledIntoMyHandHonest''
215* Music/GaelicStorm
216* Music/LisaGermano
217* Music/{{Girlyman}}
218* Music/GoA
219* Music/MatthewGood
220* Music/GorkysZygoticMynci (also BritPop and PsychedelicRock)
221* Music/GraceAndTony
222* Music/JohnGrant
223* Music/TheGratefulDead: From the 1970s on.
224** 1970 - ''Music/AmericanBeauty''
225* Music/DavidGray
226* Music/DosGringos
227* Music/GrizzlyBear
228* Music/{{Gryphon}}
229* Music/GreatBigSea
230* Music/FerreGrignard: specializes in skiffle
231* Music/MadelineHarperGuest
232* Music/WoodyGuthrie
233** 1940 - ''Music/DustBowlBallads''
234* Arlo Guthrie
235** 1967 - ''Music/AlicesRestaurant''
236* Music/HalfManHalfBiscuit
237* Music/LisaHannigan
238* Creator/MikeHarding
239* Music/PJHarvey
240** 2007 - ''Music/WhiteChalk''
241* Music/AHawkAndAHacksaw[[note]]Also see Music/NeutralMilkHotel[[/note]]
242* Music/{{Hayden}}
243* Music/{{Heilung}} describe their sound as "amplified history."
244* Music/JoeHill
245* Music/{{Horslips}}
246* Music/BenHoward
247* Music/{{Hozier}} is heavily influenced by this genre
248* Music/TheHu
249* Creator/MichielHuisman (around the mid-oughts)
250* Creator/MariIijima
251* Music/TheIncredibleStringBand
252* Music/IndigoGirls
253* Music/IronAndWine
254* Music/GregoryAlanIsakov
255* Music/TakeoIschi
256* Creator/BurlIves
257* Music/LosJaivas
258* Music/JeffersonAirplane
259** 1966 - ''Music/JeffersonAirplaneTakesOff''
260** 1967 - ''Music/SurrealisticPillow''
261** 1968 - ''Music/CrownOfCreation''
262* Music/{{Jewel}}
263* Music/JackJohnson
264* Music/JerryJoseph
265* Music/LosKjarkas
266* Music/MeganJeanAndTheKFB
267* Music/NoahKahan
268* Music/DanielKahnAndThePaintedBird
269* Music/KaizersOrchestra
270* Music/{{Kalush}}
271* Music/CaroleKing
272** 1971 - ''Music/{{Tapestry}}''
273* Music/KingCharles
274* The Kingston Trio (original line-up from 1957 to 1967)
275* Music/NataliaLafourcade
276* Music/JonLajoie
277* Music/LadyLamb
278* Music/LeadBelly
279* Music/JennyLewis
280* Music/GordonLightfoot
281* Music/{{Lindisfarne}}
282* Music/{{Loituma}}
283* Music/TheLongestJohns
284* Music/LordHuron
285* Music/TheLovinSpoonful
286* Music/TheLumineers
287* Lyube
288** 1992 - "Music/DontPlayTheFoolAmerica"
289* Music/{{Manel}}
290* Music/LauraMarling
291* Music/AndyMckee
292* Music/LoreenaMcKennitt
293* Music/TheMamasAndThePapas
294* Music/JohnMartyn
295* Music/DonMcLean
296** 1971 - ''Music/AmericanPie''
297* Music/BrianMcNeill
298* Music/MegAndDia
299* Music/JohnMellencamp
300* Music/TheMenTheyCouldntHang
301* Music/JeremyMessersmith
302* Music/IngridMichaelson
303* The Microphones
304** 2001 - ''Music/TheGlowPt2''
305* Music/MischiefBrew
306* Music/AnaisMitchell
307** 2010 - ''Music/{{Hadestown}}''
308* Music/JoniMitchell
309** 1971 - ''[[Music/BlueJoniMitchellAlbum Blue]]''
310** 1976 - ''Music/{{Hejira}}''
311* Music/VanMorrison
312** 1968 - ''Music/AstralWeeks''
313* Music/TheMountainGoats
314* Music/MoxyFruvous
315* Music/JasonMraz
316* Music/MumfordAndSons
317* Music/MarissaNadler
318* Music/{{Namgar}} - the best and only Buryat-Mongolian folk-rock fusion band.
319* Music/JoannaNewsom
320** 2006 - ''Music/{{Ys|2006}}''
321** 2010 - ''Music/HaveOneOnMe''
322* Music/SineadOConnor - Known for her folk-rock, along with various other genres.
323* Music/OfMonstersAndMen
324* Music/OkkervilRiver
325* Music/{{Oliver}}
326* Music/AngelOlsen
327* Music/AnetteOlzon - She's better known for her work in SymphonicMetal bands, but her two solo albums are a mix of folk rock, AlternativeRock, and IndiePop.
328* Music/NataliaOShea - Russo-Celtic folk-rock.
329* Music/OtavaYo
330* Music/PeterPaulAndMary
331* Music/GracePetrie
332* Music/PhillipPhillips
333* Music/ConorOberst
334* Music/PhilOchs
335* Music/TheOhHellos
336* Music/BabatundeOlatunji
337** 1960 - ''Music/DrumsOfPassion''
338* Music/AmandaPalmer
339* Music/{{Pentangle}}
340* Music/PhilemonArthurAndTheDung
341* Music/{{Poco}}
342* Music/KarinePolwart
343* Music/PoxyBoggards
344* Music/TheProclaimers
345* Music/RadicalFace
346* Music/RankoUkulele
347* Music/{{Rasputina}}
348* Music/DamienRice
349* Music/JonathanRichman
350* Music/{{Rodriguez}}
351* Music/StanRogers
352* Music/RoseWithTeeth
353* Music/DavidRovics
354* Music/KateRusby
355* Music/SaidTheWhale
356* Music/BuffySainteMarie
357** 1969 - ''Music/{{Illuminations}}''
358* Patrick Schneeweis, better known as Music/PatTheBunny
359* Music/PeterSarstedt
360* Music/TheSawDoctors
361* Music/TheScript
362* Music/SeaWolf
363* Music/EdSheeran
364** 2017 - ''[[Music/{{Divide}} ÷]]''
365* Music/PattiSmith occasionally ventures into this, especially her first couple of albums after her husband died.
366* Music/ReginaSpektor is heavily influenced by it, and is considered to be one of the founders of anti-folk
367* Music/RachelSermanni
368* Creator/SamShepard
369* Music/SimonAndGarfunkel
370** 1970 - ''Music/BridgeOverTroubledWater''
371* Music/PaulSimon
372** 1986 - ''Music/{{Graceland}}''
373*** "Music/YouCanCallMeAl"
374* Music/NinaSimone
375* Music/TheSingingKettle
376* Music/JillSobule
377* Music/BruceSpringsteen generally ventures into this area when not pursuing full-band arrangements with the E Street Band. Folk influences can be found on his first album. He would venture fully into folk with the album ''Nebraska''.
378** 1973 - ''Music/GreetingsFromAsburyParkNJ''
379* Creator/SashaSpielberg
380* Music/SteeleyeSpan
381** 2013 - ''Music/{{Wintersmith}}''
382* Music/SufjanStevens[[note]]Also see Music/{{Danielson}}, Music/TheNational[[/note]]
383** 2005 - ''Music/{{Illinois}}'' (Combines straightforward folk with more ornate BaroquePop arrangements)
384** 2015 - ''Music/CarrieAndLowell''
385* Music/AlStewart
386* Music/JohnStewart
387* Music/RodStewart
388* Music/StephenStills
389* Music/SunKilMoon
390* Music/OysteinSunde - Norwegian singer with satirical songs
391* Music/BillSutton
392* Music/TaylorSwift - made her foray into this genre with two surprise albums, written in isolation during the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic quarantine.
393** 2020 - ''Music/{{folklore|2020}}''
394** 2020 - ''Music/{{evermore|2020}}''
395* Music/JamesTaylor
396* Music/TeganAndSara
397* Music/ViennaTeng
398* Creator/GerryTesch (though probably better-known as "Günter Tesch" in his homeland Germany where he released several religious folk music albums). "Gerry" is more notable for his bizarre history of promotional scams and charity fraud via the Literature/MaradoniaSaga.
399* Music/RichardThompson
400* Music/TheTragicallyHip
401* Music/TroutFishingInAmerica
402* Music/SJTucker
403* Music/FrankTurner
404* Music/TheTurtles
405* Music/UncleBonsai
406* Music/TownesVanZandt
407* Music/{{Varttina}}
408* Music/SuzanneVega
409* Music/MaiaVidal
410* Music/VladimirVysotsky
411* Music/TomWaits
412** 1999 - ''Music/MuleVariations''
413* Music/ColterWall
414* Music/{{Wardruna}}
415* Music/JasonWebley
416* Music/TheWeepies
417* Music/WeyesBlood
418* Music/JackWhite
419* Music/ChelseaWolfe
420* Music/ChrisWoodMusician
421* Music/WovenHand[[note]]Also see Music/SixteenHorsepower, Music/{{Danielson}}[[/note]]
422* Music/TheWurzels
423* Music/{{Xera}}
424* Music/RayaYarbrough
425* Music/PeteYorn
426* Music/NeilYoung, including some of his work with Music/CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung.
427** 1969 - ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere''
428** 1970 - ''Music/AfterTheGoldRush''
429** 1979 - ''Music/RustNeverSleeps''
430* Music/WarrenZevon
431* Music/TheWolfeTones
432* Music/RoyZimmerman
433[[/index]]

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