Use of Acoustic Instruments.

The use of acoustic instruments in Indie genre (and sub/hybrid genres) are one of the most obvious and widely used conventions. One of the main factors which would determine an artist into the genre or not would be the use of acoustic instruments in the music. Classic Indie artists would typically choose acoustic guitars as their instrument of choice, but more recently, some artists have begun to challenge this with more unusual intruments, which have also helped to determine Indie-Folk as a popular genre. 

Mumford & Sons are often seen performing with Banjos, Cellos, Double Basses and percussion intruments when on stage or during recording sessions. Here is a video of them performing 'The Cave' at the 2011 Grammy Awards, which features the use of a Double Bass and a Banjo. This new convention of the genre has developed the existing one of the use of acoustic instruments showing the talent and creativity of the artist.

Jamie Cullum is an artist, who fits into the Indie genre, but is slightly more mainstream due to his popular covers of existing songs. He is a talented piano player and this is often a key feature of his performances. The use of the piano makes use of his skills in performance and creates the image that he is a talented, creative individual. Here is his video for 'Everlasting Love' which featutes sequences from the film 'Bridget Jones' Diary' in which it appeared on the soundtrack. The use of the artist playing the piano, surrounded by an acoustic band reflects the independent and individual conventions of the Indie genre.