Knowra Old-time music Old-time music Old-time music is a traditional American string-band style built around dance tunes and songs, especially associated with Appalachia and instruments such as fiddle, banjo, and guitar.
Old-time fiddle : A fiddle is a bowed string instrument; old-time fiddle playing uses regional tunes, rhythmic bowing, and ornamentation. The fiddle often leads the ensemble and carries melodies for dancing.
Appalachian music : A diverse body of musical traditions associated with the Appalachian region of the eastern United States. Old-time music is closely associated with Appalachian communities, though it is not limited to them.
Bluegrass music : A postwar American acoustic genre featuring virtuosic instrumental solos, close vocal harmony, and a prominent mandolin and banjo sound. Bluegrass grew partly from older string-band traditions but favors sharper breaks and more soloistic playing.
Square dance calling : The spoken directions that guide dancers through figures in a square dance. A caller coordinates dancers while old-time musicians maintain the tune and tempo.
Clawhammer banjo : A banjo technique in which the hand strikes strings with a downward motion, producing a rhythmic, percussive sound. Its steady downstroke and drone give many old-time string bands their characteristic pulse.
Cecil Sharp : An English folklorist who collected and published traditional songs in the Appalachian Mountains in the early twentieth century. His collecting helped popularize the idea of Appalachia as a repository of English folk traditions.
Country music : A broad popular-music tradition originating in the rural southern United States, encompassing many styles and eras. Old-time music is one source tradition within country music's wider history.
Contra dance : A social dance in long lines of couples, guided by a caller and commonly accompanied by live folk music. Old-time bands frequently accompany contra dances, where steady rhythm matters more than solo display.
String band : A small ensemble centered on string instruments, often combining melody, rhythm, and bass without amplification. Old-time music is most often performed in this ensemble format.
Fiddlin' John Carson : An American country musician whose 1923 recordings helped establish commercial hillbilly music. His recordings brought an old-time fiddle style to a national audience.
Show all 21