Old Time – Folk Music
Old Time tunes are from the Appalachian mountains in the United States. Many of the tunes originally came from the UK, particularly Northumberland, Ireland and Scotland. Many tunes from remoter areas in the UK emerged before the 1600s when the major or minor keys became popular; they use other modal keys, giving these tunes a distinctive ancient and raw sound.
The tunes were taken to America by the Scots-Irish between the 1680s and late 1700s, and gradually changed to reflect a new way of life, with new ways of living, places and musical influences. Initially tunes developed for solo dance fiddling in small isolated communities, leading to use of drones and cross-tunings for volume and rhythm. Later they were influenced by cross-cultural music, in particular the rhythmic roots of the African banjo. And over time, solo fiddle tunes developed into string band music, usually including banjo and guitar.
The music was originally just folk music, but was named as Old Time during the era that saw the introduction of recorded music and development of new musical genres such as Bluegrass.
You can explore Old Time music by listening to modern musicians such as Rayna Gellert, Brad Leftwich, Bruce Molsky (who also plays Irish folk), Earl White and Joseph Decosimo. String bands include the lively Foghorn Stringband. You can also listen to old field recordings from the 1920s onwards via the Slippery Hill website, which has early recordings by players such as Tommy Jarrell. YouTube is a valuable learning resource for fiddlers, with slow-downable albums and field recordings, session videos (try looking up Clifftop sessions), and online fiddle and tune tutorials for players of stages and genres.
Fiddle or Violin?
These days fiddles and violins are the same instrument. Although crude early fiddles predated the violin, the violin has been used by both fiddle and violin players since its design was perfected in Italy in the 1600s. These days fiddles tend to be cheaper than violins, chosen for their quick response and suitable for playing outside, while violins can be much finer with more complex, subtle tones. Otherwise the only physical differences between what we call fiddles and violins are in small adjustments made by players – such as the bridge (often flatter on fiddles, to enable use of drones), and strings (steel strings may be used by fiddlers, for their carrying power).
There are, however, key differences in the way that violinists and fiddlers play their instruments.
Danceability
It has been said that violins sing while fiddles dance. The danceability in Appalachian or Old Time folk music is created through the combination of cross tuning, drones and a dancing bow, which together add subtle rhythmic layers to the tunes. In addition, Old Time music has inherent rhythmic patterns which add dance – such as African bell rhythms, brought to the music by African American banjo players.
An Aural Tradition
Folk music is an aural tradition – learnt by ear rather than sheet music. Folk music is music of the people, and this means it is continually shaped by different people and in different places, rather than being fixed by composers working to the rules of Western classical music. While old, recorded sources of tunes are a respected benchmark, modern folk fiddlers will adapt these tunes and create their own; it is also common to add personal variations while playing, and to develop your own playing style which gives unique character to the tunes.
Playing Together
Folk music is played in different settings – sessions, where players play through and pick up tunes together, as well as at festivals and camps. This group music-making is more communal than in classical music; players of all abilities are welcome, each bringing their own voice to the music regardless of their experience. It is also wonderful to sit and play folk fiddle alone or with just one or two other musicians – maybe around a campfire or in the garden. Folk tunes are always in your head, and are there ready to be played.
Learning Music By Ear
Music has for many thousands of years been learned purely through listening – without written music – in the same way that children learn to talk and understand grammar through listening. It is a language, which our pattern-learning brains are primed to learn. Listen to copious amounts of music, and our brains learn (subconsciously) to understand the music we enjoy.
So the most important learning you can do while learning folk fiddle is to listen as much as you can to the music you love. Over time your brain will learn to hear and understand subtleties in the rhythms, bowing and notes which just weren’t apparent to you at the start, and you will be able to pick out and remember an increasing number of phrases (licks) and tunes.
Old Time – Sessions and Community
The music is popular worldwide, with many opportunities to play music and make friends.
Across the UK, FOAOTMAD (Friends of American Oldtime Music and Dance) organise regular sessions, festivals and camp-outs. Beginners are as welcome as more advanced players, and many events have slow jams for newcomers – the music can be played simultaneously by people of all levels of experience, with beginners using basic versions of tunes, and other players adding energy and complexity. Larger events usually have sessions of different speeds.
Sore Fingers Summer Schools run residential schools, for beginners up to advanced players, with renowned tutors from the Old Time and Bluegrass traditions – these are expensive but a fantastic musical investment and chance for social connection. There are also Old Time workshops at Halsway Manor in Somerset, and Fire in the Mountain’s Music Camp in Wales.
Locally, Clare co-leads a regular Old Time session at the Yew Tree Inn, Peterstow, Ross-on-Wye (1st Sunday of each month, 3–6pm). Everyone is welcome, although this is a faster session.