Links
Click on a topic below to see links about that topic. If you have links to recommend, send an email to [email protected]
Essays & Resources on Old Time Music
- Sustainable Music – Jeff Todd Titon writes in his music blog about about Breakin’ Up Winter. Great read about us and the music we all love.’
- American Folklife Center – U.S. Library of Congress
- Early Records of Tennessee Fiddlers – Some quick reads and great links to very early recordings.
- Fiddler’s Companion – Collection of resources, articles, and searchable database
- Ibiblio Folk Music Index – Bibliographic history. Great background on individual tunes and related tunes
- Popular Songs in American History – Great site by with midi files, lyrics, and background information on songs popular from the 1600’s to about 1900
- Public Domain – A researched listing of tunes and songs believed to be public domain
- Roots of American Fiddle Music
- UNC Music Library – Links to database at UNC-Chapel Hill
- What is Old-Time? – An essay by Mike Seeger
- What is Old-Time Music? – An article by Mark Humphrey
Fiddle
- Early Records of Tennessee Fiddlers – Some quick reads and great links to very early recordings
- Fiddle.Net
- FiddleFork – a very active fiddle discussion site
- FiddleForum – another active fiddle discussion site
- Fiddle-L – a fiddle discussion email list
- Fiddler Magazine – great source for articles on fiddling, tune origins, etc.
- Fiddler’s Companion – collection of resources, articles, searchable database
- Fiddletunes.Net – Leo McDermott’s great fiddling resource
- Roots of American Fiddle Music
Banjo
Guitar
- Bass Notes and Runs – Introduction to old-time rhythm backup
- Chord Charts for Folk Guitar – includes many “old-time” tunes
Mandolin
- Mandozine
- Mandolin Cafe
- SoundArt Recordings (Butch Baldassari)
Dulcimer
Tablature, Notation, & Charts
- Chord Charts for Folk Guitar
- Banjo Tablatures
- Pegram Jam Chord Chart Book – Free digital copy, 450+ tunes with audio samples
- Mando Tab by Roland White – Free samples on this great musician’s site
- Traditional Music Library – UK site with sheet music, midis, and more
- Shrunken Planet – Online play lists, acoustic and some old-time mixed
- Old Time Fiddle Tunes – Transcriptions and recordings. Great collection
Lyrics
- The Songs He Sang – Lyrics to old-time songs sung by Cisco Houston
- Bluegrass Lyrics – Contrary to the title, many if not most are old-time
- Popular Songs in American History – Great site by Leslie Nelson, aka “The Contemplator”, with midi files, lyrics, and backgroundon songs from the 1600’s to about 1900
Downloadable Music
- Pegram Jam – 450+ mp3s, mostly old time. Searchable index. Charts.
- Digital Library of Appalachia – Historical treasure chest of music
- Berea College Sound Archives – Another great historical collection
- Honking Duck – 78s galore recorded and presented online
- Oldtime Music and Songbook – British collection of American oldtime
- Open Source Old-Time Music – Part of the digital archive project
Old Time Music Podcasts & Radio
- Pandora – Set up your own free radio station – specificy old-time tunes or musicians
- Sugar in the Gourd – Mostly old-time web radio
- WDVX– Traditional music radio station from Knoxville online
- Woodsongs Old-Time Music Hour – Great video and audio to experience live or download
Online Discussion Groups
- Banjo-L
- Fiddle-L
- Fiddle Forum
- Fiddle Fork
- BanjoHangout
- MUDCAT.ORG – Lyrics, history, discussion threads on old-time music topics.
Online Magazines & News
Festivals & Camps
- Alabama Folk School, Nauvoo, Alabama
- Anchorage Folk Festival Anchorage, Alaska
- Allegheny Echoes Annual Snowshoe Workshop Marlinton, West Virginia
- American Banjo Camp (Ken Perlman) Fort Flagler, Washington
- Ashokan Fiddle & Dance (Jay & Molly Ungar) – Woodstock, New York
- Augusta Heritage Arts Workshops – Elkins, West Virginia
- Banjo Camp North – Groton, Massachusetts
- Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week – Mars Hill, North Carolina
- Cowan Creek Mountain Music School – Whitesburg, Kentucky
- Common Ground on the Hill – Westminster, Maryland
- Elmore Fiddle Camp – Cisco, Texas
- Country Dance & Song Society Summer Camps – Lyman, NH High View, WV Plymouth, MA
- Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (Dirk Powell) – Port Townsend, Washington
- John C. Campbell Folk School Year-round, Brasstown, North Carolina
- Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamps Maryville, Tennessee
- Kentucky Music Week Bardstown and Louisville, Kentucky
- Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp Johnson City, Tennessee
- Mandolin Camp North Groton, Massachusetts
- Nashcamp Outside Nashville, Tennessee
- Old-Time Week at Camp Bluegrass Levelland, Texas
- Rocky Mountain Fiddle Camp Denver, Colorado
- Suwannee Banjo Camp (Ken Perlman) High Springs, Florida
- Swannanoa Gathering Folk Arts Workshops Asheville, North Carolina
- The Ozark Folk Center Mountain View, Arkansas
Players & Performers
If you are new to old-time, or just looking for ideas about who to listen to, here’s a list of names you can plug in at Rhapsody, iTunes, Pandora, or your favorite online source.
- Alan Jabbour
- Alice Gerrard
- Art Stamper
- Bascom Lamar Lunsford
- Benton Flippen
- Bib City Ramblers
- Bob Carlin
- Bruce Greene
- Buddy Thomas
- Butch Baldassari
- Cathy Fink
- Charlie Poole
- Clarence “Tom” Ashley
- Clark Kessinger
- Clyde Davenport
- Dan Gellert
- David Holt
- Dirk Powell
- Doc Boggs
- Doc Watson
- Ernest Stoneman
- Erynn Marshall
- Fog Horn String Band
- Fred Cockerham
- Fuzzy Mountain String Band
- Hazel Dickens
- Highwoods Stringband
Period Clothing & Accessories
- Gentlemen’s Emporium – Victorian fashion at a modern price
- Samantha’s Costumes – Period clothing, including Civil War and Victorian
Contra Dance
- Nashville Country Dancers
The Friday night dance - Flat Creek Contra Dance
Tuesday nights near Shelbyville
Jim & Inge Wood and Chrissy Davis-Camp - Chattanooga Contra Dancing
- North Alabama Country Dance Society
- National Grid – Online Dance Locator Database
- Mid-South Contra Dance Links
- Contra Dance in the United States, Canada, and the World
Instrument Sales & Luthiers
Link Collections
Audio Tools To Try
|
Use ABC software to turn midi files into notation or tab. |
Use this to slow tunes down to learning space, mark off sections to repeat as you play along. |