Old-Time Music Instruction

BANJO

Clawhammer Style Banjo - Ken Perlman’s wonderful guide to clawhammer banjo.  Starts with the basics and proceeds stepwise to increasingly advanced techniques.  This was my primary guide when learning clawhammer.  Make sure to get the accompanying DVD/video.

Clawhammer Banjo from Scratch - Another great resource for the budding player, Dan’s materials always earn high praise.  Another very thoughtfully laid out approach to learning banjo. 

Round Peak Banjo - For those interested in learning round peak banjo, look no further than Brad Leftwich’s awesome book on the subject.  He has painstakingly transcribed many of the classic tunes from the round peak banjo as played by the masters.  A great learning tool.  Intended for those who already have some clawhammer experience.

Old-Time Banjo Styles - It’s hard to know where to start when it comes to Mike Seeger’s body of work, but this DVD on old-time banjo styles.  If you have an inkling you might want to delve into old-time fingerpickin, this would be a great place to start.  Or, as with most of Mike’s videos, you could just back and enjoy watching and listening. 

Singing with the banjo - Unfortunately, not to many old-time banjo players these days sing and play.  Which is a shame because this is definitely part of the tradition, and a whole heck of a lot of fun.  This DVD by Cathy Fink is great if you’re trying to figure out how to accompany yourself singing while clawhammering. 

FIDDLE

American Fiddle Method, Vol. 1 & 2 - Brian Wicklund’s book and DVD builds a good foundation for folks wanting to learn either old-time or bluegrass fiddling.

Old-Time Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus - Another nice place to start for folks wanting to learn old-time fiddle, particularly if you like a little humor injected into your instruction.

Old-Time Fiddling Across America - This one is on my wish list.  I’ve heard good things about it, and was impressed when reading through.  Looks to be exhaustively researched and a nice sampling of regional styles. 

PERCUSSION

“Folk Rhythms”, by David Holt - Learn how to play spoons, bones, hambone, washboard, and paper bag in this treasure of a DVD by David Holt.

General Old-Time Music

The Old Time Herald - This quarterly magazine about old-time music and dance is considered essential reading by many fans of old-time.

Sugar in the Ground - Internet radio station run by John Salmon features a vast collection of old-time music.  Great stuff.

Digital Library of Appalachia - Hear how many of the old timers played with this wonderful and amazing resource.  Tunes galore.  And a great place to listen to different versions of fiddle tunes.

The Banjo Hangout - One of the most active music communities on the internet, it covers all things banjo.  If you have questions about the banjo or old-time music, ask in the forum and ye shall receive.  Also a great place to buy and sell banjos. 

The Fiddle Hangout - Offspring of the banjo hangout and a fantastic resource for the aspiring fiddler.  And not surprisingly a great place to buy and sell fiddles. 

The Banjo Newsletter - In circulation for several decades, this is THE magazine for all of us banjo addicts.  The one magazine I typically read cover to cover the day it comes.  Issues come monthly.

CDs, etc.

“Feed Your Babies Onions” by the Highwoods Stringband - One of my favorite albums ever, any genre.  The Highwoods were one of the most popular acts around during the folk boom of the 70s, always making sure that their outstanding musicianship never got in the way of conveying the spirit of old-time music.

Half Past Four - Mac Benford, former banjoist for the Highwoods Stringband, takes a collection of classics from fiddler blind Ed Haley and translates all of his great licks to the 5-string.  His CD with fiddler John Hoffmann (“It’s About Time”) is also outstanding.

County Music Clawhammer Banjo series, Vol. 1 - 3 - A must have collection of tunes for the budding clawhammerist.  It’s amazing how a technique so seemingly simple could lead to such a variety of sounds and styles.  And here’s a link to Paul Brown’s story on how this collection came to be. 

Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham’s “Best Fiddle-Banjo Duets” - If the banjo and fiddle is the quintessential form of old-time music, then this may be the quintessential recording of old-time.  Great for listening and learning.  This CD is no longer in print, and so is available for free download at the link provided.  You also can’t go wrong with any of the rest of Tommy Jarrell’s recorded works.

New Lost City Ramblers - The Ramblers (Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tom Paley) were central figures in the revival of interest in Appalachian folk music.  And, for NLCR, old-time music was about much more than just fiddle tunes.  Were it not for these guys, this site probably wouldn’t exist and we likely wouldn’t have old-time jams or festivals to attend.

Way Down in North Carolina - When Paul Brown and Mike Seeger get together to make music, the result is pure magic. 

“In Sacred Trust: The 1963 Fleming Brown Tapes”  - Prepare to be blown away.  This CD, recorded in Hobart Smith’s living room, captures him singing, clogging, playing clawhammer and fingerpicked banjo, ragtime piano, country blues guitar, and old-time fiddle.  If you wanted to take the spectrum of old-time music and wrap it up in a single human being, the result would be Hobart Smith.   Awesome and inspiring.

Following is a brief list of various old-time related resources around the interland.  These are but a few of the highlights off the top of my head.  In no way is this list all inclusive, just a few of my favorites for folks relatively new to old-time and looking for some jumping off points.