About the Old Time Machine
Welcome to the old-time jam!
The primary feature of this website is the old-time machine (the music player on the home page of the website), an ever expanding repository of old-time backup tracks for many of your favorite old time tunes, recorded with real live old-timey instruments.
Each tune is presented in several different backup arrangements organized by playlist (slow and fast guitar backup, guitar and banjo, guitar and fiddle), so that you may choose the one that best fits your needs (for more tips on how to get the most out of these tracks, go here).
The fiddle and banjo versions are intended to help familiarize you with the tunes.
(RELATED: Comprehensive, no-experience-required courses for clawhammer banjo, old time fingerstyle (2 finger, 3 finger), and fiddle are available. Click here to learn more.)
Each playlist is organized by key and the key is also announced at the beginning of each track. The banjo and fiddle tracks are panned to one side or the other, so you may adjust the level of each by adjusting the balance in your system (assuming you’re listening in stereo, which is recommended). If you want one track to play repeatedly, just click the loop button (circling arrows).
The chord changes for each tune will appear in the left-hand box on the player. Click the “chord charts help” folder on the player for more information on how to read these (you’ll need to click twice to get the chord chart to appear).
Want the free banjo and fiddle/mandolin tabs for the "old time top 20" tunes?
Click on the one you want below (and sign up for the old time jam newsletter).
The All-You-Can-Eat Option
Lifetime membership to oldtimejam.com, which includes all current and future volumes of tab, as well as all of the mp3 backup files, is included with registration to either the Brainjo courses for banjo or fiddle. Click here to learn more.