Old Time Music Resources

Pull up a chair, sit a spell, and have some fresh homemade pie and strong coffee. You may need to get your instrument out after while, but for now, get comfy.

This guide will provide resources available in the FSU libraries and beyond. If you've stumbled on this guide and you've never heard of Old Time Music, you're in for a treat. You can find a local jam just about anywhere in the US-- while streaming audio and video is great way to learn more about the music, there's nothing like a live event to experience the music and the culture.

Questions? E-mail me (link on the right). Enjoy!

Old Time and Bluegrass musics are part of a living tradition, reflecting people and their societal, cultural, and historical contexts. Some of these tunes came from Ireland, Scotland, and England and their names were changed or modified over the decades and centuries. Other tunes have been borrowed from popular songs, or borrowed reappropriated from various cultures and reworked in the Old Time/Bluegrass/Fiddle Tune styles and added to that repertoire. 

Because these tunes have grown from various traditions and time periods, there will be titles and lyrics that are uncomfortable-- from murder ballads to alcohol use and abuse to racist descriptions and depictions. Even seemingly innocuous tunes such as "Turkey in the Straw" have complicated histories and reworkings. Please do a bit of research when you find a tune and learn about the tune's origins, context, and development. 

Resources regarding decolonizing the music classroom, works to be reconsidered in the repertoire, and more:

• 2020 List of Pieces to be Reconsidered or Removed
• Songs with a Questionable Past from Lauren McDougle
• Anti-Racism Music Resources from the UNC Department of Music
• Decolonizing the Music Room Research and Philosophy