Old-Time

Old-Time refers to the traditional folk music of the Appalachian mountains and rural United States, passed down orally since the 17th and 18th centuries by European settlers — Irish, Scottish, English and German — blended with African contributions from enslaved communities. This music for dancing and gathering first spread through the mountains of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina before reaching across the North American continent.

Musically, Old-Time centres on the five-string banjo played clawhammer style, the double-stop fiddle and a rhythmic guitar alternating bass and chord. Melodies, often in mixolydian or dorian modes, loop over repetitive structures that invite square or circle dancing. Unlike bluegrass, improvisation is restrained; fidelity to the traditional version and group communion take precedence over individual virtuosity.

The contemporary Old-Time scene is driven by artists who renew the genre while anchoring it in its roots. Rhiannon Giddens, a MacArthur Fellowship recipient, explores the underappreciated African-American contributions to the genre. Old Crow Medicine Show energetically modernise the repertoire. Dom Flemons, the 'American Songster', and Donna the Buffalo illustrate the creative vitality of this tradition.

Old-Time festivals are genuine ephemeral communities where transmission happens through open jams rather than stage performances. The Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia, is the ultimate reference. In Europe, Folk and Americana festivals increasingly programme these artists, drawn to music that places conviviality and heritage at the heart of the experience.