Old-time music
Old-time music is a traditional style of American music with roots in Irish, Scottish and African folk music. It is performed with stringed instuments such as the bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle (violin).Old-time music is traditionally played at dances, and is considered to be dance music. This is in contrast to bluegrass music. Bluegrass music developed from old-time music, shares the same song list and instruments, but is more oriented toward solo performance than is old-time music.
Old-time music experienced a great revival in the early 1960s in areas such as Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Alan Jabbour founding director of the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress was a leader of this revival while a student at Duke university.
Traditionally, Old-time music is played and learned by ear. Even those musicians who can read music will learn and play Old-time tunes by ear. However there is a broad selection of written music available for those who are interested.